When people hear the name Land O’Lakes, they often think of butter, milk and dairy cooperatives. But did you know that Land O’Lakes has actually been assisting farmers in developing countries across the globe for over 30 years?

Land O’Lakes will assist the CityLinks team by leading the food security component of the program. Although they have primarily had experience working in rural communities, they are excited to apply their expertise to urban areas. Jennifer Hyman, Communications and Publications Manager says, “We are looking forward to extending the strategies we have found so effective in strengthening the food security of rural farmers even further into urban markets. Through CityLinks, we expect to provide vital assistance that will strengthen the productivity, income generating activities and marketing efforts of food to insecure urban populations -- particularly vulnerable women and youth -- that builds upon our rural development expertise.”

Land O’Lakes International Development is a not-for-profit division of Land O’Lakes, Inc., which is both the second largest cooperative in the United States and also a Fortune 200 company. Farmer-member owned since 1921, and founded with the intention of helping American dairy farmers access buyers for their milk by marketing value-added butter, Land O’Lakes has since grown to become one of the most diversified agribusinesses in the U.S.

A major impetus for forming the International Development division in 1981 was the recognition that farmers in developing countries were grappling with some of the same constraints that American farmers were facing when Land O’Lakes was first established. As a cooperative representing 3,200 direct producer-members and 1,000 member-cooperatives that serve more than 300,000 agricultural producers, Land O’Lakes understood how to effectively strengthen producer groups, facilitate access to productivity-enhancing inputs and services, and create the vital linkages to processors and end markets that are often missing in developing countries.

With a mission focused on generating economic growth, improving health and nutrition, and alleviating poverty through market-driven business solutions, they have implemented about 275 programs in 76 countries over the past three decades, in the areas of agricultural productivity and competitiveness, enterprise and cooperative development, food systems and safety, nutrition and health and food security and livelihoods.

In Zambia, through the USAID-funded PROFIT project, Land O'Lakes worked closely with processors and retailers to meet consumer demand for nutritious food, and increased urban access to local, healthy food by improving transport and marketing services across a variety of value chains. With additional funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Land O'Lakes also fostered several public-private partnerships to commercialize enriched foods for Zambian people living with HIV (PLHIV). In order to stimulate consumer demand for these food products in urban areas, Land O’Lakes assisted in developing effective promotion campaigns, and supported the manufacturers in maximizing market penetration, reducing transportation costs, and increasing access points for PLHIV.

Meanwhile, through a USDA-funded Local and Regional Procurement pilot program in Bangladesh, Land O'Lakes worked with Bangladeshi processors to produce a cereal bar with local commodities that provided a daily nutritional supplement to over 100,000 students in 441 schools, and increased attendance about 27 percent. The processors were so pleased with the new product that they decided to commercialize it for nationwide sales across the country, while continuing to use local farmer’s grains to supply the ingredients.

Clearly, Land O’Lakes needs to be recognized for much more than its brand of butter. This diverse agribusiness is also a leader in international development, which has transformed some 3 million people’s lives since 1981.  To find out more about Land O’Lakes International Development, visit their website, here.