In honor of World Food Day (October 16, 2012), IFPRI Director General Shenggen Fan provided guest commentary on the World Economic Forum's Forum Blog . The piece focuses on the critical role that smallholder farmers play in the fight against hunger, undernutrition, and food insecurity.
Fan discusses the many risks that smallholders face, including financial and weather shocks and poor health. His recommendations for increasing smallholders' resilience against such shocks include increasing technological innovation to strengthen crop and livestock varieties, improving and extending social safety nets to protect the poorest of the poor, and building partnerships with both the public and the private sectors to improve agricultural productivity and innovation.