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Bringing Agricultural Insurance to Climate-Vulnerable Farmers: A Unique Pilot Program in Nepal Shows How to Unlock the Benefits of Index-Based Insurance for Smallholders
Nepal's topography and climatic conditions make it uniquely prone to natural disasters. As Maria Perdomo at UNCDF explains, these disasters threaten the country's economic development, and smallholder farmers and rural women are disproportionately affected. She discusses a UNCDF pilot program that brought agricultural insurance coverage to Nepali smallholders, and shares learnings from the program that could inform efforts to deliver insurance to farmers in other climate-vulnerable countries in Asia and beyond.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Finance
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Empowering Women to Fight Climate Change: A Program in Zambia Shows How Smallholder Farmers Can Lead the Way
Southern Africa has faced persistent drought, erratic rainfall and other consequences of climate change. And as Simon Crittle at International Development Enterprises (iDE) explains, women are disproportionately impacted by these challenges. He discusses an iDE program that trains farmers in Zambia to sell climate-smart agricultural inputs and services to their fellow smallholders — an initiative that it demonstrates the impact market-based interventions can have in preparing women farmers to play a leading role in addressing the climate crisis.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Preparing Young Leaders to Solve the World’s Energy Challenges: Insights From Nine Business Case Studies Highlight Paths to a Sustainable Future
Confronting the world’s vast energy and climate challenges can be daunting, but a new generation of innovative entrepreneurs are developing the skills to tackle this threat head-on. Sandra Draheim at the William Davidson Institute (WDI) argues that business case studies are a key teaching tool for these young leaders. She shares nine energy and climate-related case studies from WDI Publishing (available at 50% off through March 31), and invites readers to take part in WDI's Energy Innovation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Global Case Writing Competition, which offers cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 to the three winners.
- Categories
- Education, Energy, Environment, Transportation
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Announcing NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2022: Vote for Your Favorite!
It's time for NextBillion's “Most Influential Article of the Year” contest, in which we select our 12 most-read articles from the past year and invite readers to choose their favorites. We welcome you to read the articles and to vote by scrolling down to the voting app at the bottom of this announcement — or at the individual articles in the contest, which are linked in this announcement and posted on our homepage. You can vote up to one time per hour during the voting period, which will run from Dec. 21 to Jan. 3. We wish you a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year!
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Energy, Environment, Finance, Impact Assessment, Investing, NextBillion Originals, Technology
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The Urgent Need to Address Climate Impacts on MSMEs: Recommendations for Designing Right-Fit Tools and Solutions
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) provide a critical link to goods and services while generating income for millions of households around the world. But as Bethany Kanten at Mercy Corps Ventures points out, these businesses remain underserved in several areas that are limiting their resilience to key challenges – including climate change. She shares new research based on interviews with hundreds of MSMEs in Africa, which reveals the opportunity for innovators, investors and funders to positively impact these enterprises with climate solutions.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing, Telecommunications
- Tags
- climate change, innovation, MSMEs, startups
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Zero Waste vs. Climate Change: Why Waste Reduction Offers a Key Opportunity for Climate Action Through Private Enterprise
With the climate crisis growing increasingly urgent, pressure is mounting to find easily implementable, affordable solutions that yield fast results. As global leaders gather at the COP27 climate conference, waste reduction and management are increasingly seen as one such solution. According to Claire Arkin at GAIA, one reason for the enthusiasm around the waste sector’s climate potential is that it offers massive scope for business innovation. She discusses the connection between waste and climate change, and highlights some of the business models that are converting this global challenge into an opportunity for impact.
- Categories
- Environment, WASH
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To Stop Climate Catastrophe, Invest in Clean Cooking: Exploring the Lack of Funding – And Signs of Progress – In the Industry
As devastating heat waves and wildfires become an unwelcome part of summer around the world, it's clear that climate change is no longer a future risk we need to prepare for, but an ongoing crisis we need to navigate. To tackle this challenge, Dymphna van der Lans at the Clean Cooking Alliance argues that the world needs to phase out inefficient, greenhouse gas-emitting cooking methods like wood- and charcoal-burning fires – but for that to happen, funders will need to step up. She explores the lack of funding that has typically plagued the clean cooking sector, and discusses some promising signs of growing momentum.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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Cashing In on Sustainability: A Blended Finance Program Aims to Fight Climate Change by Catalyzing SME Investment in the Peruvian Amazon
Peru has lost an average of 100,000 hectares of rainforest per year since 2006, as illicit, extractive businesses are pushing the Amazon ecosystem closer to total collapse. But as Luis Garate at USAID CATALYZE Peru and Rocio Perez Torres at Palladium point out, without access to financing, the sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that could take the place of illegal, extractive businesses are often left out of market growth. They discuss how CATALYZE is partnering with private sector financial service providers and investors to mobilize capital for sustainable SMEs in this vital region.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
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