US food major Cargill on Monday teamed up with global charity Heifer International to launch an initiative aimed at improving livelihood and nutritional security of millions of people all over the world by promoting poultry.
Under Hatching Hope Global Initiative, they intend to help 100 million people by 2030 through production, promotion and consumption of poultry. As a beginning, the project will target women smallholder farmers in India, Mexico and Kenya, a press statement said.
In India, the work will be taken up first in Mayurbhanj in Odisha. The initial phase of Hatching Hope in India will focus on improving the nutrition and income of 1.7 million people through backyard poultry farming and increased consumption of poultry products . Farmers will be connected to markets and equipped with the goods and services that they need to become successful participants in the poultry value chain, it said.
“In India, communities will benefit from this programme which will address poverty and malnutrition through access to efficient animal agriculture and high-quality protein diet. With this project, Cargill is helping transform smallholder farmers into highly productive and successful entrepreneurs who can lift their families and communities out of poverty. The programme would directly benefit 3,00,000 women farmers in Mayurbhanj,” said Imre Havasi, Managing Director of Cargill’s animal nutrition business in India.
“Through Hatching Hope, we’re investing in smart, resourceful women farmers, working with them to improve their products and access new markets,” said Avni Malhotra, Country Director of Heifer India.
