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Productive Use Has Challenges: What’s Holding the Sector Back — And How Companies and Investors Should Respond
Productive use of renewable energy (PURE) technologies such as solar irrigation, cold storage and agro-processing can have a transformative impact in Africa and other emerging markets. But though the potential of these technologies is undeniable, the scale isn’t. As Daniel Waldron, Chris Emmott and Kristi Chon at Acumen, and Duda Slawek at Open Capital explain, few agricultural companies are delivering PURE solutions, and fewer still are growing fast enough to meet the scope of the problems they are trying to solve. They share new research and analysis that illuminate the challenges that are holding the sector back, and propose three ways forward.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Investing, Technology
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Rockefeller, World Bank Fund Solar Projects Across Six African Countries to Boost Agriculture
The initiative will support the rollout of solar-powered cold storage facilities, refrigerators, water pumps and grain mills in Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Mirova Invests $19 Million in Kenya’s Cold Solutions Kiambu to Scale Climate-Smart Cold Chain in East Africa
The funding comes through the Mirova Gigaton Fund, a blended finance debt vehicle focused on scaling clean energy and climate solutions in emerging markets.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Rethinking What it Means to Start a Business: Why Systemic Venture Building Matters for Africa’s Food Future
Africa’s entrepreneurs are often seen as risky investments not due to any limitations of their own businesses, but because of the risks in the systems around them. As a result, as Dieuwertje Nelissen, Eveline Jansen and Rachael Kirui at Enviu argue, it's important for development stakeholders to move beyond de-risking individual businesses and to put greater effort into strengthening and de-risking the systems that support them. They explore this systemic approach in the context of African agriculture, sharing a venture-building model that can help entrepreneurs reduce early-stage risk and scale sustainable impact.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Press Release: Agros Secures USD 2 Million from EDFI ElectriFI to Expand Solar-Powered Irrigation for Farmers in Southeast Asia
The financing will support Agros’ expansion in Indonesia and Cambodia and scale its “Pay-after-Harvest” model, enabling farmers to invest in high-quality solar water pump systems with flexible payment terms.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Even as Global Crop Prices Fall, India’s Arya.ag Is Attracting Investors — and Staying Profitable
Arya.ag is built around a simple idea: giving farmers more control over when and to whom they sell their crops.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- agtech, lending, smallholder farmers
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Lula Threatens to Walk Away if Further Delays to EU-Mercosur Trade Deal
Brazilian president says it is now or never after Italy joins France in saying it is not ready to sign trade deal.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Global Chocolate Supply Chains Exposed to Cocoa-Driven Deforestation in Liberia
The investigation also notes that no cocoa farms in Liberia are certified by the Rainforest Alliance, despite all the named traders claiming to use the scheme. Global Witness said this gap underscores the limitations of voluntary sustainability labels.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- forests, regulations, supply chains
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