The rich biodiversity of plants found in smallholder farms in Africa helps support communities by producing a range of resources from medicines to construction materials. These farms are often the guardians, as well as the beneficiaries of a greater diversity of biological species than can be found in protected areas. This publication discusses how the smallholder farmers of East Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, are contributing to the global agenda for the conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of the benefits of biodiversity.