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A New Green Revolution in Indian Agriculture: How Satellite Remote Sensing is Quietly Transforming the Sector
Satellite remote sensing involves the use of satellite-based sensors to capture data about the earth’s surface. According to Sat Kumar Tomer at Satyukt Analytics, this technology is increasingly being used by Indian farmers and the businesses and organizations that serve them, generating data on vegetation health, soil moisture, irrigation patterns and other key drivers of agricultural productivity. He explores how satellite remote sensing is enabling a data-driven revolution in Indian agriculture, and how the sector can overcome barriers to wider adoption.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Finance, Technology
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A Field-Based Perspective on Sub-Saharan Africa’s Agriculture Crisis: Exploring the Four Critical Dimensions that are Driving Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is no longer just a humanitarian concern in sub-Saharan Africa: It is a business issue. According to Asamoah Oppong Zadok, a researcher and entrepreneur specializing in sustainable agriculture, it constitutes a fundamental business risk with far-reaching implications for the region's economic growth, supply chain stability and geopolitical resilience. He explores the multifaceted structural factors that are driving Africa's agriculture and food security crisis, exploring how business innovators, funders and policymakers can respond.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
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Measuring Systems Change in Agricultural Finance in Africa: Practical Metrics and Guidance for Detecting and Tracking Real Change
Despite employing 65-70% of the region's population and contributing 20-40% of national GDPs, Africa's agriculture sector receives less than 3% of its overall commercial credit — and in some countries, that share hasn't changed for decades. But according to Carla Legros, a consultant and strategist in agricultural and inclusive finance, that doesn't necessarily mean that progress has stalled. She proposes a set of metrics for assessing whether systems change is actually happening in the continent's agricultural finance sector.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
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Building a Better AgTech Funding Model in Africa: Three Key Challenges Behind the Ecosystem’s Loss of Momentum
Startups operating at the nexus of climate and agriculture in Africa have attracted over $1 billion in venture funding over the past decade. But as David Saunders and Ludovica Fioravanti at Briter and Harsha Vishnumolakala at CPI explain, despite the important role this funding can play in supporting innovative African AgTech startups, it has fallen to around $200 million a year — less than half the $500 million raised in 2022. They explore the risks this decline presents to the continent's AgTech ecosystem, and share three key priorities for building a better funding model in Africa and other emerging markets.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing, Technology
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Funding African Solutions to the Climate Crisis: Why Local Venture Capital Innovation Holds the Key to Climate Resilience
Africa contributes just 4% of global carbon emissions and faces the world’s most devastating climate impacts — yet it receives only 3.3% of global climate finance (as of 2021/22). Dotun Olowoporoku and Dolapo Morgan at Ventures Platform argue that this disparity presents an urgent need for locally-developed innovation driven by African venture capital. They explore how African VCs can leverage this opportunity to play a central role in the continent’s climate response.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Investing
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Don’t Underestimate Gen Z: How Youth-Led Solutions are Shaping the Future of Social Entrepreneurship
Generation Z is often labeled as distracted, anxious, lonely or under-skilled. But as George Tsiatis at the Resolution Project and Enactus Global argues, these stereotypes are unfair, and members of Gen Z often possess a unique perspective and determination that enable them to tackle complex social challenges with unprecedented ingenuity and purpose. He shares four areas where young social entrepreneurs are driving innovation and achieving measurable impact, highlighting several youth-led enterprises that are demonstrating the next generation’s approach to leveraging business for social change.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Building Better Business Advisory Programs: Five Lessons from an Inclusive Marketing Bootcamp
Inclusive business models involve integrating low-income communities into the value chain as suppliers, distributors, retailers or consumers. As this approach has gained traction, advisory programs have emerged to help companies adopt and scale these practices. Beryl Oyier, Catherine Mwangi, Eyerusalem Mitiku and Rakib Hasan Rabbi at Bopinc share insights from an inclusive marketing program in Africa, highlighting five key lessons for designing more impactful inclusive business advisory programs.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2024: Congratulations to the Three Winners
NextBillion's “Most Influential Articles of the Year” contest has been a yearly tradition since 2012. The contest highlights 12 of our most-read articles from the past year and gives readers the opportunity to vote for their favorites. Here are our three Most Influential Articles of 2024, as selected by our readers.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Health Care, Investing, Technology
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