At SC Johnson, we actively search for ways to do what's right for people at the same time that we do what's right for our business.

A great example is our work with py farmers in Kenya. Pyrethrum, or "py," is Kenya's fifth-largest export and an active ingredient used in pest control products like Raid^® and Baygon^® insecticides.

Yet despite the importance of their crop, the 200,000 pyrethrum farmers in Kenya typically earns less than $1 per day.

Several years ago, we identified a new opportunity to help py farmers as well as give our company a more reliable source of py.

SC Johnson began partnering with KickStart, an NGO that develops new technologies and works with local entrepreneurs to launch businesses. We provided financing for KickStart to market to py farmers a simple water pump that is operated manually to bring groundwater to crops.

Since only about 12 percent of farmers irrigated, this added capacity could have a significant impact on crop yield.

With our marketing support, KickStart was able to reach more than 10,000 farmers with information about the pumps. Hundreds were sold and more given away through promotional activities.

At the same time, during the program, py farmers saw a boost in their income, which enabled them to provide improved nutrition, healthcare and education for their families.