The partnership will help to improve financial independence for women in Anantapur and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh
Heifer International, Cargill and Walmart Foundation announced the expansion of Hatching Hope: Accelerating Incomes Through Diversification into India to improve financial independence for women in the Anantapur and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh.
With demand for eggs and poultry meat on the rise across India, backyard poultry farming is an economically sustainable agri-business that is easy to undertake and can provide high returns in a shorter timeframe. The project offers new income-generating activities and leadership positions within farmer producer organizations (FPOs) for women, challenging the social and cultural norms that limit their financial independence.
The global Accelerating Incomes through Diversification program, launched in Mexico in August 2021, will support eight FPOs in India and 13 in Mexico with technical expertise, training and increased access to resources to add new profit-making streams to members’ agri-businesses. The programme is made possible through philanthropic investments from the Walmart Foundation and Cargill. The $2 million grant for this project from Walmart Foundation is part of its commitment made in September 2018 to invest $25 million (approximately Rs 180 crores) over five years to improve farmer livelihoods in India through the development and implementation of farm aggregation models.
The project in India builds on the work of Hatching Hope, a global initiative that aims to improve the nutrition and livelihoods of 100 million people by 2030 through the production, consumption and promotion of poultry. Hatching Hope: Accelerating Incomes Through Diversification will partner with local organisations – Andhra Pradesh Mahila Abhivruddhi Society, Grameen Vikasa Kendra and Snehakunja – over 32 months through March 2023 to introduce backyard poultry to an additional 8,918 smallholder farm businesses, leveraging Hatching Hope’s existing infrastructure and programme expertise.
