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| Farmers pedal away after delivering milk to the Kiboga West Livestock Cooperative chilling plant in Uganda. |
We agree wholeheartedly. Since its inception in 1944, Heifer International’s mission has been to end hunger and poverty by working directly with smallholder farmers, providing gifts of livestock and training that improve nutrition and cultivate individual entrepreneurship.
But, why farming? Gates explains in his post...
“Many people don’t realize it, but most of the world’s poorest people are small farmers. They get their food and income farming small plots of land. These farming families often don’t have good seeds, equipment, reliable markets, or money to invest that helps them get the most out of their land. So they work hard, but they get no traction, and more often than not, they stay hungry and poor.”
He goes on to state, “smart investments in farming families help them become more self sufficient.” Heifer’s model of sustainable development has proven this approach works.
This is a message the world needs to hear, and we need your help in sharing it. The Gates Foundation is issuing a challenge for you to create a compelling message – using your design, film making, or writing skills – that shows why investing in small farmers is good for the world, then submit your work for possible inclusion in the Gates Foundation website, blog or social media platforms.
Another great initiative from BG. Unfortunately, I have no doubt that poor smallholder farmers would be under the scrutiny of a local and/or central government who are quite capable of taking away the idea of individual entrepreneurship.
Thanks for your comment, Chris. I asked our Area Vice President for Africa to chime in, and here is what he had to say:
I am not aware of any deliberate attempt by governments to "take away the idea of individual entrepreneurship" especially for smallholder farmers. However, there are cultural and policy issues that may generally hinder the ability of individuals or companies in the rural areas to operate effectively. These may include land tenure systems which promulgate communal land use, lack of infrastructure (good road network, potable water and organized market systems for man and his crops and animals)and energy system, and allowing for the dumping of highly subsidized cheap products in their systems.
These problems are not all insurmountable. Heifer has been able to work with governments in a number of African countries to lend support to promoting entrepreneurship among smallholder farmers such as in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Ghana to name a few. In most cases this has involved financial investment, technical backstopping through relevant Ministries and facilitation like tax exemptions for agricultural supplies and farmer mobilization.