Cargill Animal Nutrition is partnering with Heifer International to enable the expansion of 450 women-led, family-owned poultry farms in Qingshen, China. The farms will receive chicks and business training along with access to nutrition expertise and veterinary support.

The Qingshen Sustainable Livelihood and Community Holistic Development Project plans to initially provide 150 small-scale farms with 100 baby chicks each along with necessary training in poultry-raising methods, go-to-market strategies, and advanced animal nutrition strategies. The primary participants of the project are women-led households, as many families in the area are dispersed due to greater job opportunities being available in urban cities.

“The most important thing we can share with our global community is our knowledge, and our farmer training programs are among our most impactful corporate social responsibility efforts,” said Chuck Warta, president, Cargill Premix and Nutrition. “Through this partnership, we are putting our expertise in animal husbandry and nutrition right where it is desperately needed. It is a great honor to work for the benefit of these Chinese communities, and it is our hope that this project will be the first of many to succeed with this formula.”

The project also incorporates Heifer’s “Passing on the Gift,” which asks each farming family to pass on livestock to another family in need, creating a goal of including two generations of Passing on the Gift and distributing chicks to a total of 450 farms.

“Cargill’s expertise in the poultry business and their knowledge of the worldwide value chain will be a tremendous value to our work in China,” said Pierre Ferrari, president and CEO of Heifer International. “Our collaboration is a testament to our aligned values and Heifer’s goal to help four million families achieve living incomes by 2020.”

Cargill’s investment in the partnership is just one of Cargill’s programs that focus on the intersection of food security, sustainability and nutrition.

“By partnering with Heifer International, our resources are reaching more people in an area of extreme need,” said Jolanda Van Haarlem, managing director for Cargill’s premix feed business in China. “It could also help eliminate the need for many men to take jobs in the city and reduce the separation of families this creates.”