This month, we sat down with our founder and CEO, Richard Lackey, to talk about the role that blended finance plays in emerging markets. Can blended finance be part of the solution in getting more finance to where it is needed most? Absolutely. In fact, to build systematic solutions like we propose, the likelihood is […]
For International Women’s History Month, we asked our President, Scott Brown, a few questions about the issues surrounding women in agriculture in East Africa, and what World Food Bank is doing to address those issues. This is a great insight as to why impact-driven businesses are so important, and we are proud to partner with […]
Earlier this month we had the opportunity to talk with Christy van Beek, Chief Agronomist at AgroCares and Director of the SoilCares Foundation, about the importance of using soil-scanning technology in emerging market countries like Uganda. She gave some incredible insights on why giving farmers access to real-time information on their soil is crucial to […]
In 2017, Africa accounted for only two percent of global agricultural insurance, guaranteeing that most smallholder farmers would be at risk of losing their crops due to either drought or heavy rains. The Society of Actuaries emphasizes Africa’s little involvement with agricultural insurance compared to other continents in 2011, but that number is still significantly […]
While several tools and technologies are in place to aid in crop storage, there is still room for investment that can lead to even more effective crop storing within the larger agricultural value chain. According to a Foods article study, “more than one-third of food is lost or wasted in post-harvest operations,” and resolving this […]
The agribusiness sector is booming, and with that growth comes the challenge to stay knowledgeable about shifts in everything from technology to historical-social trends. While changes in technology are easily measured, underlying influences on the agribusiness value chain are difficult to read when dissecting hidden gender gaps within the sector. Further, the success of the […]
The processing sector inevitably influences the sectors it surrounds. When agro-processing is left unaccounted for in the larger agricultural system, the result impacts post-harvest loss, job opportunities, market underdevelopment, and ultimately, the local economy. The general consensus, as shown below, is that the key to resolving many of these systemic challenges is through investment in […]
One of the fundamental goals in developing improved rural transportation systems in Sub-Saharan Africa is to create a link between smallholder farmers and major urban areas and their markets across the globe. Farmers who have access to transport are likely to have increases in crop production because they are able to easily purchase inputs. In […]
To till or not to till? That may be the question, but the answer seems clear when we understand the benefits of no-till farming and various intercropping strategies. Traditional land management strategies in Africa yield inconsistent outcomes for farmers who manage their land through tilling methods and monocrops in comparison to farmers who are challenging […]
While the word “harvest”often connotes images of bounty and plentiful supplies of food, the reality is that in places like Sub-Saharan Africa yields taken in during the initial harvest of crops are typically not representative of the amount of food that will actually make it into the markets and, subsequently, the dinner tables of those […]
