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Capgemini Turns to AI to Fix Food Supply Chain Sustainability
Business consulting giant Capgemini has launched a project which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to support farmers in improving environmental practices on their land.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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Mastercard Launches Digital Sales Platform For Farmers
“At Mastercard, we envision a world in which economic growth is truly inclusive,” said Arjan Bol, Netherlands country manager for Mastercard. “Mastercard Farmer Network contributes to this by offering a digital platform that makes it safer and simpler for small-holder farmers to grow their business."
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
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The Next Big Thing for Energy Access in India? Service-Based Models for Productive-Use Appliances in Agriculture
The global off-grid solar industry has grown exponentially, driven largely by sales or leasing of small appliances enabled by the pay-as-you-go business model. But according to Lanvin Concessao at Oorja Development Solutions, the market is now shifting towards larger income-generating appliances used in small businesses and farms. He explores the impact these appliances can have in India, and how they can drive the irrigation and cold storage sectors' transition to solar energy.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy
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Big Promises, Few Results: Chinese Farms Falter in Uganda
These projects fly under the radar, compared with China’s high-profile Belt and Road Initiative. But what was first touted as major progress in the making is seen by locals as merely an obstacle to individual livelihoods.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Designing for Social Good, Not ‘Feel Good’
Designing products for multinational corporations and their affluent target markets is very different from designing products for low-income, rural consumers. Jordan Westerberg, industrial designer with social venture development firm Factor[e], has worked in both of these worlds. He discusses a recent project that redesigned a solar conduction dryer for Indian farmers, and cautions against being drawn to simplistic, feel-good products when designing for social impact.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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$40M Palladium Impact Fund to Focus on Agribusiness, Off-Grid Clean Energy
A $40-million fund launched last week by Australia-based global impact firm Palladium aims to invest in agribusiness value chains and off-grid clean energy ventures in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Investing
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Surviving the ‘Valley of Death’: A New Funding Database Aims to Help Agtech Companies Avoid Early-Stage Failure
Population growth and climate change are bringing extraordinary challenges to the agriculture sector in emerging markets. But though small- and medium-sized enterprises are essential to addressing these issues, they remain underfunded – particularly in the period before they become profitable (often referred to as the ‘‘Valley of Death’’). Aarno Keijzer at NpM explores these challenges, and presents a free database that NpM has compiled, highlighting funds that can help early-stage agriculture companies bridge this financial gap.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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Press Release: Grant Awarded to Establish Aceli Africa, a Data-Driven Financing Facility to Unlock Capital for Agricultural SMEs
According to the World Bank, agricultural growth in Africa is significantly more effective at reducing poverty than growth in other economic sectors. Agricultural SMEs, including farmer cooperatives and food processors, improve livelihoods by aggregating and linking smallholder farmers to markets and generating employment for low-skill workers, particularly women and youth.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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