Our Approach
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images for the Clinton FoundationPresident Clinton greets local farmers who grow cassava with assistance from the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative in Rwanda.
Consistent with the Clinton Foundation’s unique business approach, the Clinton Development Initiative programs currently operate in Malawi and Rwanda, at the invitation of these countries’ governments, to generate sustainable economic development. Specifically, programs work to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by providing access to inputs, training, and markets that increase incomes and build economic and environmental sustainability.
Our founding principle is that these programs can and should include their own revenue generating capability, so that they become financially self-sufficient instead of relying on the ongoing support of foreign donors.
Malawi
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy in Malawi, supporting almost 90 percent of the population through smallholder, rain-fed farming. But the Malawian smallholder’s livelihood is threatened by nutrient-depleted soils, lack of fertilizer, poor quality seed, pests, disease, and drought. The Clinton Development Initiative (CDI) in Malawi, with financial support from the Salida Capital Foundation, is working alongside smallholder farmers to increase their incomes through sustainable programs that improve access to farming inputs, training and monitoring of advanced agronomic techniques, and agricultural markets.
Read more about our work in Malawi.
Rwanda
About 90 percent of the population of Rwanda is engaged in agriculture, mainly subsistence farming, and the majority of Rwandans live below the poverty line. The Clinton Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI), a partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the Hunter Foundation, works in Rwanda to identify large-scale business opportunities for local farmers, develop market research and business plans to support them, and then actively invest alongside local co-investors.
Read more about our work in Rwanda.
Reinvesting in Communities
The Clinton Foundation reinvests any financial benefit from the original investment into related projects or infrastructure improvements in surrounding communities. These projects have included rebuilding and renovating hospitals and healthcare facilities; constructing schools; and improving clean water and sanitation systems.
Learn about results we have achieved in communities in Malawi and Rwanda through community investment.
PROFILE
CHDI loans have allowed Misozi Coffee Company to invest and boost its production levels. With additional CHDI assistance in expanding sales abroad and creating a new premium fairtrade coffee, incomes have risen significantly.
PROFILE
Armed with the new agriculture techniques she learned from the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative, Ifijenia Kamtaza, a Malawian soy farmer, is not only improving her harvest and profits – she’s helping her whole family.
