b"eradicate hunger and poverty while caring for the planet, and there is one person especially at its heart: the farmer.Every day Heifer partners with smallholder farmers around the world who are on the front lines of transforming food production. They are stewards of the Earth uniquely positioned to drive local solutions that nourish the communities right where their livelihoods are rooted.A smallholder farmer is not only a farmer for his or her profession, said Oscar Castaeda, Heifer's senior vice president of Americas programs. It is actually a way of life. It is the way they look at the land.They know it as perfectly as they know all the lines of their hands. The worlds 500 million smallholder farmers are a piece of their community fabric, he added. Theyre partTOPof ours, too.Nasasira This season of gratitude,Cosmos, the lead herdsman and reflection and festivityfarm manager around food, were proud toof Ebenezer celebrate this global networkFarm, at work in Dwaniro, of smallholder farmers whoUganda.are invested in their local BOTTOMfood systems and producingDairy farmer food to feed their families andEdith Nankunda communitiesthis holidayduring her early morning and all year round.n milking routine.It is actually a way of life. It is the way that they look at the land. They know it as perfectly as they know all the lines of their hands. OSCAR CASTAEDA, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF AMERICAS PROGRAMSHEIFER.ORG |7"