PepsiCo Teams Up With Global Coalition for Ground-Breaking African Famine Solution

PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), the PepsiCo Foundation, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently announced a unique public-private partnership to dramatically increase chickpea production and promote long-term nutritional and economic security in Ethiopia. The initiative, called Enterprise EthioPEA, was unveiled by the partners at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York City on 21 September.

Enterprise EthioPEA supports the Ethiopian government's agriculture sector development plans, and aims to dramatically increase chickpea production to address three distinct needs. Specifically, the project intends to:

• Enable nearly 10,000 Ethiopian farmers to realise a twofold increase in chickpea yield by applying more modern agricultural practices and irrigation techniques. This initiative will leverage PepsiCo's and USAID's deep agricultural expertise to create new domestic and export markets for Ethiopian chickpeas, and improve the overall quality of the soil farmed.   • Develop a locally sourced, nutrient-rich, ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF) to address malnutrition. With an initial target to reach nearly 40,000 Ethiopian children, ages six-23 months, WFP will leverage its mass distribution capabilities to assist those most in need of nutritional support through its existing operational network. Longer term, all partners aim to expand the program to prevent malnutrition across the Horn of Africa.   To continue reading about PepsiCo’s fight against malnutrition in Ethiopia on the Guardian Sustainable Business Partner Zone, click here.   About PepsiCo 
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses -- Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola -- also make hundreds of other enjoyable foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including by conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support, and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.   PEPSI17975