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Finding Value in Food Losses and Byproducts: Why Circular Agribusiness is Key to Sustainable Food Security in Africa
Food waste and spoilage are major problems in Africa: For example, between 25% and 44% of mangoes are lost across the value chain in Kenya. Brenda Wangari at Village Capital and Patrick Guyer at Bopinc discuss an innovative solution to this challenge: circular agribusinesses that turn food waste and byproducts into affordable, nutritious foods and organic fertilizers. They explain how the O-Farms program, Africa’s first accelerator focusing entirely on circular agribusiness, is supporting these enterprises, and how this approach can help ensure food security on the continent.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Entrepreneurship
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How Behavioral Science Can Improve Digital Services: Exploring the Impact of an Innovative Accelerator Program on Social Enterprises in Latin America
Though behavioral science is a relatively new field of study in Latin America, it is increasingly being leveraged to address financial inclusion and other needs in the region – and it has particular relevance to social enterprises working in the digital space. Juan Pablo Marichi at New Ventures and Santiago Mesa at Acceso explore how New Ventures' SUMA accelerator program has applied the study of behavioral science to the issues of financial health and inclusion, and share some lessons that participants – including Acceso – have learned in the process.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Technology
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Access Alone is Not Enough: Why a Holistic Approach is Necessary to Develop Lasting Energy Solutions
With about 800 million people lacking reliable electricity, energy access is one of the defining issues – and opportunities – of our time. According to Peter Weston at Energy 4 Impact and David Nicholson at Mercy Corps, that's what drove the recent merger of their two organizations. But as they explain, to unlock the full impact of energy access, it's important to ensure that people, businesses and communities can capitalize on it. They explore how a comprehensive market system approach can produce energy solutions that work for farmers, entrepreneurs and others.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Environment
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The Power of Women in Cocoa: Supporting Female Farmers Could Boost Liberia’s Access to Lucrative Premium Markets
Women farmers are essential to the production and trade of cocoa in West Africa, and often comprise a majority of the farming workforce. But as Sabine Garbarino, Amelia Duggan and Kim Beevers at GROW Liberia explain, women's importance to the sector is not always recognized, despite the key role they play in maximizing the quality of cocoa beans. They explore how the work of female farmers drives the cocoa industry in Liberia – and why efforts to support these farmers can open the door to more lucrative market segments and greater social impact.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Entrepreneurship
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Risky Business: How an Innovative Partnership is Addressing Growing Threats to the Coffee Supply Chain
For smallholder farmers, growing coffee has become a risky business. Plagued by low profitability and the effects of climate change, many struggle to earn a livable income. And with smallholders accounting for 80% of global coffee production, their struggles put the entire coffee industry at risk. Carolin Ehrensperger at Neumann Gruppe GmBH and Laura Harwig at Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation discuss a partnership that aims to build a sustainable coffee supply chain by providing farmers with critical opportunities and resources to grow and adapt.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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The Path Toward Commercialization: How Research Can Generate Business Opportunities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Research universities and labs are important engines of innovation that play a vital role in global business development – and commercializing these innovations can deliver real-world impact. But according to Dana Gorodetsky and Sachin Nijhawan at the William Davidson Institute, there's a lack of expertise and resources related to the commercialization of research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). They explore the benefits of commercialization for researchers, institutions and entrepreneurs, and offer four key lessons for commercializing research in LMICs.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Technology
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Vote for NextBillion’s Most Influential Article of 2021
As an open forum for emerging markets business, NextBillion publishes around 150 original, guest-written articles per year, covering enterprises, innovations, challenges and opportunities across multiple sectors and geographies. Each December we select the 12 most-read articles of the past year to include in our "Most Influential Article of the Year" contest. We invite you to vote for the article that impacted you the most in 2021. You can vote up to one time per hour during the two-week voting period, which runs from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2.
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Supporting Women Farmers in the Age of Climate Change: Why It’s Time To Look at Agriculture Solutions Through Both a Gender and Climate Lens
In sub-Saharan Africa, women smallholder farmers face a number of significant barriers, from lower access to resources, to entrenched sociocultural norms that limit their mobility, time and decision-making power. And these obstacles are exacerbated by climate change, which also places unique burdens on women. In response to these overlapping challenges, Bianca Samson, Flavia Howard and Charlie Habershon at Dalberg argue that agricultural support efforts must combine a gender and climate lens. They discuss ways to align these three priorities to drive catalytic impact.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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