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Meet The Social Entrepreneur Behind Africa’s “Uber For The Farm”
How do you sell agriculture as a meaningful career for young people? Hello Tractor, founded in 2014, is helping illuminate one path: By cutting down on the labor and the drudgery long associated with farming, they’re making it more attractive and more lucrative for the next generation.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African food businesses get nurturing from well-known giants
Volunteers from some of the world’s biggest food producers, who decades ago took food-making from kitchen to the factory, are offering guidance to African entrepreneurs and helping nations become less dependent on imported food.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Why are Meghalaya’s farmers dialling a toll-free number?
Since December 2017, approximately 15,000 farmers in Meghalaya have been busy thumbing in four digits into their mobile phones: 1 9 1 7. The toll-free number connects them to a call centre based in Shillong’s Laitumkhrah area, manned by 20 operators.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
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Press release: Dutch FMO and Rabobank Foundation Finance Kenyan Start-Up Apollo Agriculture
Apollo Agriculture has received a USD 250,000 convertible grant from FMO’s MASSIF Fund, which aims to take early high-investment risks and act as a catalyst for the growth of the private financial sector and financial inclusion in developing countries. The Rabobank Foundation has provided the start-up with a USD 250,000 loan.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press release: Tulaa closes seed round of investment
Four out of five African families depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, but lack of access to quality inputs, affordable finance and reliable markets keep many of them trapped in a cycle of poverty. To solve these problems, Tulaa leverages mobile technology and artificial intelligence to enable farmers to purchase inputs on credit and to market their crops efficiently at harvest time.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Mali and International Fund for Agricultural Development ink deal to connect farmers to rural financing
By providing a range of financial products, including savings, credit and micro-insurance, the project will enable smallholder farmers to invest in the necessary infrastructure and equipment that will help them produce, store, process and better market their products.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Making Agritech Work for Smallholders: What Tech Companies Can Learn from Development Organizations
Agritech proponents argue that technology is the key to helping the world's 500 million smallholder farmers. Yet despite countless ‘ICT for development’ companies and projects, these solutions often fall short of their intended impacts. This raises an important question: Can the methodologies that have proven successful for many tech startups work for the complex, interrelated challenges faced by smallholders? Wouter Vink of GreenFingers argues that there's a better approach.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Before the Handshake: How to Make Corporate-Social Enterprise Partnerships Work
At first glance, value chain partnerships between corporations and small enterprises in developing markets appear to benefit both parties: Corporations gain financially while creating social and economic benefits for low-income communities. On closer inspection, however, these partnerships' results can vary. The Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership and Intellecap have learned lessons from serving as intermediaries in these relationships. James Jenkin and Lindsay Clinton address the most common questions from organizations hoping to build similar partnerships.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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