Farmer Income Lab
The Farmer Income Lab is committed to sharing its research and insights to enable continuous learning and accelerate industry-wide action.
Publications
Featured Publication
Integrating Social and Environmental Sustainability
IDH and Mars commissioned this research with Forum for the Future to inform our own approach and collaborative actions. This report builds the case for an integrated sustainability strategy that cuts across boundaries and realizes systemic environmental and social solutions.
Farmer Segmentation
Farmer segmentation has emerged as a valuable approach that can improve the effectiveness and impact of sourcing strategies and farmer support programs, delivering better results for all.
Enabling Smallholder-Based Agricultural Transformation
For companies seeking to increase their impact on alleviating rural poverty amongst smallholder farmers in their supply chains, this paper identifies lessons from places where major gains in smallholder farming households’ livelihoods have been achieved.
Poverty and Procurement Through a Pandemic
Even prior to the pandemic, the global food system was under significant socioeconomic, environmental, and governance risks. The pandemic is accelerating these risks and placing farmers’ already low incomes in jeopardy.
Building Thriving Rural Communities and More Sustainable, Resilient Agricultural Supply Chains
The Disrupting Commodities Project seeks to catalyze thriving rural communities and sustainable, resilient agricultural supply chains. This report summarizes the insights that have come out of the Project so far.
Sustainable Procurement Insights: S&D's Cost-Plus Coffee Pricing Model
This paper describes an equitable trading practice currently being piloted by S&D Coffee and Tea in Colombia and elsewhere to raise farmer incomes beyond the poverty line to the living income level.
Race to One: Mobilizing Business Action on SDG 1
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require unprecedented collaboration and innovation. It has become clear that the SDGs lack guidance on the exact role business can play in catalyzing and contributing to specific targets.
Background Paper: Disrupting Commodities
Our research suggests that the time is right for a conversation about how global businesses can disrupt the way smallholder-produced commodities are bought and sold.
Boosting Farmer Income: A Longlist of Great Cases
This document lists over 100 cases received from 80 experts on smallscale agriculture, focusing on "great cases" that at least doubled farmer incomes.
What Works: Insights and Reflections
A step change is needed in global supply chains if we are to meaningfully raise farmers’ incomes. The improvements achieved so far are positive, but not sufficient to transform farmers’ livelihoods.
What Works to Increase Smallholder Farmers' Income?
This paper is a first step in answering the question, “What are the most effective actions that lead buyers can take to enable smallholder farmers in global supply chains to meaningfully increase their incomes?”
Boosting Farmer Income: Further Insights from Great Cases
As global businesses, like those linked to the Farmer Income Lab, look to drive meaningful improvement in incomes, it will be critical to learn effectively from promising practices.