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Rethinking Farming in Small Island Developing States: Five Major Trends in Jamaican Agriculture That Can Apply to Other Emerging Economies
Though Jamaica is working to diversify production and build self-sufficiency in its agricultural sector, like much of the Caribbean region, it still imports more food and livestock than it exports. But as Varun Baker at Farm Credibly points out, the country is exploring new farming practices and technologies that can boost its agricultural output and sustainability. He shares five key trends in Jamaican agriculture that could provide a model to other emerging economies — particularly Small Island Developing States.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
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A Blueprint for Productive Use of Clean Energy: An Accelerator in Nigeria Generates Solutions for Linking Mini-Grids to Agricultural Equipment in Rural Communities
There are over 70 mini-grids operating in Nigeria today, and similar businesses are delivering clean energy in other underserved communities around the world. But as Scarlett Santana at RMI explains, serving these markets presents unique challenges, since if customers lack productive uses for the electricity they sell, mini-grids’ revenue model fails. She explores how mini-grids can address this challenge by partnering with agricultural equipment providers, and discusses an accelerator co-led by RMI that is providing the ecosystem to make these partnerships happen.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Investing
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An Agricultural Value Chain Bears Fruit: How Adopting a New Crop Helped Boost the Prosperity and Climate Resilience of Cambodian Farmers
Improving the performance of agricultural value chains will be crucial to emerging countries' efforts to end poverty and hunger, boost shared prosperity, and adapt to climate change. To that end, an iDE program is supporting Cambodian farmers as they transition to growing melons and other new crops, by helping to build market systems that support the sale of these products. Simon Crittle at iDE explores how the program is enabling farmers to navigate changes in the market — and in the climate.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Applying a Gender Lens to Agribusiness: A Pathway to Economic Empowerment for Women
Women farmers in emerging markets face many gender-specific challenges when they attempt to participate equally in agricultural supply chains, employment opportunities and distribution networks. As Cait Nordehn and Bwile Musonda at TechnoServe explain, agribusinesses are well-positioned to address these challenges — if these firms can improve the gender inclusivity of their sourcing, operations and distribution. They discuss TechnoServe’s experiences deploying its Gender-Responsive Diagnostic tool with agribusinesses to identify opportunities for greater gender inclusion.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Outgrowing the Flower Pot: Why Just Selling Productive Equipment to Smallholder Farmers is Not Enough
A new wave of companies are bringing equipment powered by renewable, decentralized energy to smallholders, and these devices can significantly boost farmers' yields and product quality. But as Daniel Waldron, Christopher Emmott, Priyanka Dudeja, Paraag Sabhlok and Chris Wayne at Acumen explain, just like a tree growing in a flower pot, this new growth can become a burden if it has nowhere to go. They argue that productive equipment must be combined with market access interventions to truly benefit smallholders, and highlight two innovative companies that are demonstrating the impact of this approach.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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How Inclusive Finance Can Address the World’s Most Fundamental Challenge: Food Security, Nutrition and the European Microfinance Award 2023
According to the World Food Programme, the world is facing “a food crisis of unprecedented proportions.” Joana Afonso, Sam Mendelson, Fernando Naranjo Galindo and Daniel Rozas at the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) explore the multiple drivers and dimensions of food insecurity, and explain why the financial inclusion sector is uniquely placed to address it. They share how the e-MFP's European Microfinance Award 2023 is promoting innovative solutions to the crisis through its focus on “Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutrition.”
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance, Transportation
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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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