-
Harvested rainwater in South Africa harbors pathogens, finds new study
According to research from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, pathogens are inhabiting harvested rainwater across the region, potentially posing a public health hazard, especially for children and immunocompromised individuals. Likewise, South Africa has been financing domestic rainwater harvesting tanks in informal low-income settlements and rural areas in five of the nation's nine provinces.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Health Care
-
Tasting the Fruits of One’s Labor (For the First Time): Highlights from ‘Lets Talk Coffee Rwanda’
Let’s Talk Coffee is an event series organized by coffee importer Sustainable Harvest to demonstrate Relationship Coffee - an inclusive business model that stresses transparency between all links of the supply chain. Last week’s Let’s Talk Coffee Rwanda coincided with the launch of Sustainable Harvest’s nonprofit entity, the Relationship Coffee Institute.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Health concerns and rising prosperity drive packaged water market in Africa
Health concerns towards the lack of safe drinking water across many African countries, combined with rising consumer incomes, has driven the packaged water market in the region to grow faster than that of Europe and the US.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
-
State Bank of Pakistan Outlines 6-point Action Plan to Boost Agri Financing
The agenda includes launch of countrywide onternship programme for 100 top agri graduates, to be funded under the ADB’s Improving Access to Financial Services Endowment Fund.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
-
Gum Arabic – the Crop that Binds : The Sudanese commodity that nearly every soda, pill and candy needs
Without a magical little ingredient called gum arabic, all the sugar in your soda would sink to the bottom of the can. Made from the hardened sap of the acacia tree, gum arabic is a little-known additive and adhesive critical in foods, medicines and cosmetics. Farmers who grow gum arabic should be benefitting financially from producing such a widely used crop. Instead they suffer at the base of a supply chain that faces an incredible spread of challenges.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Banking on Impact: Building the business case for social and environmental due diligence in lending
Conducting social and environmental due diligence can be a challenge, but Root Capital has found that its financial costs are surprisingly low, and its financial benefits surprisingly large. It has published scorecards and methodology that other financial institutions can use to partially avoid the fixed costs of developing their own due diligence tools.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Impact Assessment
- Tags
- impact investing, lending
-
Positioning Local Banks for Success in Smallholder Finance
New research from the Initiative for Smallholder Finance reveals that approximately 290 banks in the developing world provide a total of $9 billion in local funding to smallholders – a lending rate that fails to meet 97 percent of smallholder demand for financing. To support smallholders effectively, banks must be able to lend at affordable rates, offer products specifically designed for farmers, and improve their accessibility to farmers.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Flushing Five Myths About the Business of Sanitation
We’re continually told a number of myths about water, sanitation and the potential for companies to reach the poor in emerging markets that face daunting infrastructure challenges. My co-authors and I debunk many of them in our book: “Tapping the Markets: Opportunities for Domestic Investments in Water and Sanitation for the Poor.”
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care