Elanco, Gates Foundation Pair-up in East Africa
Greenfield-based Elanco Animal Health has landed a grant of nearly $2.9 million from a big-name source. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting the company’s animal health and productivity initiatives for subsistence cow and chicken farmers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Elanco Global Leader of Corporate Responsibility Noel Paul says the grant supports Elanco’s cause-driven missions, engages employees and could have business benefits.
He says when employees buy in to missions like the fight against global hunger, it’s good for business. Having a presence in the region, Paul also says, could potentially be an opportunity to reach smallholder farmers, a group Elanco traditionally has not served well.
Paul says the initiative has unique aspects for Elanco. "It’s our first formal, shared-value approach," he told Inside INdiana Business. "The model, we hope, can be duplicated in other areas to both benefit society, as well as Elanco." The Food and Agriculture Organization says nearly one-third of people in East Africa are undernourished and Paul believes this program can help bridge some of the food insecurity gap.
Elanco says the program will enable registration and distribution of its veterinary products that will be paired with training initiatives designed to improve health practices, disease prevention and treatment.
You can connect to more about the initiative and partnership with the Gates Foundation by clicking here. Elanco is the animal health division of Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE: LLY).
Elanco Global Leader of Corporate Responsibility Noel Paul says the initiative has unique aspects for Elanco.