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The Warehouse Solution: Why Smart Storage is the Key to Africa’s Food Security
A chain of overlapping crises has raised urgent questions about the state of food security in Africa. This has led to a growing focus on boosting the region's agricultural productivity and strengthening intra-Africa trade. But according to Kamaldeen Raji at AFEX, storage has traditionally been a neglected aspect of these efforts – despite the fact that almost 40% of Africa's food perishes before it reaches consumers. He explores why improving storage infrastructure is an essential step in establishing true food security on the continent.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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From One Crisis to Another: Using Data from COVID to Meet the Looming Challenge of Food Insecurity
Due to a tragic combination of events, countries around the world are facing a widespread and serious food shortage, with the number of severely hungry people projected to swell to 323 million over the course of 2022. Scott Graham, Andree Simon and Anahit Tevosyan at FINCA share data – initially gathered to inform FINCA's COVID-19 response – that shows the impact of this crisis on low-income customers. They explore how financial inclusion organizations can adapt their support to help customers stave off the worst effects of the escalating food crisis.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Environment, Finance
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Acceso Connects Farmers to Formal Markets for Increased Earnings and Food Security
With a business model based on keeping both profits and produce local, Acceso is aiming to reduce rural poverty by providing opportunities and stabilizing local food systems.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Latin America
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Fonio as a Cash Crop: How an Ancient Grain Can Provide a Solution for Food Security in West Africa – And a Model for Biodiverse Agriculture Around the World
Globally, most people rely on a handful of staple crops – namely, rice, corn and wheat – for sustenance. Pierre Thiam and Philip Teverow at Yolélé argue that, with the escalating risks of volatile geopolitics and climate change, this dependence makes humanity unacceptably vulnerable. They explain why the world must turn to biodiverse crops to achieve lasting food security in the face of these challenges, and explore the benefits of one such crop in particular: fonio, an ancient West African grain that can offer farmers not only subsistence, but a livelihood.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Sustainable Solutions for the World’s Failing Food Systems: Acceso’s CEO Discusses its Innovative Approach
The war in Ukraine has weakened global food systems that were already reeling from the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic – not to mention the escalating climate crisis. In this interview, Acceso CEO James Jenkin discusses how his organization is responding to that urgent need by taking an innovative, market-driven, farmer-focused approach to what’s becoming one of the most critical challenges of our time.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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‘Water Grab’: Big Farm Deals Leave Small Farmers Out to Dry, Study Shows
Researchers say such deals can amount to “water grabs,” creating a crisis for local farmers who now find themselves competing with big investors for limited water resources.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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ABC Fund Injects $3 Million into Microfinance Lending in Colombia
The Agri-Business Capital Fund (‘ABC Fund’) today announces that it has completed a USD 3 million loan to Colombia-based Finamiga, which focuses on lending to small farmers and independent workers.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Latin America
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EU Lawmakers Are Pushing for a Plan to Raise Cocoa Prices in West Africa
West African farmers at the heart of this value chain have remained extremely poor over time - lawmakers are trying to change that imbalance.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa