In Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the importance of smallholder farmers in terms of food security and sustainable agriculture was highlighted – article in the Guardian:

Rio+20 a chance to engage smallholder farms in sustainable agriculture
The draft outcome document of the Rio+20 summit mentions smallholder farmers – many of them women – in growing acknowledgment of their importance in terms of food security, with the continued threat of famine in the Sahel, and enviromental sustainability, as farming accounts for at least 14% of global greenhouse emissions.