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“Recovery lending” helps disaster-stricken African farmers get back on track
Accessing credit has long been a major hurdle for small-scale farmers in Africa, who produce some 70 percent of the continent’s food. Not only does this mean yields fall far below their full potential, but the ability of farmers to manage the increasingly frequent and severe weather shocks brought about by climate change is also greatly reduced.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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To Feed the World, Improve Photosynthesis
By reworking the basic metabolism of crops, plant scientists hope to forestall devastating food shortages.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
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#SDG1: Mars leads push to lift 500 million farmers from extreme poverty
The food giant is working with Oxfam on a new collaborative research platform to tackle the endemic poverty that permeates FMCG supply chains.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Mars launches Farmer Income Lab to help eradicate smallholder poverty
The Farmer Income Lab will commission research and generate discussion to develop measurable frameworks and new business models to significantly reduce farmer poverty.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Field of View: How a Chilli Cash Crop Helps Subsistence Farmers Shape Their Future
During a three-year process designed to assess the impact of growing a chilli cash crop on small farmers living in southern Africa, it was discovered that when a family earned just $500 more of net income per year, the money materially impacted at least two categories of their basic human needs. But the most profound impact, writes Tanner Methvin, was that of self-determination.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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From Beehive Fences to Coconut Bombs: 10 Non-Chemical Pest-Control Innovations for the Global South
Farm-raiding elephants and malarial mosquitoes are among the pests that plague the Global South. But farmers there also contend with pests that are all too familiar on farms anywhere in the world: harvest-munching rats and mice, for example. Rob Goodier at Engineering for Change lists 10 non-chemical pest-control solutions designed for any place resources are constrained.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Geodata Technology Moving Into New Fields. Literally.
Geodata and ICT applications help farmers with precision farming, leading to increased yields and improved quality. This information has not yet been made available to financial institutions at a large scale, but it has the potential to increase access to finance for smallholder farmers. The Rabobank Foundation and NpM have launched a Board of Inspiration to help speed the process.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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Hooked on Sustainable Fish? Great – Now Let’s Help Fishers Who Net Them
Small-scale fishing operations play a critical role in food security and alleviating poverty, but face many challenges in developing countries. The Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, which has helped build social businesses that train fishers and fish farmers to adopt sustainable practices, is among a growing group of stakeholders working toward a common goal of preserving our oceans and fisheries.
- Categories
- Environment
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