Farming is the primary source of livelihoods in many countries, and it’s also where some of the most transformative economic development opportunities lie. Investing in agriculture is one of the most effective ways to boost the incomes of families living in poverty.
Heifer International works with smallholder farmers, their communities and a range of partners across food systems to identify opportunities within the agriculture sector that deliver reliable incomes through improved production, collective enterprises, market systems development and financial inclusion.
We focus on sustainable living incomes for farmers, strengthening their long-term resilience to shocks.
We target agricultural value chains that are market-driven and can be profitable for smallholder farmers and their communities.
We provide technical and business training to help farmers improve their farms’ productivity, efficiency and resilience.
We partner with cooperatives to scale individuals’ access to resources and drive business growth.
We facilitate market connections to create inclusive economies for farmers.
We help farmers and cooperatives access agritech, infrastructure and financing to invest in their business.
Heifer developed the sustainable living income concept as a holistic measure of farming households’ well-being, measuring income alongside additional indicators that contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Achieving sustainable living income means a household earns sufficient income to support a decent life — including safe and secure shelter, nutritious food, clothing, education and health care — while also reaching benchmarks for climate-friendly farming practices, women’s empowerment, food security and social capital development, all essential markers for building long-term resilience to shocks.
Our approach is and has always been locally led by the communities we serve, in response to their expressed needs and priorities. Heifer conducts baseline testing and value chain analysis to determine what agricultural products are best suited to helping households earn a dignified living, in consideration of the local environment, culture, resources and market demand.
Value chain analyses include a study of the value chain ecosystem, reviewing current actors, infrastructure and government policies, as well bottlenecks in the system and the potential for smallholder farmers to participate and turn a profit. Once a feasible value chain is identified, we support communities to select, manage and invest in diversified livelihood opportunities within it.
The path to entrepreneurship starts with supporting farmers to organize into self-help groups, farmer producer organizations or cooperatives and work together to identify key livelihood challenges and agree on plans to address them.
Heifer’s role is to facilitate market linkages; skills training, including improved production, business management, leadership and climate-smart practices; and extension services, such as animal health services. We also facilitate access to finance, information, technology and infrastructure to help farmers and cooperatives scale their operations and compete in local and global markets.
Working collectively, farmers can leverage Heifer’s support to capture more value from their farm products, leading to increased incomes and improved prospects for families and communities.
Heifer works with public and private sector partners to create an enabling environment that supports trade and investment in domestic and global food systems. As farmers transition to becoming entrepreneurs, strong partnerships with government agencies, processors, food companies and others ensure farmers can better meet the demand for their products, find opportunities to access new markets and accelerate progress toward sustainable development.
Heifer also works closely with local partners and public and private stakeholders to facilitate infrastructure development, such as affordable electricity, clean water, communications infrastructure and processing facilities, so farmers and rural communities can build sound agribusinesses and compete in relevant market systems.
Self-help groups and cooperatives create a foundation for rural households to participate in financial literacy and business skills training, and to support one another with low-interest loans through peer-to-peer savings and lending.
As farmers grow their businesses, Heifer’s programs connect participants and cooperatives to formal banking, insurance, and financing for equipment and inputs.
Additionally, our impact investing unit, Heifer Impact Capital, directly provides affordable investment capital to Heifer-supported farmers and cooperatives and leverages external investments from financial institutions, governments, corporations and others to expand our impact.
Farmer cooperatives with access to capital can design and commercialize products and services at scale, creating jobs and generating local economic opportunities, leading to more inclusive and resilient rural economies.
An in-depth look at the Milky Way Signature Program, which seeks to transform Nepal’s dairy sector and put 500,000 farming families on the pathway to earning a sustainable living income.
View PDF About Milky Way ReportThis white paper provides an open-source methodology for calculating commodity prices that deliver living incomes for farming households.
View PDF About Commodity Living Income Strategy White PaperHeifer International calculates living income benchmarks in the 19 countries in which it works.
View Fact Sheet About Living Income Benchmarks Fact SheetAccess to credit remains one of the greatest challenges for smallholder farmers, especially women. But when Marzan joined a Heifer-supported self-help group, she was finally connected to the network of support she needed to invest in her future.
