-
A Really Big Tent: Danone trying to maximize its potential through inclusiveness
Confronting the global economic crisis in recent years, Danone came up with an ambitious new business model that includes all the stakeholders in its ecosystem: employees, customers, farmers, suppliers, subcontractors, transporters, distributors, the places where it operates.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Why mobile money can work in rural areas
Mobile money is an important means of facilitating the transfer of funds across rural areas in Africa, but services are often designed to function in a specific way – which might not be to the benefit of all who are making use of them.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Can data-driven solutions change Africa’s agriculture sector?
Despite accounting for 65 percent of the labor force and making up 32 percent of its gross domestic product, Africa’s agricultural sector gets less than one percent of commercial bank loans.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Sustainability Certification Dramatically Improves Smallholder Farms’ Access to Credit, New Study Finds
Smallholder farmers suffer from a lack of credit access, but sustainability certification can help change that, according to a new study published by the Rainforest Alliance and funded by the Citi Foundation.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Sustainable Farming Needs Sustainable Finance: How Rainforest Alliance helps the environment by helping farmers get loans
Lenders consider agriculture to be particularly risky. Farms are often located in remote areas, crops are vulnerable to pests and unpredictable weather, and prices are susceptible to rapid changes. To help address these challenges, the Rainforest Alliance launched its Sustainable Finance Initiative, which helps farmers and SMEs access different types of loans.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
USDA, TechnoServe Sign 3-Year, $15M Grant Supporting Cashew Farmers
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and TechnoServe intend to enter into a three-year grant agreement to support small-scale cashew producers, processing factories and the Government of Mozambique’s ongoing efforts to reduce poverty. This $15 million Food for Progress-funded project will support the cashew industry by harnessing global market demand for premium cashew kernel and addressing obstacles throughout the value chain, including in the areas of inputs, production, processing and marketing. In total, this project will support 30,000 smallholder cashew farmers by increasing their productivity and competitiveness as well as connecting them to new markets.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
NexThought Monday – Want to Help a Bolivian Farmer?: Eat their quinoa
Andean farmers have enjoyed an economic bonanza from growing quinoa, a superfood beloved by foodies and vegetarians in the West. But the farmers’ success may prove their undoing, as farmers in the United States and Canada have begun growing the grain.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Indian Farmers Hate Tomatoes: Why this social enterprise is helping them connect to larger customers
Because of high variability in prices and a lack of storage, Indian farmers sometimes prefer to trash the tomatoes than sell at low prices. Social enterprise Krishi Star is partnering with farmers to develop farmer-owned processing units, connecting them with the wider market.
- Categories
- Agriculture
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.