FAO Diversification Booklets
What opportunities are there at farm and local community level to increase the incomes of small-scale farmers? This series of booklets aims to raise awareness and provide decision support information about opportunities for increasing the incomes of small-scale farmers. Each booklet focuses on a farm or non farm enterprise that can be integrated into small farms to increase incomes and enhance livelihoods.
The booklets are primarily aimed at people and organisations providing advisory, business and technical support to resource-poor small-scale farmers and local communities in low- and middle-income countries. They are also intended for policymakers and programme managers in government and non-governmental organisations.
The enterprises selected are considered suitable for smallholder farmers in terms of resource requirements, additional costs, exposure to risk and complexity.
The booklets cover:
- Beekeeping and sustainable livelihoods (2004)
- Livelihoods grow in gardens (2004)
- Poultry for profit and pleasure (2004)
- High hopes for post harvest (2004)
- Processed food for improved livelihoods (2004)
- Milk for health and wealth (2009)
- Make money by growing mushrooms (2009)
- Higher value addition through hides and skin (2009)
- Sheep and goats for diverse products and profits (2009)
- Rural transport and traction enterprises for improved livelihoods (2009)
- Growing vegetables for home and market (2009)
- Non-farm income from non-wood forest products (2009)
- Farm ponds for water, fish and livelihoods (2009)
Products and services generated by these enterprises are suitable for meeting demand on a growing or already strong local market and are not dependent on an export market.
[adapted from the authors]
NB Some of these booklets are also available in Spanish and French.
