Cargill and CARE work together to close the gender gap in agriculture

Cargill and CARE are building on the successes and learnings of their Rural Development Initiative to increase food and nutrition security as well as climate change resilience around the world. Through a new program, She Feeds the World, Cargill and CARE will provide 2 million people with education, resources and economic support.

In developing countries women comprise, on average, 43% of the agricultural work force. Women are at the heart of many farming communities and are a vital link between farms and families. Yet they often lack access to adequate land, financial support and education. The need for gender equality is global—but it’s even more pressing for women living and working in countries that are highly dependent on agriculture. 

The She Feeds the World program works directly with women to strengthen their skills and confidence in sustainable agriculture practices, financial inclusion, market engagement, gender equality and food and nutrition security—while also engaging with men and boys to support efforts for greater equality.

“Agriculture has to power to help close the gender gap by creating economic opportunities for women,” said Ruth Kimmelshue, Business Operations & Supply Chain lead and Chief Sustainability Officer for Cargill. “In partnership with CARE, we’re helping women farmers adopt and scale sustainable agricultural practices, building long-term productivity for their farm. Together, we can create thriving centers of agriculture that lift up families, communities and society.”

Cargill is committing a $10M, three-year grant to the She Feeds the World program to support rural agricultural households in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Egypt and Indonesia. The program focuses on maximizing impact to increase the food and nutrition security and economic empowerment of women by investing heavily in proven approaches such as Village Savings and Loan Associations. It also incorporates advocacy strategies that have a multiplier effect by encouraging widespread structural and policy changes.

When it comes to addressing large scale challenges such as climate change or women’s empowerment, companies and organizations need to join arms to leverage collective strengths and broaden the impact. That’s exactly what led Cargill to CARE, an organization that’s been fighting poverty since 1945. Together, Cargill and CARE have collaborated for more than 60 years, building on a shared vision of a world free of hunger today and for generations to come, and where everyone, no matter their gender or where they were born, can succeed. 

“CARE is honored to take this incredible step forward in our She Feeds the World initiative,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE. “Our partnership with Cargill spans decades, and with this new phase, we are dramatically escalating the impact we collectively aspire to have, improving the lives of millions of female farmers and their families.”

As the She Feeds the World program lifts up women through increased incomes and access to education, it also lifts up communities: productivity on the farm increases, household incomes rise and children are better educated.

About Cargill

Cargill’s 160,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive. We combine 154 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.

About CARE

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package^®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year CARE worked in 95 countries and reached more than 56 million people around the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org.