The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has given Nutreco-a part of the SHV group of companies, and a global animal nutrition leader based in the Netherlands- a $4.8 million grant to unlock sustainable feed solutions for small-scale producers in Africa.
Specifically, the grant is to accelerate the implementation of localized, sustainable complete feed production in sub-Saharan Africa, driving forward Nutreco’s purpose of Feeding the Future.
Compound feed production across the continent is some of the lowest in the world, and some of the most expensive due to inefficiencies and infrastructure challenges. As a result, small-scale livestock producers face declining incomes and uncertain futures, unless they gain access to quality animal feed.
The US$4.8 million grant will directly fund 21 Hendrix4U complete feed production projects initially in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Uganda. Hendrix4U provides a ‘factory-in-a-box’ for rural areas ensuring access to quality compound feed production for small-scale producers, in a financially sustainable way.
This is one of the first investments from the foundation in the animal feed space – a powerful endorsement of the extensive work done to date by Nutreco. Since 2018, the business has tried and tested the implementation of 16 Hendrix4U projects, demonstrating its critical impact for producers.
The 37 Hendrix4U projects in total, which all include a full-service package for small-scale feed production, will not only improve local feed value chains, but also critically improve the profitability of over 15.000 poultry and dairy producers.
Nutreco CEO Fulco van Lede comments, “More than half of the projected global population growth in the coming decades will take place in Africa, and many will face food insecurity and hunger if no innovative solutions are developed to increase the sustainable production of food in the region. Today’s grant funding serves as validation of the work we are doing in Africa to equip producers with the right tools to future proof their livelihoods – and as a result, ensure high quality food and produce is accessible for communities throughout the continent.”
In addition to the facilities themselves, feed producing distributors gain access to training and education in the following fields:
Nutreco partners and supports organisations around the planet to ensure it can play its role in Feeding the Future. Across the African continent, Nutreco is active in over 40 countries with teams present in 15 countries, with over 500 people dedicated to both aquaculture and animal nutrition.
Every day, Nutreco’s 12,300 dedicated employees in more than 37 countries across the globe relentlessly pursue our purpose of Feeding the Future in a way that ensures sustainability is front and centre in all it does.
It is a part of SHV, a family-owned company with a strong position in operational activities and selected investment activities. SHV is active in 73 countries and has more than 56,000 employees. SHV is active in energy distribution (SHV Energy), cash-and-carry wholesale (Makro), heavy lifting and transport activities (Mammoet), industrial services (ERIKS), animal feed and aquafeed (Nutreco) and private equity (NPM Capital). In addition, SHV has a minority shareholding in ONE-Dyas (exploration, development and production of oil and gas).
