Empowering Smallholder Farmers: The Key to Global Food Security and Climate Resilience

Drawing from her personal journey growing up on a small farm in Uganda, this speaker highlights the transformative power of empowering smallholder farmers. She shares how providing her mother with improved seeds boosted crop yields and financial independence, leading to greater community development. As the former Minister of Agriculture in Rwanda, she helped implement agricultural reforms that lifted millions out of poverty. However, climate change now threatens these gains. She calls for urgent action, including better access to improved seeds, climate information, and crop insurance for farmers. Additionally, she advocates for recognizing the vital role smallholder farmers play in feeding the world and preserving the planet.