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The Blind Spot in the EU’s New Deforestation Regulations: Laws and Satellites Don’t Save Forests — People Do
The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) represents an ambitious legislative effort to protect our planet’s remaining forests. But Priscillia Moulin at MosaiX highlights a potential flaw in the regulations: To meet the EUDR's data requirements and prove that their supply chains are deforestation-free, major commodity buyers are turning to remote sensing and satellite AI — and if these technologies detect any tree-cover loss, the path of least resistance is often to permanently exclude that supplier. She argues that this creates the illusion of compliance while pushing vulnerable small farmers into the grey market, as satellite algorithms can identify changes in forest cover but cannot determine intent or causality, or assess other complex realities on the ground. She proposes three ways companies can comply with the EUDR without freezing smallholders out of the EU's premium, regulated markets.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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ADB Approves $50 Million Loan to Modernize Nepal’s Customs, Boost Trade and Jobs
Aligned with Nepal’s Sixteenth Plan and broader efforts to promote private sector-led growth, diversify the economy, and strengthen resilience, the reforms support the implementation of the Government of Nepal’s Customs Reform and Modernization Plan, Trade Logistics Policy, and new Industrial and Logistics Trade Master Plan.
- Region
- South Asia
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Analysis: When “Sustainable” Quietly Means “Without the Farmer”
We are watching the early industrialisation of food categories that have, for centuries, been grown by smallholders in the Global South. The sustainability story we tell about it is real. It is also incomplete in a way that matters.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Global
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Mastering the Art of Stewardship: Why Building Operational Sovereignty — Not Simply Navigating Funding Cuts — Will Define Africa’s Healthcare Future
In response to drastic cuts in global health financing, African governments are increasingly seeking greater health sovereignty — i.e., the ability to manage their health systems without structural dependence on external actors. But according to Scott Dubin at Logistics Marketplace, limited fiscal space is complicating their efforts to replace the often-fragmented and overlapping support structures that have long been provided by multilateral health funds, international NGOs and other outside entities. He explores how Africa's movement toward health sovereignty is revealing deeper capacity gaps in the continent's health systems, and proposes seven practical ways governments can effectively steward the markets and systems that support public health delivery.
- Categories
- Health Care
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African EV Platform Spiro Raises Another $55 Million
African electric mobility firm Spiro has raised another US$55 million from Chinese early-stage investor NewTrails Capital, three weeks after raising $215 million.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology, Transportation
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Analysis: AI Offers Promise for Agriculture, but Smallholder Farmers Risk Being Left Behind
Precision tools lift yields in rich countries, but without finance, training and data rights, small farmers in poorer regions may miss out.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Bestseller Supports Regenerative Agriculture in South Africa Through International Fund
The Regenerative Fund for Nature supports projects that are based on local knowledge and existing practices. It was established by Conservation International and Kering in 2021 with Inditex joining in 2023. BESTSELLER is now joining the fund as a partner.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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PepsiCo and Talusag Announce Low-Carbon Ammonia Attribute Agreement to Help Accelerate Fertilizer Decarbonization
The initial agreements span PepsiCo’s Europe, Sub Saharan Africa, Asia Pacific, and global teams, representing approximately 30,000 metric tons of low-carbon ammonia, with an option to purchase an additional 41,000 metric tons.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Global
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