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ET Startup Awards: How AgroStar is making a profit while making a difference
Pune-based brothers Shardul Sheth and Sitanshu Sheth quit their corporate jobs over five years ago to explore an opportunity within India's agri-tech sector, specifically focusing upon how technology could improve the lives of farmers.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Business Development Fund, 450 Microfinance Institutions Partner to Ease Agriculture Financing in Rwanda
The issue of high rates and lack of collateral demanded by banks before they issue loans to farmers will soon be history thanks to a deal reached with 450 microfinance institutions, according to the Chief Executive Officer of the Business Development Fund, Innocent Bulindi.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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ImpactAssets deploys $3.5 million to support smallholder farmers in Latin America
ImpactAssets announced today that it has deployed more than $3.5MM in support of smallholder farmers in Honduras, Costa Rica, Chile and Peru through their recently launched Global Sustainable Agriculture Note. This lower-minimum publicly offered debt security broadens investor access to grower cooperatives and agricultural enterprises.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Latin America
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Uncommon Cacao Raises Impact Investment Capital From Acumen, PI Investments
Uncommon Cacao, an industry-leading premium cacao supply chain operation, announced the closing of its Series A impact investment capital raise led by Pi Investments as lead investor and Acumen as the largest investor in the round.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Latin America
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Bill Gates to donate chickens to Africa’s poor
Gates will donate 100,000 birds vaccinated against common diseases under a program he said would boost incomes because chickens are inexpensive to care for, a good investment and help provide nutrition for children.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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One Acre Fund Expands Smallholder Farmer Services to Malawi and Uganda
One Acre Fund (http://www.OneAcreFund.org), a nonprofit agriculture organization that supplies smallholder farmers with the financing and training they need to increase their incomes and food security, today announced the official opening of its Malawi and Uganda operations. Malawi and Uganda began as pilots in 2013 and 2014 respectively. One Acre Fund now serves 400,000 smallholder farmers—with an estimated two million people in those households—across East and Southern Africa.
- Source
- Press Release
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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U.S. Government’s Development Finance Institution, OPIC, Announces $50 Million Investment in Impact Investing Pioneer Root Capital
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, announced today a renewed commitment to agricultural impact investor Root Capital. OPIC’s commitment, an increase to a $50 million financing facility, is Root Capital’s largest source of funding, and will significantly support Root Capital’s established on-lending program to rural, underserved businesses in Latin America and Africa.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Tags
- impact investing
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The MasterCard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity Announces Winners of 2015 Scaling Competition and Launches 2016 Competition
The MasterCard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity today awarded five companies more than US$10.6 million to bolster their innovative work to alleviate poverty by increasing access to financial services for poor people in rural Africa. The five companies introduced imaginative thinking in their approach to scaling up financial inclusion – the increase in access to services such as mobile banking, savings accounts, insurance and credit – for the benefit of nearly eight million people in remote parts of Africa.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa