Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network (SAFBIN) SAFBIN (Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network) is an action research programme to ensure food and nutritional security of smallholder farmers living in South Asia and to address the challenges of climate change.

The future of agriculture is in the hands of smallholder farmers. They are not only the target group of SAFBIN but they are the solution

Small-scale farmers are becoming researchers in their own farms. They exhibit higher productivity and cropping intensity while using the simplest means like improved varieties, shifting of sowing dates, seed banks etc. and contribute to reduce consumption of resources for achieving higher income.

Though they are the hardest hit by climate change, they are also the best adaptors of the phenomenon through the local practices that are unique to them. Bringing them together, SAFBIN banks upon the smallholder farmers’ collectives to achieve the global goals of SDGs in the four countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan in the South Asian region. The cooperation and the exchange of knowledge across the political boundaries of the four countries are also unique. The programme is headed by Caritas Austria with the support of Caritas Switzerland and implemented by the Caritas organisations in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

Why SAFBIN?

• Worldwide one third of malnourished people live in South Asia.
• More than 70 percent of farmers in South Asia are subsistent smallholders
• Smallholders produce more than 70% of food worldwide from 40% of land
• Future agriculture and the wellbeing of the region lies in the hands of smallholders

Smallholder farmers are the largest community in South Asia. They are the most affected people to food insecurity caused by climate change.