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Sustainable agriculture

Rural development and a strong agricultural sector reduce poverty and form the basis for sustainable economic development at all levels.Nearly 80% of the world's people living in extreme poverty live in rural areas. In many developing countries, food security and rural development are ongoing challenges. At the same time, there is a rural-urban migration of poor farmers to cities in search of livelihoods, which further jeopardises food security. 

Improved access, skills and services for farmers

Our goal is an active agricultural sector that harnesses the potential of local and global agricultural development to ensure food security and reduce poverty. In cooperation with scientists and the private sector, Swisscontact develops strategies to promote sustainable growth in agricultural production and income. Particular attention is paid to ensuring that this growth does not occur at the expense of the environment.  

Swisscontact works with private and public partners to

  • Ensure better access for farmers to improved products, services and know-how;
  • Create market linkages and strengthen the entrepreneurial skills of farmers and farmer groups;
  • Foster an enabling environment, improve business support services and promote sustainable and inclusive development policies;
  • Making agriculture more sustainable by developing an enabling policy environment and promoting environmentally friendly practices, technologies and services.

Activities for sustainable agriculture

Any modern agricultural policy must be coordinated with economic, ecological and social development policies in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Swisscontact supports rural development at all levels:    

  • We train and advise agricultural institutions on technical and organisational issues.
  • We promote business models that benefit poor farmers.
  • We facilitate co-creation and information exchange between public and private sector actors.
  • We promote a favourable investment climate.
  • We advise governments and administrations on the development of agricultural policy objectives, their implementation and the measurement of their impact.
  • We promote civil society organisations and advise them, for example, on social participation and securing land rights.
  • We support the development of urban-rural relations.