Heifer in the News

Heifer International, the Little Rock-based company known for its programs to help countries around the world, is starting a new program aimed at ending hunger and poverty here at home in 14 counties in Arkansas.

The five-year project, called The Seeds of Change Initiative, will start with a $2.25 million to help build sustainable community food systems in the Arkansas Delta and Appalachia.

He's there for you no matter what, and now with Father's Day around the corner, it's your opportunity to thank him back.
Stumped on what to give that special dad in your life this Father's Day? Have no fear. Here is a list of Father's Day gift ideas that are sure to please...and do a whole lot of good!
-- Non-profit Heifer International, which works in the U.S. and abroad to help families become more self-reliant, encourages folks to show their thanks for dad by making a gift in his name that will help another needy father provide for his children. According to the organization, a donation of a farm animal through Heifer International's gift catalog provides food security and income for families across the globe. For more information, visit www.heifer.org or call 501-907-2952.

The challenge of feeding a growing population of 9 billion by 2050 requires collaboration across all stakeholders on a scale never seen before and it has to start now, according to the DuPont Advisory Committee on Agriculture Innovation and Productivity for the 21st Century.  The committee released a report today detailing recommendations for closing the food productivity gap. 

In 2010, DuPont assembled an external committee, which is chaired by former U.S. Senator Thomas A. Daschle, to examine the best public policy mechanisms and business practices to tackle the global challenge to increase agriculture productivity in a sustainable manner.  Other committee members are: Charlotte Hebebrand, chief executive of International Food and Agriculture Trade Policy Council; Jo Luck, president, Heifer International; J.B. Penn, chief economist, Deere and Co., and Pedro Sanchez, director of Tropical Agriculture and Rural Development Program, Earth Institute at Columbia University.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Agency for International Development unveiled a program to make it easier for more companies of all sizes to send professionals abroad to help local governments, small businesses and civic groups in developing nations. The new Center of Excellence for International Corporate Volunteerism was developed with IBM and CDC Development Solutions (CDS), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that manages companies international volunteer initiatives.

Pierre Ferrari, chief executive officer of nonprofit Heifer International, told msnbc.com he doesn't begrudge the corporate newcomers.

"It makes sense to work together … At Heifer we work with the poorest of the poor, small-holder farmers, producers who need a market for their goods," said Ferrari, a former Coca-Cola USA vice president and a member of the board of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. "(But) everyone brings a separate and complementary expertise. NGOs have expertise in community development at a grassroots level; governments can assist with infrastructure and laws; companies like IBM provide financial resources and intellectual property, even market demand for emerging markets in the same field, such as dairy. A partnership can include corporations as both buyers and mentors."