Congratulations to Land O’Lakes for being recognized by the Philippines government. The company’s International Development’s long-term program have developed the country’s dairy industry and improved nutrition among its children.
Beginning in 2002, funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture enabled Land O’Lakes to lead school nutrition programs that provided more than 168,000 children across 447 schools in areas with severe malnutrition with daily snacks of milk and biscuits.
With less than 1 percent of milk in the Philippines produced locally, Land O’Lakes also helped establish “dairy zones” across the island of Mindanao, improving breeding and animal husbandry, access to local feed and veterinary services, strengthening dairy processing and quality assurance programs, in efforts that benefit 118,000 people. One of the earliest dairy zones established by Land O’Lakes is now being used by the Philippines government to provide tens of thousands of schoolchildren with fresh milk each day.
Developing the country’s dairy industry should play a critical role in promoting economic opportunity and work for impoverished people across the island.
“We are enormously honored to be recognized by the Philippines government, particularly for our supportive role in enabling them to realize priority policies,” said Tom Verdoorn, vice president of Land O’Lakes International Development. “While our ultimate goal is to improve people’s lives through effective food and agriculture programs, our work is most effective when it supports country-led plans for long-term growth.”
Source: Star Tribune