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Quick Wins for Digital Agriculture: Why Digitizing Aggregation Centers is a Fast Path to Long-Term Impact for Smallholders
Discussion of digital agriculture innovation often focuses on buzzworthy technologies like the internet of things, artificial intelligence and blockchain. But though these technologies will eventually define the future of the sector, Ananth R Gudipati at the World Food Programme and Paul Kweheria at Mercy Corps say we should start with the basics – getting farmer organizations and SMEs to use digital tech to streamline their operations. They share insights from a digital platform developed by the Farm to Market Alliance that’s doing just that.
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- Agriculture, Technology
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More Than a Job: Helping Livelihood Programs Reach Their Development Potential
“Livelihood” is regularly cited as a focus of development work. But its definition is often vague, including projects that span multiple sectors and objectives, from skills training to financial security. According to Lexi Doolittle at S3IDF, while livelihood is a complex and flexible concept, it’s important to remember that it isn’t the same as employment. She discusses the multi-faceted nature of the livelihood approach, using the example of S3IDF’s work with small farmers in rural India.
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- Entrepreneurship
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Sustainable Connectivity: How Biofuels Can Boost Mobile Access, Support Small Farmers – And Fight Climate Change
Mobile connectivity is sweeping through rural Africa and Asia – but it has a major drawback. It’s dependent on cellular towers that often rely either on diesel power, which has economic and ecological costs and limited availability, or solar panels, which require clear, sunny skies. Fortunately, another solution is emerging: bioenergy. John Garrity, Dennis Garrity and James Daniel at the Evergreening Global Alliance explore its positive impact on food security, grid infrastructure and global climate change.
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- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Technology
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Helping the Digital Revolution Reach the Corner Store: Piloting Mobile Solutions for Micro-Retailers
Across the developing world, there are millions of small-scale shopkeepers who want to build their businesses. But with no training in management skills, many often struggle to run their shops. Can digital tools help address this challenge? TechnoServe sought to answer that question by piloting a smartphone platform that worked with shopkeepers in Kenya to improve the operations of their stores. Alice Waweru explores the program’s benefits and limitations.
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- Technology
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A Clean Alternative to Fossil Fuels: Could This New Renewable Energy Source Help Solve Climate Change?
The need for climate change solutions is becoming more urgent by the day. But as the recent riots in Paris demonstrated, the public often has limited patience with carbon taxes. What’s needed, says Audun Sommerli Time at NextFuel AB, is a fuel source that can be used in the world’s existing energy infrastructure, without adding CO2 to the atmosphere. NextFuel has developed such a product: A renewable, carbon-negative fuel that’s both affordable and compatible with fossil fuel-based energy plants. He explains why it represents “the world’s best hope for addressing climate change.”
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- Energy
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Hemant Nitturkar
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