How Female Dairy Farmers Are Tackling Hunger In Ethiopia

Meskerem, a dairy farming entrepreneur, is unleashing #HerImpact to teach women how to run a business

While Meskerem makes butter and cheese for sale to local restaurants and hotels, she says that the high demand for fresh milk has her constantly doing cost-benefit analysis to decide when it is worth it to process the milk into other products. / USAID

Many years ago, on a small plot of land in the plains of Ethiopia, Meskerem learned to raise cattle from her grandmother. The goal was not to start a business, but rather to provide their family with all the milk they would need to survive. So, in 2008, with only one cow, she would either give away the excess daily milk that her family did not consume — or simply dump it.

By making cheese with excess milk, Azu Dairy is able to add value to raw milk. / David Kahrmann, USAID

Like most dairy farmers in Ethiopia, Meskerem had no access to milk cooling facilities to preserve the evening milk. As a result, an estimated 30 percent of milk produced in the country is wasted annually — nearly double the global rate.

But six years ago, Meskerem started working with USAID, which provided her with support, training, and access to milk collection centers. The Feed the Future initiative, which is led by USAID, partnered with Almi Dairy Training Institute to create 35 of these milk collection centers and is on track to open another 65 throughout the country by 2020.

With the addition of these centers, dairy farmers like Meskerem are able to boost production. Meskerem herself has increased the production of milk from her cows and increased the size of her dairy operation Azu Dairy. She now has 56 cows on her farm and 32 workers — two-thirds of whom are women. Now, Meskerem shares her skills by training other female dairy farmers all over Ethiopia in everything from cheese making to accounting.

“I am committed to teaching other women in Ethiopia how to not only improve production, but also to run businesses. Everything I have learned I share. There is a great demand in Ethiopia, so there is more than enough potential for all of us to succeed.” — Meskerem

With this chiller provided through USAID support, Azu Dairy is able to preserve milk and reduce spoilage. / David Kahrmann, USAID

Meskerem’s story is just one of the many examples of how the Feed the Future Ethiopia Value Chain Activity is kick-starting women’s entrepreneurial dreams. Women make up half the agricultural workforce in developing countries, but they continue to face severe gender inequality and barriers to resources. So USAID, through Feed the Future, is investing in women to reduce these disparities and repair food systems in countries with widespread hunger.

Tackling an essential industry such as dairy is a step in the right direction, but USAID is doing more than that. The program addresses income inequality — the root cause of hunger — and with continued support, USAID is helping Ethiopia secure a better future for the country and its people.

Meskerem recognizes the unique opportunity she’s been given and can’t express enough how grateful she is for the program.

“Everything I have managed to achieve here has been achieved with the help of USAID and Feed the Future,” Meskerem said.

About This Story

As the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future is addressing the root causes of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, and is transforming lives. Feed the Future’s work in Ethiopia is driving efficiency from field to fork and helping people diversify how they make a living.