Our community-led development model strengthens social capital within smallholder farming communities, building the foundation for program success. We facilitate creation of locally organized collectives, primarily women-led self-help groups, many of which evolve into agricultural cooperatives, producer organizations and business hubs. Working collectively, farmers are better equipped to leverage program support to access agricultural resources, capital and market connections to grow their businesses.

The model prioritizes supporting groups as they envision what their future looks like and collaborate toward shared goals. Central to this work is our 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development training, a set of discussions and reflections that reinforce community solidarity. Through one of the Cornerstones known as Passing on the Gift®, participants also commit to pass on to others some assets or knowledge gained through their enterprises, creating a powerful multiplier of positive change.

Heifer acts as a facilitator and convener to open new formal market avenues for farmers and transform food systems to drive resilience in farming communities. We work with smallholder communities on value chain analyses to determine what agricultural products are best suited to helping households earn a sustainable living income, in consideration of local resources and market demand.

Heifer then engages public and private sector partners to strengthen the networks required for farm-level investment and economic growth. This includes establishing connections between market actors, such as smallholder farmers, processors and buyers, as well as service providers like insurance companies and microlenders. Heifer also works closely with stakeholders to facilitate infrastructure development, such as affordable electricity, collection centers and processing facilities.