What we do
We have a three-track approach to increase food security and strengthen agricultural livelihoods:
- We increase the technical and business capacities of smallholder farmers to produce sufficient and nutritious food for household consumption, while also earning an income from farming.
- We support low-income farmers and their organisations in accessing finance and markets, and, thus, increasing their income.
- We pressure governments to implement policies that are favourable to farmers and producer organisations.
By supporting entrepreneurs in fragile settings, our aim is to provide access to economic opportunities for marginalised communities. The entrepreneurial ecosystems we contribute to provide more access to finance, markets and business support for youth, women and refugees.
-> Read more about our approach to responsible business conduct and value chain development.
We are improving sustainable food systems in the following countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
Our work contributes to SDG 2 (zero hunger) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).

Ugandan youngsters receive training in poultry. Photo: Cordaid
Climate-resilient food systems
Extreme weather events – droughts and floods – increasingly impact the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and their communities. They urgently need to adapt to these climate change effects – caused mostly by the big fossil fuel industries and agribusinesses of which they are no part. We support them in switching to more sustainable and climate-resilient forms of agriculture and food production.
This video shows how the COASTS project supports farmers in Bangladesh in dealing with growing levels of salinity. In coastal areas of Southern Bangladesh, the land is affected by salt and is no longer suitable for agriculture activity. COASTS focuses on commercialising saline-tolerant seed and vegetable varieties. Our goal is to support 10,000 farmers, women and men, by transforming 5,000 hectares of fallow land into productive agricultural land by introducing saline farming by 2024.
-> Read this brochure about our approach to empower people with climate-resilient agri-food systems
Youth employment and entrepreneurship
Cordaid boosts youth employment, by offering young people opportunities to increase their technical, professional, social, and entrepreneurial skills. Our training and mentoring schemes improve their access to employment, markets, finance, land, and new technologies.
This video shows how we improve agri-business skills for young refugees in Uganda. In Afghanistan, we work to increase employment opportunities for young Afghans.