Today, 80% of those suffering from hunger in the world are produce food themselves. This apparent paradox is the result of a food system which obliges 500 million small farmers, those who cultivate areas smaller than 2 hectares, to fight hunger on a daily basis. Entities of this size don’t benefit from the same advantages as their larger counterparts (like access to credit and markets, or the use of modern equipment), and oftentimes the weight of costs is unloaded on the most fragile. Despite this, when small farmers are able to affirm their worth, they contribute to the development of rural communities, job creation and growth in commercial trade. It is time to change, and food companies must support increased productivity and profits for small agriculture. According to the Oxfam report Think Big, Go Small increasing the integration of small farmers in the production chain can offer opportunities in acquiring customer loyalty, above all in emerging countries like China, India, Mexico and South-East Asia.
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