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An Emerging Priority in Climate Resilience: How Zambia’s Green Growth Strategy — And its Business Sector — Are Addressing the Risk of Climate-Induced Social Instability
Zambia — like other countries across Southern Africa — is confronting its worst drought in four decades, one of multiple climate-related crises it faces. According to Gracsious Maviza and Giulia Caroli at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and Ibukun Taiwo at CGIAR, these issues are putting a growing strain on the nation’s social fabric. They explore how Zambia's National Green Growth Strategy is addressing these challenges, highlighting four "Climate Security Pathways" in the strategy that can improve social stability — and generate immense opportunities for the private sector.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, WASH
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Zombie Stats are Running Rampant in the Agrifood Sector: Why They’re Dangerous, and How We Can Stop Them
“Up to 70% of the labor involved in coffee farming is supplied by women.” You may have seen this widely used statistic in articles and reports — perhaps you've even cited it yourself. But this number is based on old and extremely flimsy evidence, and as Cait Nordehn at TechnoServe argues, it highlights a troubling issue in the agrifood and broader global development sectors: the ongoing use of “zombie stats” — outdated, inaccurate or incomplete statistics that simply will not die. She explores why this problem has persisted, and how it can be addressed.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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The Problem with ‘Forced Entrepreneurship’: How Universities — and Venture Capitalists — are Failing Climate Tech Innovators
Universities are increasingly positioning themselves as hubs of business innovation, and as Emre Eren Korkmaz at the University of Oxford explains, their support has become an important driver of climate tech innovation. But he argues that universities’ "one size fits all" approach to supporting these innovators is fundamentally flawed, prioritizing the pathway to entrepreneurship — and the demands of venture capitalists — rather than empowering true innovation. He explores the problem and highlights some alternative approaches.
- Categories
- Education, Environment, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Supporting the Resilience of Small Businesses in India: The Value of Flexible Funding During a Crisis
Over 122 million people in India lost their jobs during the initial COVID-19 lockdown in April of 2020, and small traders and wage workers accounted for around 75% of those job losses. Amit Choudhary at Upaya Social Ventures explores how Upaya pivoted to support small businesses during that challenging time, discussing the evolving funding strategies it used — and how these approaches can provide a model for the broader impact investing sector during periods of crisis.
- Categories
- Investing
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An Under-Recognized Obstacle to Solar Access in Africa: The Impact of Foreign Exchange Risk — And How to Mitigate It
Solar energy businesses are rapidly gaining traction in Africa, driving economic growth, improving living standards and supporting the transition to a low-carbon future. But Yariv Cohen at Ignite Power highlights an under-recognized barrier facing the sector: foreign exchange risks. He explores the impacts that volatile exchange rates can have on two common types of solar projects in Africa, and shares some of the strategies that have emerged to mitigate these risks.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing, Technology
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Mind Over Matter: Why Developing a Growth Mindset is Key to Unlocking Women Farmers’ Success in Africa
Agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa has typically centered on training farmers, providing them with inputs like seeds and fertilizers, and introducing technologies to improve their farming practices. Yet as Michelle Kurian at The Harvest Fund explains, these efforts have failed to spark a “green revolution” across the region. She explores the key role that a growth mindset can play in farmers' success, and argues that fostering this mindset shift — particularly among women — is a crucial priority that demands immediate attention.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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Funding the Fight Against the World’s Oldest Fuel Source: How New Financing Mechanisms in Clean Cooking Can Succeed Where Grants Have Failed
The use of biomass fuel for cooking has remained consistent over the centuries, despite the development sector's efforts to scale global access to clean cookstoves. As Paul Ronalds at Save the Children Global Ventures argues, a key reason for this failure is the estimated $5.5 billion annual funding gap facing clean cooking initiatives — a gap that traditional sources of finance, like private donations and government grants, have been unable to fill. He discusses several funding solutions, including carbon credits, that could help the clean cooking sector finally end the era of biomass fuel.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing, Technology
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One Village at a Time: A Women-Led Model for Bringing Digital Services and Financial Inclusion to Rural Bangladesh
Women customers constitute a huge market in rural Bangladesh, where many men have migrated to cities or foreign lands in search of work. Garima Singh at FinValue Advisors explores how the Bangladeshi financial services company Zaytoon Business Solutions is expanding access to digital financial and government services in rural communities — while boosting women's empowerment and employment — by extending its agent network to include "village digital booths" staffed by local women.
- Categories
- Finance