Smallholder farmers produce nearly 70% of the world's food, work 60% of the world's arable land and represent nearly a third of the world's 7 billion person population.

In this two post series, Hugh Locke explores the legacy of the global food system, which in the past half decade has worked to systematically marginalize these smallholder farmers in favor of large-scale industrialized global food production. The fact is, smallholder famers, despite their productivity "represent the majority of the poorest and hungriest people on earth," says Locke.

However, with the global food supply projected to be insubstantial for a world that expects to add 2 billion people by 2050, smallholder farmers are now seen as a major key for the future of the world's food supply. Here, Locke sees an opportunity for both the global food industry, and smallholder farmers.In this blog, he challenges the world's largest food and beverage enterprises to assume "conscious leadership" in support of smallholder farmers worldwide.

To read the blog and learn about Locke's proposed solutions for the global food industry, click here.