The world’s population is estimated to peak at around nine billion in 2050, with almost half of the increase from 2009 (three billion) occurring in Asia. This will require a doubling of food production on a declining land area and natural resource base and in the context of increasing climate variability. At the same time, however, increasing urbanisation and the globalisation of food production are creating new opportunities for smallholder farmers in Asia to make a transition from subsistence agriculture to more-specialised production systems linked to commercial food production systems. Driving this transition will require increased investment in more-efficient and robust agricultural production technologies and a greater focus on enabling supply chain opportunities for small-scale farmers. In most countries in the region, government extension services have been unable to engage effectively with commercial supply chains. In several cases, the commercial sector is signaling demand for commodities from supply chains based on networks of small-scale producers. Using examples from the region, this paper highlights key issues that enhance smallholder competitiveness in these supply chains.