Land O’Lakes: The Butter People?
Across the United States, Land O’Lakes, Inc. is best known for its delicious brand of premium butter. Indeed, when we were established in 1921, our initial goal was helping dairy farmers access markets for their sweet cream butter. Over time, Land O’Lakes has grown and adapted to the changing needs of our farmer-members. Today, dairy represents about one-third of our US $10 billion agribusiness, while feed, seed, crop-protection products, and eggs have become increasingly important aspects of our business.
As one of the largest cooperatives in the United States, we are accountable to over 3,000 direct producer-members and 1,000 member-cooperatives that serve more than 300,000 agricultural producers. We are proud that our strong values are reflected in everything we do. We believe in the value of people, in setting high standards and maintaining quality, and ensuring our work is rooted in honesty, integrity and respect.
Given our strong belief in Corporate Social Responsibility, we established Land O’Lakes International Development in 1981, which functions as a not-for-profit division of Land O’Lakes, Inc. Our work in international development mirrors our corporate story – many of the challenges smallholder farmers in developing countries face are similar to those experienced by American dairy farmers. Building on lessons learned from our U.S. operations, Land O’Lakes International Development is leveraging our corporate as well as global technical expertise to assist farmers to access markets and improve the quantity and quality of their yields, while fostering the competitiveness of the farm-to-consumer value chain. We don’t seek to profit from these efforts – our goal is simply and sincerely to help our fellow farmers around the world and to improve the efficiency of markets and the viability of agribusinesses. In short, we believe that economic development will not only help lift people out of poverty, but it is also our responsibility as good corporate citizens.
We work in five key practice areas:
What We Do
Generating economic growth, improving health and nutrition and alleviating poverty through market-driven business solutions are at the core of Land O’Lakes International Development’s mission. To date, our efforts have improved the quality of life for millions of people in 75 nations through more than 260 projects funded primarily by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Around the world, Land O’Lakes links farmers to markets as well as to input and business service providers that help them meet market demand, boost productivity, and improve quality. At the same time, we work to strengthen the business and technical capacity of stakeholders throughout the agricultural value chain. Our programs help farmers maximize the outputs of their crops and livestock, and enable yields that are sufficient for both household consumption and sale at market. We strengthen food systems and safety, increase access to nutritious foods, and help enterprises maximize their profits.
Some Land O’Lakes activities promote stability and economic opportunity in countries that have been ravaged by conflict – such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Sudan – while others reduce food insecurity in famine-prone nations such as Ethiopia, Malawi and Zambia. Our programs also work to foster gender equity and improve women’s access to agricultural technical assistance and credit, as women bear the primary responsibility for farming and the care of livestock in many of the countries where we work.
For the complete overview brochure of Land O'Lakes International Development, including descriptions of our five key practice areas, click here. En Francais.