By MEGGIE. I. FOSTER
Associate Editor

GREENFIELD, Ind. — In an extraordinary move last week, Elanco Animal Health announced its commitment to end hunger for nearly 100,000 starving families worldwide through a expanded partnership with Heifer International.
“This is the No. 1 health issue in our world so time is of the essence,” said Jeff Simmons, Elanco president and senior vice president of Eli Lilly and Co. “And for agriculture, never has there been an issue more center stage as global food security reaches all-time highs. Today, one in six people globally are hungry. More than 25,000 people die each day from hunger and malnutrition. That’s like 60 fully loaded jumbo jets crashing each and every day.”

Through Elanco’s partnership with Heifer, they will identify small communities in emerging countries that could substantially benefit from the gift of an animal as well as training in animal husbandry, health care and other practices. According to Heifer’s CEO Pierre Ferrari, Heifer’s sustainable model is built on its recipients “passing on the gift” of their animal’s first female offspring to other local families.

“This partnership involves more than just Elanco the company,” said Ferrari. “It’s about the employees, too, and customers, the company’s entire network, working with us and with smallholder farmers to help them transform their own lives and futures. We are all responsible for solving hunger, and working together. With our proven holistic model and Elanco’s clear passion for farmers and animals, we are showing that we can do this.”

According to Simmons, this initiative builds on Elanco’s existing relationship with Heifer. In 2009, Elanco began a project with Heifer to provide 2,100 families in the Lampung province of Indonesia with cattle, ducks, plants and trees. Also, in 2010, Elanco launched a project to assist 6,210 struggling families in the Cooper Belt region of Zambia. In addition to the gifts of animals, Elanco and Heifer are working jointly to establish local milk market outlets, improve production and conservation practices, as well as train animal health workers.
During the press conference on Thursday, June 2, Elanco announced its third community project with Heifer to provide the gift of livestock and training to 800 families in the Heibei province of China. In Heibei, 20 million families live on less than $1 a day, according to Simmons.

“Hunger is a complex issue, we hope today’s announcement serves as a model for change,” he explained.

“We can’t solve this problem alone, there needs to be a convergence of industry, for-profit, non-for-profit, government entities – we need to utilize every resource to solve world hunger,” said Ferrari.

“And the convergence is happening, Elanco has developed a state-of-the-art model. This is a sustainable approach to a growing problem and our hope is to talk with other leaders domestically and abroad to replicate this initiative.”
Elanco employees have also been inspired by the company’s hunger initiative, donating approximately $200,000, including a Lilly Foundation match for U.S. employees, to Heifer International from their own pockets in just two years.
“Our hunger cause complements the work our products do to help farmers deliver a safe, affordable, abundant food supply,” said Simmons. “We believe efficiency-enhancing technology in food production is one of the most important ingredients to feeding a growing global population (expected to grow by 3 million in the next 40 years). As companies and citizens, we have a moral obligation to help meet this need.”

At the local level, Elanco is helping form the Childhood Hunger Initiative, including donating a full-time senior staff person to help coordinate the effort. The initiative includes creating a greater awareness for a summer feeding program and expanding a weekend food backsack program children in the Indianapolis metro area, where would take a sack of food home every Friday.
“Four of five children rely on lunch assistance programs, this is America’s hidden hunger situation. The hunt for calories occurs more today in central Indiana than ever before.”

To join the conversation about how to sustainably feed a growing population, visit www.plentytothink about.org or to contribute to the Heifer International cause, visit www.heifer.org