The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo and CARE, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowerment for marginalized w...
The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo and CARE, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowerment for marginalized women and girls, announced the expansion of their ‘She Feeds the World’ programme in India on Tuesday. The programme aims to reach more than 48,000 women, men, and children and indirectly benefit 1,500,000 individuals in West Bengal.
The program which will address gender inequality in the agriculture
sector was launched in the presence of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister
for Agriculture, Govt of West Bengal. Also present were Dr Subrata Gupta, IAS,
Additional Chief Secretary, Govt of West Bengal; Roberto Azevêdo, Chief
Corporate Affairs Officer at PepsiCo and Chairman of Board of Directors for the
PepsiCo Foundation; Ahmed ElSheikh, President of PepsiCo India; and Puneet
Bali, Executive Director, CARE India.
As part of the company’s pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) commitment
to Positive Agriculture, ‘She Feeds The World’ focuses on strengthening the
role of small-scale women producers through sustainable agriculture training,
economic support and by improving linkages, including with the PepsiCo supply
chain, to ensure sustainable and stable incomes for the farmer community. In
India, the programme will be implemented in the state’s Alipurduar and Cooch
Behar districts.
Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said, “West Bengal has been working
towards building social security for farmers. Such joint efforts by industry
and communities drive true change and are an effective way of creating
much-needed awareness around existing resources and opportunities.”
‘She Feeds the World’ will drive impact for women farmers and
their families across the three dimensions of a sustainable food system:
economic, social and environmental. At the economic level, it will build
capacity for small-scale farmers to improve their cultivation practices,
increase yield, and diversify livelihood options to generate more sustainable
income. Socially, the project promote more equitable access to knowledge,
resources and inclusive markets for vulnerable farmers. From an environmental
perspective, the project will tackle soil, water, biodiversity and carbon
footprint issues to minimize impact on the natural ecosystem.
‘She Feeds the World’ will help women farmers build a secure and
resilient livelihood with access to nutrition and water by improving
capabilities, improving
nutrition in communities, improving women’s access and control over resources and
ultiplying impact for women small-scale producers: Design and development
of digital training packages and audio-visual content to highlight and
recognize the efforts of participants
Roberto Azevêdo, said, “‘She
Feeds the World’ project is a key pillar of our pep+ commitment to spreading
regenerative agriculture practices and improving the livelihoods of more
than 250,000 people in our agricultural supply chain and communities by 2030. The
program will further empower women farmers across the region with resources and
training.”
Ahmed ElSheikh, President, PepsiCo India, said, “At
PepsiCo India, we are focused on bringing farmers into the company’s
supply chain, recognizing them as farmers, and developing them as
entrepreneurs. We have been working and engaging with women farmers in
West Bengal, who have been active participants and are breaking gender
stereotypes. We are confident that such initiatives will further help women
farmers build resilient livelihoods.”
Puneet Bali, Executive Director, CARE India, said, “The
launch of ‘She Feeds The World’ in India demonstrates CARE, PepsiCo, and
the PepsiCo Foundation's commitment to the public-private partnership for
Sustainable Agriculture.”
Subrataa Chakraborty, India Country Director, ILRG said, “At
USAID, we believe programs that help increase income for women have a direct
impact on entire communities, economies, and countries. Since the launch of the ‘Women’s Land Rights and Economic Empowerment' programme, USAID with PepsiCo
India, the PepsiCo Foundation, and our partners, have successfully provided
training to over 1,500 women farmers. Today we are honoured to recognize women
farmers for their extraordinary work in the field of agriculture and we look
forward to further impact more than 300,000 women as part of the program.”
The PepsiCo Foundation recognized women farmers through the
continuation of the PepsiCo-USAID Women Farmer Economic Empowerment Program in
West Bengal. The farmers were acknowledged for their extraordinary work in the
field of agriculture and for breaking stereotypes in their local communities. The
first edition of the awards had taken place in 2022.
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