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The Financial Power of the Group: How demand aggregation can enable consumer financing for renewable energy products
Salt farmers in Northern India use diesel pumps to help them harvest salt from sea water. They run these pumps for over 16 hours a day, which means up to 60 percent of their income is spent on fuel costs. Solar pumps could substantially increase their income, so Dalberg explored financing options that could make these pumps accessible. They discuss demand aggregation, one particularly promising solution.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy
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Financing Agribusinesses in Africa: Mobile Money Shows More Viability
As a result of mobile money financing schemes, farming businesses, most of which are in rural areas in Africa are able to enjoy agritrade financing in form of loans, subsidies and free inputs facilitated mainly through phones. The main advantage of mobile money financing for agriculture is the elimination of cash handling by other individuals during the transfer of the money from the financing individual/organisation to the farmer or agribusiness operator. This reduces or eliminates corruption, outright theft or violence that could result when individuals have to carry cash around.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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IDB Approves Climate-Smart Agriculture Fund
First-of-its-kind fund will support investments that increase rural livelihoods, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance biodiversity.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Bangladesh-Based Poverty Group Founder Wins World Food Prize
A man who created a nonprofit organization credited with helping more than 150 million people out of poverty was named the winner of the 2015 World Food Prize on Wednesday.Fazle Hasan Abed, of Bangladesh, created BRAC, the organization originally known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, as a temporary relief organization to help the country recover from the 1970 typhoon that killed about 500,000 people and the subsequent war fought in 1971 to win independence from Pakistan. Bangladesh was once listed as the second poorest country in the world.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Burning Bridges by Building Bridges
Do you remember the old folk song that goes, “ako ang nagtanim at nagbayo at nagsaing, subalit nang maluto ay iba ang kumain” (I planted, pounded and cooked my own rice, but some other guy ate it)? It is not exactly the same story for the farmers, but it is certainly how they still feel.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
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Buyout Firm Vital Plans $500 Million Africa Fund As Demand Booms
Private equity firm Vital Capital Investments LP is planning a $500 million investment fund that will focus on African industries overlooked by competitors.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- impact investing
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A Clean Bag of Water
It weighs no more than 11 ounces, fits easily into a backpack and looks like any other plastic bag.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
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Beyond Organic: Promoting Indonesia’s Indigenous Farming Cultures
The first time Helianti Hilman visited the indigenous farmers of the West Java town of Garut, she was asked to remove her shoes before entering their fields. Her surprise grew when the farmers quizzed her on her mood – they didn’t want her upsetting the plants.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
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