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Small Farms, Big Funding Gap: Local bank financing for smallholder farmers meets only 3 percent of overall demand
New research reveals that local bank lending to smallholder farmers – which should be a main avenue for improving their access to finance – meets less than 3 percent of their estimated financing demand. This gap represents an obstacle to global poverty reduction efforts - and a compelling opportunity for buyers, lenders and other actors in the agricultural value chain.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Ziqitza a ‘Driver’ Among Social Businesses: Ambulance company expanding rapidly, eyeing markets outside India
Ziqitza has grown from just 10 ambulances in 2005 to more than 800 today, has served more than 2.5 million people – many of whom live below the poverty line – and its annual revenue is roughly $20 million. The secret, according to its CEO, lies in its revenue model.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care
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Getting Innovations to Market: Crazy ideas and actionable insights from Grameen Foundation’s Dar es Salaam Workshop
Human-centered design methodology has led to a number of great products, but many get stuck in the implementation phase, only to collect dust on a shelf. That’s why forty international development practitioners recently convened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to discuss creative ways to ensure that new products actually get to market and reach end users. Grameen Foundation’s Kimberly Davies shares some of their insights.
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- Uncategorized
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Getting Back to the ‘Heyday’ for Vaccines: PATH’s Batson on how ‘really smart innovations’ are bending the global health curve
Foundations and governments involved in global health are more sensitive to cost-per-solution these days. That puts an emphasis on creativity and a disciplined public-private approach going forward.
- Categories
- Health Care
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Impact Investing, Framed: How the concept of “framing” can better position financial institutions for investment
There’s a misperception that community investments are riskier than other impact investments. In fact, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) performed well during the recession, while generating measurable social outcomes. Calvert Foundations Andrew Parrucci discusses how CDFIs can better position themselves for investment through the concept of "framing."
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
- Tags
- impact investing
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The Doctor is (Checking) In … Via Mobile: Pesinet combines apps, mircoinsruance with old-fashioned grassroots education
In Mali and Burkina Faso, an NGO uses a three-prong approach designed to get families to bring their children to local health centers starting with the earliest symptoms.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care, Technology
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NexThought Monday 12/16/13: Is India looking at financial inclusion backwards?
Despite the huge potential of solutions like mobile finance and branchless banking, the growth of these services in India has been slow and patchy. But the country’s mobile banking agenda has been driven largely by government-to-person social welfare payments, compelling service providers to start with the toughest market sub-segment – poor rural households. Should India invert its approach and target business segments first?
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- Uncategorized
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Weekly Roundup – 12/14/13: LeapFrog Investments’ sale of microinsurer to Prudential might one of biggest exits in impact investing
Impact investor LeapFrog Investments announced this week that it had sold its equity stake in Ghanaian insurer Express Life to Prudential PLC, one of the world’s biggest insurance companies. Express Life sells micro-insurance and savings products to 730,000 mostly first-time buyers. For investors seeking a high-potential and highly scalable company that sells affordable goods and services to low-income people, this deal is one to bookmark.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- impact investing
