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Tackling the COVID-19 Coffee Crisis: Can Blockchain Strengthen the Link Between Producers and Buyers?
COVID-19 is having a major negative impact on many sectors, and the coffee industry is no exception. The closing of restaurants and cafes has reduced consumption, and according to Isabel van Bemmelen at the Progreso Foundation, coffee producers have been especially hard hit. She explores a blockchain-driven solution that could help producers survive the pandemic.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Transportation
- Tags
- blockchain, COVID-19, employment, lending
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Food Security During – And After – COVID-19: A Short and Long-Term Strategy for Funding Agribusiness
Over the past 18 months, Grassroots Capital Management had been preparing to launch a fund and technical assistance facility to improve access to capital and technology for smallholder farmers in Central America and the Caribbean. And then COVID-19 happened. Anna Kanze at Grassroots discusses how the pandemic has changed the landscape for smallholders in the region, requiring a new approach from the investors that support them.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus
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Chickens Are an Overlooked Risk to Child Health: Here’s Why We Have to Get Poultry Promotion Right
Bill Gates once wrote, “It’s pretty clear to me that just about anyone who’s living in extreme poverty is better off if they have chickens.” But despite the critical nutrition and income poultry can provide, Chris Prottas at the Water Trust raises a key concern: Chickens pose a significant threat to children’s health. He explores why the development community needs a better approach to poultry promotion.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care, WASH
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Solving the Credit Impasse: How Big Data and AI are Generating Funding Opportunities for Smallholder Farmers in Africa
Smallholder farmers provide over 80% of the food in much of the developing world, making a major contribution to poverty reduction and food security. Yet as Iftin Fatah at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation points out, in Africa, less than 3% of total bank lending goes to the sector – even though it accounts for about 70% of all employment and over 40% of GDP. She explores some innovative, tech-driven solutions to this perennial problem.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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Optimizing Online Auctions: How Technology Can Help to Alleviate Poverty among Smallholder Farmers, One Bid at a Time
World Bank data shows that 78% of the world’s poorest people are farmers. A critical challenge they face is the lack of infrastructure to improve their market access, price transparency and competitive position in relation to more powerful downstream buyers. Yanchong Zheng at the MIT Sloan School of Management explores a digital auction platform in India that's addressing this power imbalance – and shares some ways it can be optimized for the benefit of farmers.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Saving Your Coffee and Avocado Toast: How Strategic Partnerships Can Build Smallholders’ Resilience to Climate Change
The climate crisis has spawned a new internet trend, as headlines like “America’s Favorite Fruit Could Go Extinct” spark panic in readers. And it’s true that the warming climate could affect the future supply of produce and other foods – but it's creating even more drastic problems for smallholder farmers. Camila Kauer Garcia at Fintrac explores initiatives that are helping farmers become more resilient to climate change, allowing consumers to confidently enjoy their favorite foods.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Bottom-up Solutions to the Climate Emergency: Three Innovative, Eco-Inclusive Enterprises Take a Local Approach
We just reached the end of the hottest decade on record, and local communities – particularly in the Global South – are bearing the brunt of the impact. As climate change disrupts development efforts and worsens global food crises, population displacement and water scarcity, there's a growing need for more resilient communities. The SEED Awards highlight eco-inclusive enterprises that are addressing this challenge – authors at SEED discuss some promising examples.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Social Enterprise
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Full, Yet Undernourished? How India Can Move from Food Security to Nutrition Security
India now produces enough food for its population – but recurring famines plagued the country for decades. In response, the government strengthened the distribution system to bring essential food grains to marginalized households. But as analysts at MSC point out, improving access to food is not the same as ensuring optimal nutrition. They explore solutions that could help India move from food security to nutrition security – and how the private sector can play a role.
- Categories
- Agriculture