BBC World Debate : Failing the Farmer

Small farmers produce the majority of all the food we consume globally. But North and South, smallholder producers are leaving the land, and food production is becoming increasingly the concern of big business. Does it matter?  A growing body of opinion says ‘yes’ - from consumers, who increasingly want to know where and how food is produced, through to international financial institutions such as the World Bank, who now say the small farmer is central to development and the alleviation of acute poverty and hunger.  In this debate, representatives from across the world meet to discuss the importance and sustainability of the small farmer in the modern economy.