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A New Test for Old Technology: How COVID-19 is Sparking Innovation in PayGo Financing for Biodigesters
Biodigesters transform animal manure into high-quality fertilizer and biogas, replacing the need for wood-burning cooking stoves – and PayGo financing enables smallholders to afford them. But as Laura Harwig at Feed the Future explains, COVID-19 has made it harder for farmers to make their payments. She explores how the biodigester company ATEC* has adapted its PayGo model to help farmers weather these challenges.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Technology
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Coronavirus May Cost Africa $4.8 Billion in Crop Exports
The coronavirus pandemic could cost Africa as much as $4.8 billion in lost agricultural exports and affect the livelihoods of 10 million farmers, McKinsey & Co. said.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Finance, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: After COVID-19, a Rural Revolution Can Drive Sustainable Recovery
After coronavirus, nothing less than a revolution in rural sustainable development can prevent another crisis.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Technology
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This Agricultural Enterprise Is Helping Nigerian Farmers Expand Their Business
In 2015, farmer Sule Yohana joined Babban Gona, a social enterprise organization with a focus on providing expansion services to smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Meet the Agritech Entrepreneurs Who Just Raised $6 Million to Help Farmers in Kenya Grow Their Business
Our research Powering Youth Employment through the Mobile Industry in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2025 found that as of 2018, the mobile industry directly employed 1.2 million youth (three out of five people) in the informal sector, in roles predominantly associated with distribution (e.g. airtime resellers). We also estimated that by 2025, total direct employment in the sector will grow by 26%, accounting for 2.4 million jobs, 500,000 of which will be new jobs.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- agtech, microfinance
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Farmers Turn to Mobile Apps as Traditional Markets Shut Down
Farmers and fresh produce traders in the South Rift region have turned to social media and farm-based sales to bridge the market gaps brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Tackling the COVID-19 Coffee Crisis: Can Blockchain Strengthen the Link Between Producers and Buyers?
COVID-19 is having a major negative impact on many sectors, and the coffee industry is no exception. The closing of restaurants and cafes has reduced consumption, and according to Isabel van Bemmelen at the Progreso Foundation, coffee producers have been especially hard hit. She explores a blockchain-driven solution that could help producers survive the pandemic.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Transportation
- Tags
- blockchain, COVID-19, employment, lending
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West Africa Facing Food Crisis as Coronavirus Spreads
Food insecurity could also double this year to affect 265 million people across the continent; west Africa, where the outbreak of the virus is most severe, is of increasing concern.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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