Heifer International Ethiopia

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

Happy Ethiopian New Year 2019! 🎉

As we welcome the New Year, we look forward to continuing our work alongside smallholder farmers, partners, and communities to build resilient livelihoods and a prosperous future for all.

03/09/2026

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 - From 31 August to 4 September, Heifer International will join leaders from across Africa and beyond at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme, "Investing in Africa's Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience."

Throughout the Forum, we will showcase how market systems, climate resilience and finance can work together to mobilize investment, build resilience and create economic opportunities for farming communities across Africa.

📍 The Africa Food Systems Forum - AGRF, Kigali, Rwanda
📅 31 August – 4 September

If you will be at we invite you to join our sessions and visit the Heifer International booth to learn more about our work, explore opportunities for collaboration, and connect with our technical experts and leadership team.

03/09/2026

As leaders prepare to head to The Africa Food Systems Forum - AGRF, conversations around agricultural finance often focus on loans and investment, although financial readiness begins much earlier.

Before farmers can access larger investments, they need profitable enterprises, practical skills, reliable income and the confidence to grow a business.

In Ethiopia's Sidama Region, Shewaye Fentae's journey shows what that looks like.

Through Heifer International Ethiopia’s Enhancing Livelihoods of Smallholders Through Improved Poultry Business poultry project, implemented by the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, Shewaye received training, improved poultry breeds and technical support that turned a struggling backyard activity into a productive enterprise. Today, she sells eggs, supports her family's nutrition, and is reinvesting her earnings to expand into other livestock activities.

Her poultry business has reduced financial pressure on the household, created an opportunity for her nephew to help manage the enterprise, and given her the confidence to plan for the future.

Stories like Shewaye's remind us that financial inclusion is not only about making credit available. It is also about enabling farmers to build viable businesses that generate consistent income, strengthen household resilience and create the foundation for future investment.

03/09/2026

Across the continent, young entrepreneurs are developing technologies that address agriculture's biggest challenges, from climate resilience and digital advisory services, to market access, financial inclusion and value addition.

But great ideas alone don't change food systems. The real question is: 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔, 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔?

At The Africa Food Systems Forum - AGRF 2026 ( ), Heifer International will host a Youth Dome conversation on: Youth-Led Technologies Shaping the Next Generation of Africa's Food Systems. Through founder stories, innovation showcases and an interactive dialogue with innovators, investors, technology leaders and development partners, we will explore exactly that.

Join us:

4 September 2026 |11:00–12:00 CAT | Youth Dome | AFSF2026

03/09/2026

We are in Kigali for the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026.

Visit the Heifer International exhibition booth (A3) to meet colleagues from , , , , , , and , and learn how we work with farmers and partners to strengthen agricultural value chains, expand access to finance and markets, and support youth-led innovation.

August 31 – September 4, 2026 | Kigali, Rwanda

27/08/2026

Two years after winning the 2024 AYuTe Africa NextGen competition, Samson Alemu, Co-Founder and CEO of Thur Biotech, has secured investment from Acumen to grow the business.

Thur Biotech develops biofertilizer and biocontrol solutions designed to improve soil health and agricultural productivity while reducing smallholder farmers’ dependence on costly chemical inputs.

The investment will help the company increase its manufacturing capacity and expand its distribution and farmer-support network, allowing its products to reach more farmers.

“𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐴𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑇ℎ𝑢𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦, 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑢𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡,” Samson said.

Samson’s progression from an AYuTe Africa winner to attracting further investment brings an important part of youth innovation into focus. Identifying promising entrepreneurs is an early step. Their ability to build businesses and reach more farmers depends on continued access to funding, business support and market connections.

This will be the focus of Heifer International’s Youth Dome session at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026: how to create the support and partnerships that help more youth-led agricultural technologies grow.

Youth-led Technologies Shaping the Next Generation of Africa’s Food Systems

September 4 | 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. CAT
Youth Dome | Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda

Congratulations to Samson and the Thur Biotech team!

26/08/2026

Financial resilience in rural communities isn't built overnight, nor is it created by credit alone. Before a smallholder can approach a bank for a loan, they need a practical foundation: daily income, hands-on skills, and a micro-enterprise that can weather seasonal shocks.

In Burka Village, Sidama Region, 49-year-old priest and farmer Kassa Kayamo embodies this truth. Despite managing three hectares of land, Kassa’s traditional agricultural ventures—from coffee and corn to raising a handful of local chickens—meant money only arrived during harvest seasons. Like many smallholder farmers, he was deemed too high-risk by traditional financial institutions for loans, leaving him without the capital to expand.

Through the Enhancing Livelihoods of Smallholders through Improved Poultry Business (ELSIPB) project, led by Heifer International in partnership with the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, Kassa received 30 Lohmann pullets, specialized feed, and expert training in biosecurity and animal care. Kassa transformed a backyard chore into a thriving daily revenue stream.

Today, his hens produce over 24 eggs daily, replacing seasonal uncertainty with steady cash flow. Kassa has used his egg sales to fund private school tuition for his children and granddaughter, build a cattle barn, and construct a second fishpond that smartly integrates with his farm via chicken waste.

“Without a doubt, this is the most successful business endeavor I have ever had,” Kassa shares.

Yet, for Kassa, personal success was only ever the starting point. As a community leader, he is now actively mentoring 120 local farmers to embrace poultry raising, noting, “It’s pointless if I am the only one that succeeds in the community. I don't want the children in this community to inherit poverty. I want the children to be educated. I want their parents to be economically stronger.”

Kassa’s journey shows what true empowerment looks like: giving farmers the tools and training to build lasting economic stability from the ground up.

25/08/2026

Heifer Ethiopia extends warm wishes to the Muslim community in Ethiopia and around the world as they celebrate Mawlid al-Nabi.

May this special occasion inspire peace, compassion, unity, and generosity in our communities.

Happy Mawlid!