Latest Research: Small-scale Farmers are the Unsung Heroes of Climate Change, Requiring Two Trillion in Annual Investment

Torrential rain, flooding, typhoons, droughts… under the threat of climate change, farmers are always the first to suffer. Yet, it is often overlooked that they are also the most proactive in taking measures to mitigate these losses.

Last year, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the Farmer Seed Network, and Foodthink jointly launched a survey. Based on information provided by over 200 surveyed farmers and farms, we found that each household spends an average of 20-40% of its annual income experimenting with and implementing various agricultural practices to adapt to climate change. For those in remote areas or those more vulnerable to climate change, these costs account for 60-80% of their annual income. This suggests that, compared to external funding, farmers themselves are the primary drivers of climate change adaptation.

This year, the Forest and Farm Facility and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) expanded the scope of this research to include small-scale farmers worldwide. Their recent report, *The Unsung Giant of Climate and Nature Investment*, reveals that smallholders globally spend $368 billion (approximately 2.64 trillion yuan) of their own money every year to adapt to climate change. A survey of over 1,800 farmers across 13 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America found that each farmer invests an average of $838 (5,866 yuan) per year; currently, there are 439 million smallholders worldwide farming plots of less than 10 hectares (150 mu).

Compared to the investments made by the farmers themselves, international funding is negligible. At last year’s COP27 climate negotiations, governments pledged a mere $230 million for the Adaptation Fund to bolster the resilience of vulnerable groups against climate disasters. Another survey, representing a network of over 35 million smallholders across Africa, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, shows that although small-scale farmers produce a third of the world’s food, only about 0.3% ($2 billion) of international climate finance in 2021 was allocated to help them adapt to climate change. The United Nations’ recent Adaptation Gap Report states that this spending needs to increase tenfold to eighteenfold to support the most vulnerable communities in adapting to a changing climate.

Researchers behind *The Unsung Giant of Climate and Nature Investment* revealed that every respondent noted some level of impact from climate change on their farming, including floods, droughts, an increase in pests and diseases, and shifts in seasons and rainfall patterns. On average, the farmers surveyed spend 20-40% of their annual income on experimenting with and implementing agroecological practices to adapt to these changes. Among the 176 Chinese smallholders who took part in the study, the average expenditure aligned with global levels at roughly 20-40% of annual income; however, a small minority remain in a far more precarious position, with climate adaptation costs exceeding 80% of their yearly earnings.

Furthermore, there are vast differences in national contexts among the 13 countries surveyed in the report; consequently, spending on climate adaptation by smallholders varies significantly. The lowest average annual investment per household was found in Tanzania at $159 (1,113 CNY), while the highest was in China at $2,470 (17,290 CNY).

Most of the adaptation methods adopted by farmers are beneficial to nature, helping to protect biodiversity and thereby enhancing climate resilience. The most common measures include adjusting cultivation times or planting and harvesting schedules; improving soil by controlling pests, erosion, and water loss through ecosystem-based approaches; protecting natural areas and increasing the variety of crops, trees, and animals on the land; and attending training courses on climate change adaptation.

The report suggests that the calculated figure of $368 billion likely still significantly underestimates the investment made by these farmers, as it fails to account for the time spent implementing these measures—invisible labour that typically goes unpaid. Surveys indicate that smallholders spend an average of 107 days a year on adaptation measures, with 41% of respondents dedicating more than 40% of their farming activities to these efforts.

Hou Xiaoting, a senior researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development, stated: “Smallholder farmers across the globe are the unsung heroes in the fight to adapt to the climate and nature crisis. Climate change has already had a profound impact on their way of life. They are investing vast amounts of time and money to adapt, doing so in a way that helps both humanity and nature thrive; their contribution far exceeds that of wealthy governments.”

Over a third of respondents stated they had received external support to adapt to climate change, primarily from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and farmers’ cooperatives or associations. However, many farmers believe they still require assistance, including financial support and various forms of technical training.

Damian Sulumo, a project officer at MVIWAARUSHA, a Tanzanian farmers’ association involved in the survey, stated: “Public and private investors have pledged billions of dollars to projects designed to help society adapt to climate change and address nature loss; however, we know that for farmers whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by global warming, the funding reaching them is far too little.”

He further argued: “The international community must recognise the evidence that providing direct funding to producer organisations—such as cooperatives, associations, and local groups—can effectively support and encourage small-scale producers to take action. Through collective effort, we can achieve the scale necessary to influence policy and markets, which benefits not only the prospects of farmers but also the global fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.”

COP28, the climate change conference, is set to convene in Dubai on 30 November this year. The host nation, the United Arab Emirates, has indicated that agriculture and food production will be central to the discussions. Farmers do more than just produce our food; they have made some of the most significant contributions to the fight against climate change. The question remains: will their voices finally be heard and valued by the international community?