Elanco Animal Health announces its inclusion in FORTUNE’s 2021 Change the World List, which recognizes companies that have made an important social or environmental impact through their profit-making strategy and operations.
This year’s publication honored Elanco’s shared value initiative “ East Africa Growth Accelerator (EAGA)” and Elanco ranked 19 on the list of 53 companies that do well by doing good.
With the East Africa Growth Accelerator, Elanco provides smallholder farmers across Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda with access to training and high-quality veterinary products in small, affordable pack sizes. This purpose-driven, shared value initiative began in 2017 with the support of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At the start of 2021, Elanco integrated the business in East Africa into its commercial operations, as the initiative has become both profitable and independently sustainable.
The effort is part of Elanco’s Healthy Purpose™ sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework and illustrates Elanco’s perspective on animals’ role as a solution to two of society’s greatest challenges – hunger and climate change. “At Elanco, we are grounded in our purpose and our deep commitment to being a force for good in the world, both through the products and services we provide and our ability to influence the systems in which we operate,” said Jeff Simmons, president, and CEO of Elanco. “Animals are uniquely positioned at the center of both climate and nutrition. We can bridge the hunger gap, achieve climate goals and unlock a new frontier of value for both large-scale producers and smallholder farmers.”
Going forward, Elanco commits to expanding its shared value footprint as part of its pledge to create more resilient food systems by 2030, helping to improve the efficiency and sustainability of every farmer the company works with, improve the health and welfare of 3 billion farm animals and support and enhance agricultural productivity and income of 250,000 dairy and poultry smallholder farmers.
With EAGA, Elanco has created a groundbreaking shared value initiative that provides sustainable development solutions to address food shortages in East African countries. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the battle to end hunger must be principally fought in rural areas, which is where almost 80% of the world’s hungry and poor live1. But in East Africa, 25% of farm animals are currently lost to animal disease2.
Collaborating with local partners, Elanco empowers farmers in the region to improve animal health and welfare, advance the productivity of their farms, and uplift the lives of those who depend on livestock for their livelihoods. By the end of 2021, Elanco expects to reach a total of 240,000 dairy and poultry smallholder farmers across the three countries, benefiting the health of around 1.1 million cows and 16 million chickens with new access to animal health products.
Source: www.elanco.com