Our approach
Female farmers feed the world
From the coffee you drink to the rice you eat, female farmers are at the heart of our food system. They invest hours of hard work, yet their opportunities remain limited. Heifer enables enterprising women around the world to realise their full potential. Together we invest in fair food and a sustainable future. Here and across the globe.
Our focus areas:
Women & Inclusion
Women need more than equal chances, they need the freedom to turn opportunity into action. Heifer works alongside female farmers by improving access to resources, strengthening leadership and entrepreneurship, enabling them to build a sustainable future.
Food Security
Working alongside Heifer, female farmers increase their yields and connect to markets that value their work fairly. This strengthens food security and helps create resilient food systems that support families and communities over the long term.
Work & Income
A reliable income gives families the chance to build a sustainable future. Heifer works with farmers to organise themselves through cooperatives, strengthen their production and access fair markets. This enables them to move towards lasting economic independence.
Climate & Environment
Smallholder farmers are most affected by climate change. Through climate-smart agriculture, they increase their yields while reducing pollution and emissions. Together, we build sustainable food systems that strengthen families’ resilience and create healthy ecosystems.
People, Animal & Nature
Heifer takes an integrated approach that recognises the link between human, animal and environmental health. Working alongside smallholder farmers and their communities, we support the care of livestock and the development of food systems that nourish families while reducing pressure on people, animals and ecosystems.
As women grow stronger, the world grows with them
In Heifer projects, female farmers attend training sessions, gain access to essential resources and organise themselves in women’s groups and cooperatives. This enables them to earn their own income, have a voice in their communities and receive a fair price for their products. Because together, they are stronger.
With access to knowledge, credit and sustainable farming practices, they improve food production and the quality of what they grow or raise – from maize to poultry. This way, they provide their families and communities with sufficient, nutritious food while building a stable income. At the same time, we work with farming communities to increase their resilience for the impacts of climate change. Climate-smart solutions improve soils, water management and biodiversity, making both harvests and Livelihoods more sustainable for the future.
What women learn and receive is passed on through Passing on the Gift®. As a result, not only individual families, but entire communities move beyond poverty – resilient and sustainable.