MATTHEWS, North Carolina — Heifer International aims to end global hunger and poverty by partnering with smallholder farmers to build locally led, sustainable food systems. Currently operating in 19 countries across four continents, Heifer International implements Signature Programs that generate higher incomes and economic opportunities for women and youth. These country-level initiatives focus on long-term resilience and productive agricultural value chains.
By going behind the scenes of three Heifer International programs, from the Sahel to the Andes, The Borgen Project reveals how the organization scales climate-smart solutions and gender equity through these key initiatives.
Empowering Women Agri-Entrepreneurs
Heifer International’s Bangladesh Signature Program aims to support 120,000 smallholder women farmers in achieving sustainable living incomes by 2030. By partnering with farmers to build viable agribusinesses and strengthen resilience, Heifer facilitates women’s transitions from informal, low-paid labor into organized farmer-producer groups and structured value chains.
Results show that when women farmers transition into agri-entrepreneurs in structured value chains, households invest more in nutrition, education and productive assets. Additionally, productivity increases, quality improves, post-harvest losses decline and markets become more transparent and coordinated. Nurun Nahar, Heifer’s Bangladesh Country Director, emphasized the importance of investing in women farmers as a way to strengthen long-term food systems and improve resilience.
Livestock and Safe Meat Markets Initiative
Through an initiative focused on livestock and safe meat markets, Heifer is organizing women livestock farmers into cooperatives and Farmer-Producer Organizations. This facilitates access to finance for 17,250 women agri-entrepreneurs. The initiative is projected to increase participants’ annual household income by about 30%, helping close a $790 living-income gap. By promoting safe and hygienic production practices and improving animal health services, the initiative is also expected to help reduce Bangladesh’s significant 85% meat supply gap by approximately 5%.
Climate-Smart Vegetable and Flower Chains
By organizing 12,000 women farmers into 22 Farmer-Producer Organizations and establishing agri-business hubs, Heifer’s climate-smart vegetable and flower chains initiative is revitalizing Bangladesh’s horticultural sector. The objective is to close a living income gap of up to $1,449 for 60% of participating farmers by aligning productivity improvements with formal market integration.
Heifer International programs implement climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a core strategy because, without adaptive systems in place, any income gains remain fragile. By protecting productivity and reducing risk, integrating CSA interventions has generated measurable results:
- Yields have increased by 20%
- Post-harvest losses have reduced by up to 30%
- Irrigation costs have lowered up to 40% using solar-powered pumps
- About 71% of participants have adopted climate-smart practices
Collective Market Structures
A cornerstone of the approach is the formation of women-led collective market structures that build social capital. Through more than 100 cooperatives supporting more than 100,000 households, women gain collective access to markets, shared resources, financial services and training.
Nasima Khatun transitioned from an unpaid family laborer to a small-scale fodder entrepreneur after joining a cooperative. “Being part of the producer group gave me confidence and connections,” Khatun explains. “I learned from other women how to improve production and manage risks. Today, my business survives challenges that would have overwhelmed me alone.”
Building Economic Resilience in the Sahel
In Senegal’s Sahel region, financial instability is driven by a volatile mix of climate instability, fragmented markets and deeply rooted gender inequality. As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable areas, unpredictable weather and price fluctuations often prevent farmers from planning beyond a single harvest. To combat this, Heifer International’s Signature Program in Senegal transforms financial instability into predictable, resilient income by strengthening value chains and integrating climate adaptation.
A Market Systems Approach
To achieve long-term financial stability, Heifer applies a market systems approach. By fostering inclusive partnerships across the Sahel, the program strengthens the broader systems that rural communities rely on for survival. This approach is guided by Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development.
One of its central principles is “Passing on the Gift,” in which participating households share livestock, seeds and training with other community members. This creates a multiplier effect that strengthens social capital and helps embed resilience within communities rather than leaving them dependent on external aid.
Women and Youth Empowerment
Senegal has one of the youngest populations in the world, with approximately 75% of its population under 35. Furthermore, rural women comprise nearly 70% of the agricultural workforce and produce 80% of the national food supply. Heifer Senegal ensures the participation of women and youth by incorporating inclusive, market-driven strategies that address structural barriers while unlocking viable economic opportunities.
As Daouda Ndao, Country Director of Heifer Senegal, emphasizes: “If we do not center women and youth, we are designing solutions for yesterday’s Sahel rather than the Sahel of tomorrow. The future of agriculture in this region is young and it is increasingly female.”
Climate Services for Resilience and Productivity (CSRP)
Through the CSRP initiative, Heifer provides farmers with localized weather information, improved inputs and extension support. By using SMS, WhatsApp groups, community radio and voice messages, access to climate information has increased from 27% at baseline to 94.8% among farmers. The results are transformative: 89% of farmers reported yield increases and participating households have seen a 56% increase in average income.
Huseynov Toure increased his peanut yield from 2,500 kg to 3,000 kg per hectare by using localized weather forecasts to inform his farming decisions. Another participant, Nganga Kandji, turned a modest hibiscus farm into a thriving agribusiness, increasing production from one to 14 bags per season after integrating weather updates and improved irrigation planning.
Meliteji WASU and IMAM2 Initiatives
Through the Meliteji WASU project, Heifer aims to integrate 600,000 families into sustainable dairy value chains. To date, the project has created or improved more than 15,700 youth jobs, with 67% benefiting young women. Similarly, the IMAM2 initiative focuses on strengthening sheep value chains through a livestock market systems approach.
Under IMAM2, access to formal and semi-formal financial services has more than doubled, from 12% to 26%, enabling producers to invest in inputs, storage and herd expansion. “When farmers begin planning investments and managing risk proactively, you are witnessing economic maturity. That is how we measure real resilience,” says Idrissa Ba, Heifer’s Director for the Sahel.
The Future of Food Signature Program in Ecuador
In Ecuador, chronic child malnutrition affects 19.3% of the national population, rising to 22.1% in rural areas, underscoring persistent inequalities in food security. These disparities are reinforced by the structure of agricultural markets, where rural producers operate within an oligopsony dominated by a small number of buyers. This uneven power dynamic leads to agricultural decapitalization.
For example, in December 2025, orange producers in Manabí received as little as $2 per quintal, well below production costs. Heifer’s program combats these challenges with a “Three Ps” impact approach:
- People: Reversing the feminization of poverty and closing development gaps for rural women
- Profit: Strengthening the governance of peasant organizations in their engagement with public and private institutions
- Planet: Using an Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach to strengthen the resilience of marine-coastal ecosystems and Andean highlands
One of the main drivers of low incomes is the multiple layers of intermediaries between rural producers and consumers. However, by facilitating access to direct markets, public procurement programs, local fairs and restaurant contracts, Heifer Ecuador enables producers to capture a larger share of the final food price.
Progress is evident in key program achievements. The National Guarango Collectors Network consolidated 11 exports totaling 702 tons by December 2025. Additionally, the program has restored 400 hectares across mangrove and dry forest ecosystems and launched Ecuador’s first entomophage reproduction center for biological pest control.
Conclusion
Despite their diverse geographic locations, these three Heifer International programs directly support the organization’s strategic goals. They do so by creating inclusive economic opportunities, implementing climate-smart agricultural practices and fostering sustainable rural resilience. By investing in locally led, sustainable solutions, Heifer empowers communities to break the cycle of hunger and poverty for good.
– Sarah Merrill
Sarah is based in Matthews, NC, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Pexels