Our Impact in India
Background
India ranks 100th out of 119 countries on the Global Hunger Index. The country also has high levels of child malnutrition. In the State of Odisha, one of India’s poorest states, where between 20% and 30% of children under the age of 5 are reported to suffer from malnutrition.
Impact today
Hatching Hope is improving the livelihoods and nutrition of smallholder framers in Odisha, India, through the production, promotion, and consumption of backyard poultry meat and eggs.
The project builds on the foundation of a previous community development project by Heifer International, while also reaching new communities. Whether the participant is new or has been part of a previous project, Hatching Hope aims to take their social capital and resilience to the next level. The previous project trained farmers on Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones, which is a development framework that empowers program participants to learn the attitudes, behaviors and skills they need to improve their own lives – and transform their communities. This large-scale training laid the foundation for Hatching Hope in the community, preparing farmers to apply their training to poultry production.
In the first three years, Hatching Hope is working to improve the livelihoods and income of 30,000 households (165,000 individuals) by promoting backyard poultry production, and providing training in business skills, financial management, and marketing. As a result of increased poultry production, an additional 1.4 million individuals are expected to benefit from access to poultry products for domestic consumption, improving the health and nutrition of farmers, their families and communities.
At the same time, Hatching Hope is working to reach an additional 1.5 million people and make them aware of the nutritional benefits of poultry production and consumption through community awareness campaigns, working with existing child and maternal health centers, and the media.
Partnership
Heifer International started work in India in 1955, delivering cattle to communities through the Ministry of Agriculture. To date, Heifer India has supported 755,000 families, providing technical training to improve animal management and build resilience by diversifying incomes with crops and livestock.
Heifer International is also working with partners in Odisha to enable access to poultry vaccines, collaborating with the Indian government's Animal Husbandry department, and securing start-up funding for farmer producer organizations.
Cargill works in India through its many businesses, which includes providing animal nutrition expertise, products and training in 16 locations across the country.
Hatching Hope India launched in November 2018.