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These Solar-Powered Machines Help Farmers Dry Their Food Instead of Letting It Rot
A lot of food grown in developing countries never makes it to the people's bellies. Because of a lack of refrigeration, it rots during transport or when farmers fail to sell it immediately at markets. Every year, 1.3 billion tons of food (with a value of more than $1 trillion) is wasted in this way, according to the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy
- Tags
- solar
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MasterCard Foundation Investing $47M in Agricultural Finance Projects Across Africa
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has commended the MasterCard Foundation's pronouncement of investing $47 million in agricultural finance projects across Africa, including $15 million for a partnership with AGRA that will deliver financial support to 730,000 farming households.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- impact investing
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MIT-USAID Program Releases Evaluation of Water Filters
The United Nations now estimates that 90 percent of the world’s population has access to improved drinking water. But the story of access to safe drinking water is more complex, especially when it comes to the 2.7 billion people who live on less than $2 a day: In developing countries around the world, tens of millions of people rely on water filtration and purification products each year to improve their drinking water in the absence of proper infrastructure providing clean water.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Pacific-Rim Nations Led by U.S. Agree to Historic Trade Deal
A dozen Pacific-rim nations agreed to an historic pact that would cut trade barriers on items ranging from cars to rice, setting up a potentially contentious ratification vote before a skeptical U.S. Congress.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- public policy
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IDB Loans $10M to Paraguay’s Vision Banco to Fund Water, Sanitation Facilities for Low-Income Populations
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a US-based multilateral finance institution that operates in Latin America and the Caribbean, recently approved a loan of USD 10 million to Vision Banco, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Paraguay. The loan will be disbursed from IDB’s Opportunities for the Majority Sector facility, which lends, invests equity, offers technical advice and provides partial guarantees and risk-sharing facilities to “companies, financial intermediaries … [and] non-profits that are willing to engage with the base of the socioeconomic pyramid”[4].
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
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Partners in Food Solutions Announces New Corporate Partner, Expanded Impact in Africa
An international public-private partnership is expanding its efforts to strengthen Africa’s food system. The Hershey Company is joining Partners in Food Solutions, a Minnesota nonprofit, as its newest corporate partner.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- nutrition
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Target Market Segmentation and Education: Comparing agriculture digital payments systems
Agriculture has such a complicated supply chain that any digital payments programs without the requisite target market segmentation and a robust education approach – that places farmers at the center of consideration – will likely fail. It is essential for farmers to have a comprehensive awareness about the features and benefits of digital payments before they will consider adopting any new way of doing their business.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Making Toilets, Building Communities
Social enterprises like Sanivation and Sanergy are bringing health, safety and hygiene to informal settlements in Kenya, and that means, according to the author, fewer children will die of diarrhea. Plus, these businesses are giving people an opportunity to experience dignified life in a sustainable way.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Health Care
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