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Big Tech ‘Leave Poor Farmers Sidelined’ In AI Revolution
The report published Wednesday by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) highlights how tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Alibaba are shaping the future of farming through cloud platforms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, attracting substantial public and private investment.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Tech Firms and AI Farming Tools ‘Playing With the Food System’, Warns Thinktank
Google, Microsoft and Amazon among companies using algorithms and AI to influence what crops are grown and how, say critics.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Global
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Analysis: Solar Brings Long-Awaited Water to Ethiopian Farmers
In 2024, WRI and DanChurchAid (DCA) conducted an extensive feasibility study in Berbere. The goal was to identify solutions that could boost agricultural productivity, farmer incomes and food security simultaneously.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, WASH
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: IDB Lab to Invest $8 Million in AgVentures III Fund to Advance Agtech Innovation
Fund manager SP Ventures' impact thesis is to generate social benefits for vulnerable populations by supporting technologies that democratize access to productivity and efficiency for small- and medium-sized farmers.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Latin America
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Press Release: Green Climate Fund Approves Record $1.225 Billion for Climate Projects
Mobilised finance will focus on the country's climate priorities, supporting adaptive agriculture to reduce food insecurity and strengthening rural resilience in the face of climate change, while addressing the pressures of hosting refugee populations.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Heritable Agriculture Secures $5 Million Grant for AI-Driven Crop Resilience in Africa
AI and “Omics” Power New Gates Foundation-funded Initiative to Develop Climate-Resilient Crops for Smallholder Farmers Globally.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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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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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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