NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Kenyan Farmers Save for a Rainy Day – Whatever the Weather

By Drew Cullen Twice a month, farmer James Muthoka gets on his bike and pedals nine kilometres to KARI Katumani, an agricultural research station. Mr Muthoka owns six acres in an small, enclosed valley in Machakos, a dry, semi-arid region about one-and-a-half hours from Nairobi. The valley is filled from top to bottom with farms. The shamba (field) beside his house is four acres - and the other two acres are very far away. The farm may be small, but the land is...

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The Register (link opens in a new window)

BRAC Honored for Helping Poor Peoples’ Access to Health

Social Innovator of the Year Award for the year 2006 has been announced by Brigham Young University (BYU), USA, reports BSS. BRAC, a leading NGO of Bangladesh, and Scojo Foundation of USA are jointly being honoured with this award this year for their new initiatives to increase poor people’s accessibility to reading glasses, said a release in Dhaka on Sunday. This is being achieved by utilizing BRAC’s 30,000 health- workers, who were trained to carry out ophth...

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Bangladesh Observer (link opens in a new window)

Tanzania: “Moneymaker” Pumps Cash into Farmers Pockets

Moneymaker’ pumps manufactured in Arusha are reported to have contributed to poverty reduction by helping families start small agrobusinesses. The pumps that require no fuel enable farmers to harvest up to three times a year thus boosting their income. (...)MoneyMaker pumps are developed and marketed by KickStart a non-profit organization. USAID helps support KickStart’s program in Tanzania. (...) At the T.F.A (Tanzania Farmers Association), distributors of the MoneyMaker...

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Arusha Times (link opens in a new window)

Cheap Tech Hikes Water Supply

Report argues for rethinking mega-water projects by focusing on low-cost technology. By redirecting investments in water infrastructure to cheap, decentralized, and environmentally sustainable technologies, the world can meet the demand for water and energy in developing countries, according to a report released Monday. The report by the International Rivers Network (IRN) in Berkeley, California, estimates that reaching the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal of brin...

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Red Herring (link opens in a new window)

GreenBiz.com , 6 March 2006 - Ethical Corporation magazine has released new research comparing attitudes on business-NGO partnerships in the U.S. and Europe. According to the report, while U.S. companies are avid philanthropists, giving generously and usefully to all kinds of charitable causes, European companies have taken the lead in meaningful engagement with NGOs, say both U.S. and European observers. The findings were released ahead o...

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GreenBiz.com (link opens in a new window)

Where Cherries Bring No Cheer

Editor: What is the issue most responsible for the problem here: the lack of loans available to farmer co-ops? The excessive number of microloans made with no accompanying support system of skills training? Or the continued farming coffee, a plentiful (often oversupplied) crop that fetches a low sales price? Muchemi Wachira A farmer picks her coffee. Although the Government has written off a Sh5.8 billion debt owed by the sector, many farmers are still reeling under debt ...

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The Nation (Nairobi) (link opens in a new window)

Provision of financial services to the poor through micro finance has seen significant growth over the last few years in India. However, more than 300 million people in India are still under-served, believe industry representatives, making it imperative for micro finance to gather momentum and reach. Addressing a seminar on micro finance, Ramesh Arunachalam, director, MicroSave India, said, "Micro finance delivers financial services like credit, savings, insurance, leasin...

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Business Standard (link opens in a new window)

In a first, UN agency buys insurance against drought

Marc Lacey In a pilot project that could someday transform the world’s approach to aid emergencies, the World Food Program, a United Nations agency, has taken out an insurance policy that will pay the agency should Ethiopia’s notoriously fickle rains fail in 2006. The policy’s creators are calling it the first natural disaster insurance coverage for an international aid agency. The policy, which costs $930,000, is designed to create a way of financing natural disaster...

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International Herald Tribune (link opens in a new window)