Tag Archives: IFAD

Smallholder Farmers Key to Feeding Growing Population

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It was one year ago today that the world population estimate hit 7 billion. Here at Heifer International, we’re continuing our work of helping smallholder farmers around the world learn sustainable agriculture practices, increase their family’s nutrition and income and contribute to community and economic development. Empowering smallholder farmers, especially women, to grow more food more sustainably is the best solution to ending hunger and poverty worldwide.

Smallholder Farmers in Bangladesh

Josna Begam (middle) winnows rice with her mother, Monara Begam, in Johari, Natore, Bangladesh. Photo by Geoff Bugbee, courtesy of Heifer International.

Eighty percent of the developing world’s food is raised on about half a billion small farms.

An interesting, though long, read is “Sustainable smallholder agriculture: Feeding the world, protecting the planet” from the International Fund for Agricultural Development. In it, IFAD validates what Heifer has known for a long time.

Farmers face two stark realities over the next four decades: They must produce 70 per cent more food by 2050 to feed a growing, more urbanized population, and they must do so facing the likelihood that arable land in developing countries will increase by no more than 12 per cent. That monumental challenge can be met only if sustainability is the foundation of approaches to food security and poverty reduction in every country and every community. No other strategy has a hope of feeding current populations while protecting and restoring the natural resources that future generations will need to support their livelihoods.

Viewing the agriculture sector as renewable rather than extractive is the only way forward. This approach embraces the idea that agriculture is an interaction with wider ecosystems, while it simultaneously improves livelihood options for those who farm the world’s approximately 500 million smallholdings. In the long term, there is no trade-off between production and sustainability. In fact, the opposite is true: without sustainability, production will suffer.

On the anniversary of the world’s population reaching 7 billion, it’s good to take stock and remember where we’re headed: to 9 billion or so by 2050. If we want a chance at ensuring a decent, healthy life for each of those 9 billion, we must continue to invest in the world’s smallholder farmers.

Heifer CEO Speaks at World Food Prize 2012

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This week I am honored to be a part of the World Food Prize 2012 Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa, to represent the work of Heifer International and to help give voice to the millions of smallholder farmers who struggle daily against enormous odds to feed themselves and their families.

The World Food Prize is an incredible event, founded by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug in 1986, that honors outstanding individuals from all over the world who have made substantial contributions in the fight against hunger.

World Food Prize 2010

World Food Prize 2010 co-recipients, Jo Luck and David Beckmann. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

It was only two years ago that Heifer’s then-president, Jo Luck, and Bread for the World President David Beckmann accepted the World Food Prize. It was a milestone—the first time the prize recognized the critical achievements that non-governmental organizations, such as Heifer International and Bread for the World, are making empowering everyday people everywhere to help end hunger.

I am humbled to be standing in their shadow and honored to be carrying on Jo Luck’s legacy. Since that October day in 2010, Heifer has helped another four million families move beyond subsistence to resilience, bringing our total to more than 18 million families assisted.

World Food Prize

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

We cannot end hunger and poverty on our own. The direction that Heifer is embarking on will move us closer to achieving our mission of ending hunger and poverty and caring for the Earth. We are building on our past success to help more families than ever before by increasing our scale of impact. And our persistent efforts have not gone unnoticed. We have caught the attention of many large and impactful organizations such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Bank and United States Agency for International Development. I met with these organizations when I traveled to India, Nepal and Cambodia. They have seen the socioeconomic advancements in our project communities, generated by our work, and  they are interested in integrating with our efforts to empower families.

World Food Prize

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Speaking at the World Food Prize, surrounded by the luminaries of the development world, means that Heifer is being recognized as a key player. These next few years will be exciting and full of promise. But don’t just be an observer, get involved. Everyone has a role to play in ending hunger and poverty and your involvement in your own community can help the families all over the world with whom we work.

Heifer CEO Travels: An Update from Nepal

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It has been more than a year since my last visit to Nepal and it feels good to be back! I’m anxious to see the changes that have occurred since I have been gone.

My first visit was to Kathmandu and to meet with Heifer Nepal staff. They are truly a talented team with a total commitment to building social capital as THE way to successful rural agricultural development. They understand the impact of the 12 Cornerstones and include these values into project work.

Nepal has implemented the Nepal Signature Project that will embody our work of increasing our impact. This project hopes to serve 140,000 farmers in goat and dairy value chain enterprises to increase families’ nutrition and income. The Nepal staff is very confident and very excited at the impact they will have on so many lives. I really am in awe of the amazing work that the Nepal staff has accomplished regarding this project since January.

Heifer International CEO Pierre Ferrari's first trip into the field to Asia (Nepal country programs).

After my initial meeting with Heifer Nepal, I spent the rest of the afternoon meeting with government officials and project collaborators who have pledged to support our work.

My second day was spent in various meetings with representatives from World Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  There were interesting discussions. As Dr. Gayatri Acharya, acting Country Director for the World Bank in Nepal, said, “Money is not the problem, there is plenty of money. It is [lack of] responsible execution that is the problem.” In Heifer’s case, I know that Nepal Country Director, Dr. Shubh Mahato, and his staff have built incredible relationships with various organizations that will enhance our current work and demonstrate our commitment and comparative advantage in the building of social capital.

Nepal is very poor with continuing poverty, malnutrition, unemployment and corruption. It is apparent that Heifer NEEDS to be here, and in working with our partners to increase our impact, Heifer will be a key player in eradicating poverty.

Heifer International CEO Pierre Ferrari's first trip into the field to Asia (Nepal country programs).

Puja Singh, Communications and Network Officer for Nepal, shared some of my visit to the Kabilash village in her post “First Steps into Sustainability.” This village is home to a little more than 1,000 families who will be a part of the Nepal Signature Project. As Puja mentioned, this was my first time meeting with a Self Help Group (SHG) prior to receiving training. It is evident that life is not easy and the women were very shy and nervous. The Nepal staff explained how radical the change is after participating in Cornerstone training, and these women will be more assertive and confident. We met with a second group, who are in a similar situation as the first group. Their agroecological and livestock practices are inadequate; their animals are sick, ill fed and scrawny and do not fetch good prices and have high mortality rates.  They mentioned to us they were hungry and struggled to find the next meal for themselves and their children. It was a very sobering experience. I would like to think that we shared hope with these families, knowing that Heifer would soon be working with them to support their efforts to attain self-reliance.  We also met with some SHGs that have been Heifer project participants for more than two years. The contrast was amazing. Their success has been motivating for the new groups preparing to engage in Heifer projects.

The following day we visited the Devitar village. This was the village I visited 18 months earlier, in my first trip to Nepal. The participants are thriving and their income is up substantially. It really was quite moving to see the continued progress.

Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari visits Nepal projects.

As my time in Nepal came to a close, I visited additional Heifer projects in the Chepang area. Although they were all at different stages in their projects, you could see their progress. The Cornerstones training has really served them well as a foundational basis for their work. One of the groups even received a visit from the Prime Minister of Nepal! These SHGs understand that scale matters and they are now they most visible and impactful advocates for their communities. I’m pleased to see that many of the SHGs are led by some forceful and confident women. I truly wish that you could experience the power and excitement from these projects.

My journey continues onto Thailand and Cambodia. The days have been very long, but as I have mentioned before, I am energized by the people I meet!

Namaste.