b'By Aime Knight, World Ark writerHeifers work to combat hungerthe power of the individual. and values like nutrition, genderTOP RIGHTand poverty by supportingFor smallholder farmersequality, and improved animalMembers of a self-help group smallholder farmers to earnacross the world, cooperativesand resource management.in Bihar, India, sustainable incomes andare key to building profitableI realized I needed thekeep meticulous records of supply local food systemslivelihoods. In an organizedtraining to build myself,monthly fees. is underpinned by groupsco-op like the one Nutanrecalled Nutan, who joinedContributing in like Nutans. These groups leads, farmers pool theira Heifer-supported self-helpthis way allows cooperative collectives of farmersareresources, like money, labor andgroup in 2017. I did notmembers to called cooperatives.knowledge, and have greaterjust attend them; I startedmore easily access loans at And theyre creatingaccess to markets, trainingapplying the learnings innominal rates.the foundation for changeand financial tools like loans.my life. Every single training across the globe.Working together also reduceshad a deep impact on me. their operational costs bySitting together and Cooperatives Explained buying livestock feed or seedsplanning their futures in these Like its name implies, ain bulk at reduced prices. groups builds social capital, a cooperative is an enterpriseAcross our project areas,shared sense of community owned and operated byHeifer encourages individualand trust between members. its members. Its a people- farmers to form self-helpIn this way, theyre no longer centered business based ongroupssmall groups ofindividual families struggling the principle that the poweraround 20 peopleto undergoto sustain themselves on of the group is stronger thantraining on financing, loans,limited production; theyre a HEIFER.ORG |39'