Credit: SSNUP

On Tuesday 15 July 2025, the partners of the Smallholder SustaiNability Upscaling Programme (SSNUP) announced that the programme was entering its second phase.

Luxembourg, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are continuing their joint SSNUP programme, which has attracted €188 million of private sector investments to date.

The Luxembourgish, Swiss and Liechtenstein development cooperation agencies are collaborating with the Luxembourgish NGO ADA - Appui au Développement Autonome and a group of impact investors under SSNUP in support of smallholder farmers in developing countries. From 2020 to 2025, the programme attracted €188 million in private impact investments in support of around one million farmers in 34 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.

As it enters its next implementation phase through 2029, SSNUP will focus on agroecological practices, nutrition and fairness. The goal is to make food systems more equitable and smallholder farmers more resilient, while contributing to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger by 2030.

According to the SSNUP partners, the livelihoods of 475 million households around the world depend on small-scale farming. Supporting smallholder farmers helps address the root causes of poverty, strengthens economies and promotes environmental conservation and resilience against climate change.

Smallholder farmers typically access markets through farmer organisations, financial institutions and agricultural enterprises such as buyers, collectors, processors and exporters. However, insufficient investment in essential infrastructure - such as irrigation systems, storage facilities and transportation networks - limits the potential to increase food production and leaves farmers vulnerable to climate and other risks.

To address this funding gap, the development cooperation agencies of Luxembourg, Switzerland and Liechtenstein teamed up with ADA and impact investors under SSNUP. Launched in 2020, the programme strengthens the resilience of smallholder farmers in Africa, Latin America and Asia by combining development aid with private impact investments. It improves food security, increases incomes and supports local processing, thereby stimulating rural economies and fostering broader socio-economic development.

The three agencies' financial support lowers the threshold for private impact funds to invest in agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), cooperatives and financial service providers through financial, technical and organisational support.

"Through the SSNUP programme, Luxembourg has reaffirmed its belief that sustainable development requires private sector mobilisation. By acting as a catalyst for impact investment, we have helped direct over €100 million in capital toward strengthening the resilience and incomes of smallholder farmers. Encouraged by the initial results, we are committed to a second phase to scale up and deepen this impact where it is most needed," stated Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs.

The second implementation phase will focus on:

  • promoting environmentally sustainable farming such as agroecological practices which favour crop diversification and the use of local seeds;
  • improving the nutrition and overall food security of smallholder farmers;
  • addressing gender inequalities;
  • developing fair agrifood systems.

"By focusing on these key topics, we hope to promote a successful transition to agroecological production systems on a larger scale, driven and supported by the private sector and its corresponding investments. This focus will ensure the biggest possible impact in terms of food security and nutrition and contribute to achieve the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger by 2030," said Andreas Sicks, Liechtenstein Development Service CEO.

Further information about SSNUP is available at https://www.ada-microfinance.org/en/ssnup