The project, funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is designed to highlight successful models of locally owned food enterprises from around the world; an additional ten U.S.-based enterprises were announced earlier this year. The complete list of case studies can be found at www.wallacecenter.org/cfe.

“We’re excited to showcase these innovative enterprises as part of Community Food Enterprise,” said John Fisk, director of the Wallace Center at Winrock International. “These international enterprises are part of an important trend in development, one that emphasizes the power of social enterprises.  They have the potential to combine market forces with sustainable social practices to address food access, food security and farmer livelihood in the developing world.”

“We believe analysis of these diverse enterprise models can inform development strategies, to help families and communities bring themselves out of poverty,” said Fisk.  “We realize that identifying and highlighting these examples is only the beginning and look forward to continuing to engage with the enterprises and the development community, as part of an ongoing effort to build an international network of likeminded domestic and international enterprises.”

Featured international enterprises include:

* Bangladesh: Public-private partnerships for pondfish aquaculture and community-based fisheries management

* Canada: Akiwenzie’s Fish & More

* Croatia: Eko Mavrovic LLC, Eko-imanje Mavrovic LLC, Eko-centar Mavrovic and Mavrovic Eko Klara LLC
http://www.eko-mavrovic.hr/

* Ghana: Kuapa Kokoo
http://www.divinechocolate.com/about/kokoo.aspx
 
* India: Sunstar Overseas Ltd
www.sunstaroverseas.com

* Nepal: Panchakanya Agriculture Cooperative, Ltd

* Paraguay: Fundación Paraguaya's Self-Sufficient Organic Farm School http://www.fundacionparaguaya.org.py/

* Philippines: National Onion Growers Cooperative and Marketing Association (NOGROCOMA)

* Sri Lanka: Cargills (Ceylon) Ltd
http://www.cargillsceylon.com/

* Thailand: Cabbages and Condoms restaurants
http://www.pda.or.th/c&c/

* U.S. /Mexico Partnership: SUSTAIN
www.sustaintech.org

* Zambia: Sylva Professional Catering Services Limited
http://sylvafoodsolutions.com/profile.html

Each enterprise profile will include a review of its ownership model, business and financial practices, and a variety of social, environmental and economic sustainability indicators. These detailed case studies will be published as a book this spring, and an accompanying multimedia website will feature additional interviews, data, imagery, and analysis—eventually becoming the springboard for a dynamic online database and community of local food enterprises from around the world.

The Wallace Center is also producing a series of podcasts on Community Food Enterprise, the first of which features project author and co-director Michael Shuman, Vice President for Enterprise Development at the Training & Development Corporation, discussing the study’s selection criteria and research methodology. The ongoing series will also share the stories of several of the chosen enterprises.

A growing body of literature highlights the importance of local ownership for lasting economic development in the U.S. and abroad. Compared to non-local businesses, locally-owned enterprises produce more community wealth by spending more money at home, build stability by staying put for the long term, contribute to rising labor and environmental standards by adapting to new expectations more readily, and foster greater community resilience by reinforcing political participation and entrepreneurship. Community Food Enterprise will be a key tool in helping practitioners around the world build and strengthen local food enterprises.

“These enterprises showcase replicable models of local and community ownership in the developing world, from sole proprietorships to smallholder cooperatives, from public-private partnerships to public corporations,” said Shuman. “At the heart of our assessment is an examination of what it takes to create and sustain viable locally owned food enterprises at a range of sizes, scales and points on the food supply chain.

Continuing, he notes, “Our examples from Africa, Asia, Latin America and beyond focus on the key ingredients for long-term success including effective financial management, creative self-financing, fair and empowering workplaces, positive environmental and community development practices, dedication to social entrepreneurship, and determined, inspired enterprise leadership.”

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Wallace Center at Winrock International supports entrepreneurs and communities as they build a new, 21st century food system that is healthier for people, the environment, and the economy. The Center builds and strengthens links in the emerging chain of businesses and civic efforts focused on making good food – healthy, green, fair, affordable food – an everyday reality in every community. Winrock International is a nonprofit organization, with main offices in Little Rock, AR and Arlington, VA, which works with people in the United States and around the world to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment.

Training & Development Corporation (TDC) is a national not-for-profit think tank, design shop, and management company founded in 1975 to improve the performance of people and institutions in the economy. TDC’s work is animated by two ideas: sustainable employability and global community capitalism. It designs innovative solutions to the problems individuals, families, and communities face as they pursue economic well-being. TDC designs are tested in action every day in urban and rural settings, among people of a wide range of ages, performance capabilities, in residential and non-residential environments, here and abroad.

American Farmland Trust (AFT), a leader in farmland protection and conservation, has helped to permanently protect more than a million acres of America's farm and ranch land and earned national recognition for the ability to bring together diverse interests in agriculture and the environment. Through the new Growing Local campaign, American Farmland Trust is working with farmers, communities and "buy local" constituencies to make the "no farms, no food" connection and promote a viable, forward-looking agricultural system.

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 to “help people help themselves.” Specifically, the organization supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Please refer to wkkf.org for more information.