Patrina Eiffert has been appointed executive director of Heifer International’s new Power, Water and Internet Accelerator that aims to help small-scale farmers in 21 countries earn an income that — at minimum — meets their basic needs.
The nonprofit headquartered in Little Rock said, through this program, it is “making a commitment to strategically remove the limiting infrastructure constraints faced by rural communities and provide access to affordable basic utility products and services.”
President and CEO Pierre Ferrari also said in a news release that Heifer believes, under Eiffert’s leadership, PWI can “deliver a projected 10x growth in community prosperity globally.”
Eiffert will oversee the mobilization of resources by 2030 to create an ecosystem that includes access to affordable power, water and internet services and productive use equipment and appliances such as crop dryers, refrigerators, grain mills, sewing machines, carpentry and mechanical tools, as well as water treatment, catchment, pumps and irrigation, and web-based market platforms.
Eiffert, Ph.D., said in the release,“Recent technological innovations, significant cost reductions and access to productive equipment with innovative business models have put the delivery of affordable renewable energy systems, water systems and internet connectivity within reach of last-mile communities that are vital for ending global hunger and poverty” and that she’s looking forward to serving in this role.
She most recently served as senior director at NRECA International, which focuses on rural electrification and productive use of electricity globally. Prior to that, Eiffert was senior advisor with the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives.
She started her career in the U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory under the Federal Energy Management Program and also holds several patents in the field of photovoltaic power/solar electric systems.
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