Cairo: PepsiCo Egypt has launched the second phase of its flagship initiative, She Feeds the World (SFtW), in collaboration with CARE Egypt Foundation and supported by the PepsiCo Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, during the sixth potato planting season in Beni Suef. SFtW Phase 2 will run for three years in the governorates of Beni Suef and Minya, with a total investment of USD 2 million. The program aims to help small scale farmers including women men and youth to increase their productivity, improve their household incomes, enhance food security, and strengthen their resilience to the challenges of climate change. It also works to expand their access to new buyers and opportunities in Egypt’s agricultural market, with nearly 90 percent of participants now able to sell their potatoes more reliably, turning local harvests into products enjoyed by households across the country.
The announcement was made at a celebration in Beni Suef, attended by H.E. Dr. Mohamed Hany Ghoneim, Governor of Beni Suef; Karim Khedr, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Egypt; and Vivian Thabet, CEO of CARE Egypt Foundation. The ceremony featured wide participation from farmers and their families, as well as PepsiCo Egypt employees who volunteered to help plant the new season’s crops.
The launch of SFtW Phase 2 marks a new chapter in PepsiCo Egypt’s journey under pep+ (PepsiCo Positive), the company’s strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability, planet, and people at the heart of how we create value and growth. This phase continues PepsiCo’s long-standing commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture, empowering local farmers, and uplifting rural communities, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Egypt’s Vision 2030.
In this new phase, the program will help drive inclusive growth for rural communities by empowering women, men, and youth; improving livelihoods; and enhancing food security through expanded access to finance and markets, targeting more than 180,000 beneficiaries, including 20,000 direct farmers. The program aims to establish 40 producer marketing groups with over 600 members, building direct links to PepsiCo’s supply chain, as well as other companies. To empower youth financially, the program will provide direct grants, savings groups, and Youth Savings and Loan Associations (YSLAs) for more than 200 young men and women, building on over EGP 18 million in accumulated savings. Additionally, SFtW Phase 2 will support six rural health centers and roll out family-centered nutrition programs reaching more than 150,000 community members.
Agriculture remains at the heart of SFtW, with a focus on regenerative practices that foster greener, more resilient food systems, ensuring sustainable production, and improving farmer incomes and livelihoods. This includes shifting from single-season farming to year-round cultivation, diversifying and rotating crops to enhance soil fertility, and promoting climate-smart, regenerative farming practices. These efforts will enable rural communities to adapt to climate change and build a more sustainable agricultural future.
Karim Khedr, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Egypt, emphasized that SFtW is a key pillar of PepsiCo’s global agricultural program, one of the largest within the company, and it reflects PepsiCo’s long-term commitment to supporting farmers and advancing the local cultivation and production of seeds and potatoes for our products. “The Egyptian government has placed agriculture and rural empowerment at the top of its priorities, which fully aligns with PepsiCo’s sustainability strategy. What makes this program especially meaningful is its strong local foundation: Egyptian farmers, cultivating Egyptian soil, to grow Egyptian potatoes that become an Egyptian product, directly linking farms to shelves and households across the country. SFtW Phase 2 is a real step toward this goal, supporting smallholder farmers, empowering the whole community, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices that help combat climate change and strengthen food security. We are also working to expand partnerships with local and international stakeholders to unlock new opportunities for localization and sustainability, ensuring long-term impact for both communities and markets.”
He added: “The program’s success reflects the strength of the partnership between PepsiCo Egypt, CARE Egypt Foundation, and the PepsiCo Foundation, working hand-in-hand with government institutions and local communities. Together, we are creating a unique model for integrated development that combines economic empowerment, agricultural innovation, and social progress, while also unlocking new opportunities for localization that benefit farmers, families, and the Egyptian market.”
C.D. Glin, President of PepsiCo Foundation & Global Head of Social Impact at PepsiCo Inc., commented: “We are proud to have launched SFtW in Egypt five years ago as part of a global initiative implemented in various countries around the world. Egypt has been a true success story, showcasing how Egyptian farmers, working Egyptian soil, are creating Egyptian products that strengthen food security and local livelihoods. As the PepsiCo Foundation works to create positive changes through community-led partnerships and long-term solutions, this is a pivotal milestone in our mission to drive measurable, lasting impact. By combining agricultural innovation with economic empowerment, we are building stronger families and more resilient communities.”
Vivian Thabet, CEO of CARE Egypt Foundation, described SFtW as a true transformation journey within rural communities, saying: “This program has evolved beyond simply supporting farmers; it has become a platform where women, men, and youth work hand-in-hand to build a more sustainable future. Phase 2 builds on the successes of the first phase while adding a new dimension of inclusivity, positioning youth as key partners in delivering agricultural and economic solutions.”
She added: “By fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and greater access to digital finance, we are creating an integrated approach that connects agriculture to job opportunities, transforming climate challenges into growth opportunities. Today, SFtW is a holistic program for life, building stronger, more resilient communities capable of facing the future.”
The first phase of SFtW, launched in 2019 in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, CARE Egypt Foundation, and the PepsiCo Foundation, empowered thousands of male and female farmers across the governorates of Beheira, Giza, Minya, and Beni Suef. Phase 1 reached more than 500,000 beneficiaries in four governorates, boosted potato yields by 30%, empowered over 10,000 women farmers with tools and training, and enabled more than 16,000 women to establish over 4,700 small businesses through savings groups. The program also helped save and reuse more than one billion liters of irrigation water and expanded value chains to include new crops such as artichokes, grapes, garlic, onions, and okra.