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FEATURED EVENT: ‘Cracking the Nut’ on Public/Private Agricultural Investment
In its second year, the Cracking the Nut 2012 Conference, set for June 25-26 at the Enrique V. Iglesias Conference Center in Washington, D.C. has a narrow focus with broad implications: Leveraging public private partnerships to develop rural and agricultural markets.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Partnering to Improve Food and Nutrition Security in Africa
Transforming poor people’s food and nutrition security is proving to be, as expected, a massive challenge. As we approach a slew of global meetings that will address this topic in the coming months, the German Marshall Fund (GMF) has released a new report that showcases the need for and complexities of multi-stakeholder partnerships in support of this goal in Africa.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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As Contamination Grows, Private Water Shops Spring Up in Pakistani Slums
In Pakistan, waterborne diseases cause 40 percent of illnesses. Outdated and mismanaged city infrastructure poses serious health threats and challenges. Among the colorful storefronts of Lahore’s densely packed slum areas, new water shops have opened up that provide WHO-standard water to the neighborhoods at affordable rates.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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First Fund to Help Smallholder Farmers with Long-Term Loans
Incofin Investment Management, Fairtrade International (FLO) and Grameen Foundation will establish a ‘First Fund’ to focus on the unmet demand of smallholder farmers for long-term loans.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Latin America
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BoP Career Paths: Working with TechnoServe, Coca-Cola and Others Toward Sustainable Development
More than three years have passed since I returned to the U.S., but my work with TechnoServe has had a profound influence on my career path. The organization affirmed my commitment to “Business Solutions to Poverty,” and I have since earned an MBA from Duke University focused on social entrepreneurship and international development.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education
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Global Sanitation Target Under Threat
UN high-level meeting is expected to call on world leaders to support the 57 countries currently most off-track to achieve their millennium development goal targets for sanitation.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
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Weekly Roundup: Brewing Inspiration (and Respect)
Two stories this week in the New York Times and Fast Company present arguments against paternalistic tendencies of linking aid to trade and advocate viewing and treating African entrepreneurs as you would any business hopeful.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education
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Can Coffee Kick-Start an Economy?
When he set out to wedge his coffee onto supermarket shelves in England and America, Andrew Rugasira didn’t start by making phone calls from his home in Kampala, Uganda. He didn’t begin by sending e-mails. The distance seemed too great for that. At one end of his business were farmers who, until he came along, thought their beans were purchased and carried off to make gunpowder. At the other were buyers at the corporate headquarters of chains like Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, Whole Foods and Wal-Mart. If he was going to succeed, he felt he would have to do it physically; it was as if he believed he could stretch himself to span the divide between the two worlds. So he got on a plane to London, without trying any advance contact.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa