Cargill pledges US$14 million to support women in agriculture

According to a Cargill press release, both organisations have collaborated in the past 60 years to develop and implement 34 programs across 13 countries, including Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Nicaragua, and Indonesia.

“Cargill has been CARE’s longest-standing corporate partnership- a collaboration spanning more than six decades,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE US. “With Cargill’s support, CARE has helped millions of people around the world grow more food, expand their incomes and build their communities. The next phase of our partnership will apply the lessons of experience and new innovations to increase our impact and create a more sustainable and food-secure world.”

The renewed third phase of Promoting a Sustainable and Food Secure World program, PROSPER, will support 11 projects spanning ten countries including Benin, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines, and Vietnam.

According to Cargill, with more than 50% of the world’s food being produced by women, PROSPER will focus on three main areas:

• Enabling women’s access to inclusive markets to unlock greater production, expand profits on small-scale agriculture, and ensure food security.
• Increasing women’s access to productive agricultural resources by improving access to market information, extension and inputs as well as the technology and financial services they need to be successful.
• Strengthening and expanding strategic partnerships to advocate for systemic change for women and the broader community.

With PROSPER, both organisations aim to incorporate innovative approaches such as Farmer Field and Business Schools, Community Based Adaption, Village and Savings Loans Associations (VSLAs), and Engaging Men and Boys to create a deeper impact and empower communities at large.