How business can make smallholder supply chains resilient

13-14 March 2018, London. How business can make smallholder supply chains resilient. Practical
ways to use the Sustainable Development Goals.

This two-day conference assessed how business can connect the all-encompassing SDGs to their smallholder supply chains – and the business case for doing so. The core themes included:

• The business case: Is there a business case for pursuing the SDGs, and if there is, what is it?
• How do you connect the SDGs with smallholder supply chains? The practical steps business can take to align company strategy and practices with the SDGs
• The future of smallholder farming: The need to progress past subsistence level farming and support farmers’ entrepreneurial development
• Market access and long-term stability for smallholders: Improved access to markets can help smallholders build their assets and incomes, so how can business help?
• Farmer co-operatives: Improving farmer co-operatives for increased transparency, integrity, scale and the SDGs

The specific goals included:

• Goal 2.A: Farmer access to finance and funding Why is it so hard for smallholders to gain access to finance and funding, and how can business can make it easier for them?
• Goal 2.4: The consequences of climate change Building farmer resilience to unpredictable weather patterns and droughts to ensure food security
• Goal 5: Gender equality within smallholder farming How can business correct the severe inequalities between male and female farmers?
• Goal 8.8: Working conditions and human rights on smallholder farms What can business do to ensure the farmers in their supply chains have a decent working conditions?
• Goal 12.3: Reducing food waste at farm level Best farm management practices, technology and other solutions to reduce and eliminate food waste at the farm level.