Sun-Powered Farming: Ethiopian Farmers Save Thousands by Switching to Solar Irrigation
Smallholder farmers in Ethiopia are slashing their farming costs, increasing food production and protecting the environment thanks to solar-powered irrigation systems introduced through the Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable and Inclusive Development programme, led by the international NGO Farm Africa. In a country famous for its “13 months of sunshine”, Ethiopia has enormous potential to harness […]
Digital Inclusion Isn’t a Technology Challenge. It’s a People Challenge.
After spending several days with teachers, police officers, community organisations and older learners all involved in our work in Romania in May, I came away with a simple conviction. When it comes to social impact, we spend a lot of time talking about strategy, innovation and scale. But the difference is rarely strategy. It is […]
The $1 Trillion Blind Spot: Redirecting Climate Finance to Women-Led Solutions.
Women-led micro and small enterprises (MSEs) are already delivering climate solutions across critical sectors, from clean energy and food systems to waste, water, and digital services. Yet despite more than USD 1 trillion flowing into climate finance each year, only a small fraction reaches these businesses, and less than 5% supports adaptation (Climate Policy Initiative […]
How the TISFD Framework Supports Businesses and Investors to Manage People-Related Risks and Opportunities
Inequalities remain high and persistent. On a global level, just 10 percent of the world’s population own 75 percent of its wealth, while the poorest 50 percent own 2 percent, according to the World Inequality Report 2026. A third of the workforce worldwide, 1 billion people, earn less than the living wage, according to the […]
Your Mission is Clear. Your Messaging Isn’t
Most social impact brands are good at explaining what they stand for. Fewer are good at reaching the people they need to reach, at a cost the organization can sustain. I run the marketing systems side of a performance marketing agency working with product-driven brands. Commercial work, through and through. But the core question is […]
Dignity Is a Business Strategy
What 15 years in clinical practice and two years in Haiti taught me about the cost of overlooking the human experience I was 19 years old when I went to Haiti. I spent two years there doing service work, building physical structures, laying infrastructure, and spending a lot of time teaching people how to lead […]
Why Women Farmers Hold the Key to Fixing Our Broken Food Systems
Women farmers are central to fixing broken food systems, yet they remain excluded from the technologies, financing and markets needed to scale solutions. New research from CARE shows that reducing food loss and waste requires women-centered design, investment and partnerships. Empowering women farmers can strengthen food security, resilience and climate outcomes globally. In the UN’s […]
Why Purpose-Driven Leadership Starts With You
We spend years climbing ladders, only to realize they might be leaning against the wrong wall. Leaders who want to do good in the world often skip the hardest step: clarifying their own purpose first. If you want to build an organization equipped to create durable social impact, you have to do the internal design […]
Bridging Design and Scale: How AgriPath Connects Innovation in Digital Advisory Services to Sustainable Growth
Digital advisory services (DAS) have gained significant traction as tools to support smallholder farmers with timely, relevant information. While many DAS providers are rightly focused on improving the design, usability, and effectiveness of their services for their customers and clients, policymakers and ecosystem actors are grappling with a different challenge: how to enable these solutions […]
Opportunities for Change: Catalysing a Just Energy Transition Within the Current Geopolitical Context
Rising geopolitical tensions and volatile oil prices are more than headlines. They drive up transportation, production, and fertilizer costs, risking food insecurity.[1] These impacts disproportionately harm the Global Majority, exacerbating inequalities.[2] While countries strive for a just energy transition away from fossil fuels, efforts remain fragmented, uncoordinated, and uneven, deepening injustice. Ongoing geopolitical instability underscores […]
Sustainability Standards and Small-Scale Producers: From Risk Management to Resilience
In a complex risk landscape shaped by climate pressures, market volatility, conflict and human rights risks, understanding and addressing sustainability challenges requires deeper engagement with producers and value chain partners. Practical approaches, such as those set out in ISEAL’s Guide for Small-Scale Producer Engagement, co-developed with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), help strengthen […]
Our Power, Our Planet. Designed with people, Built for Place.
This Earth Day, the rallying cry is Our Power, Our Planet. It’s a call to action rooted in a fundamental truth: environmental progress doesn’t depend on any single administration, policy cycle, or corporate pledge. It’s built and sustained by communities, organisations, businesses and governments choosing to act. At The Partnership Collective, we couldn’t agree more. […]
Understanding the First Mile: Strategies and Tools for First Mile Inclusion in Traceability and Due Diligence Systems
The first mile, the journey from producer to the first aggregation or processing point, is a critical yet often overlooked stage in agricultural supply chains. Across cocoa, coffee, rubber and palm oil, this stage is shaped by smallholders, informal intermediaries, and complex social, economic and logistical realities. Understanding the first mile is essential for building […]
Beyond CSR: Five Reasons Businesses Are Using Impact Investing to Fight Poverty in 2026
In Jinotega, Nicaragua, a coffee cooperative was locked out of global buyers. One of its farmers sold his harvest at less than half the price he could have earned on the international market. An impact investor stepped in, providing structured loans, financial training and market connections. Revenues grew 27%. Payments to producers grew 38% (Root […]
How Can We be Ambitious in the Face of Crisis and Constraint?
In the face of overlapping crises and deep budget cuts, it’s tempting to bunker down, focusing on managing risks and minimising costs. In this context, social impact professionals face a particular challenge. The scale of the crises we face, from conflict and climate impacts to persistent poverty, compels us to do more, not less, with […]
Partner with the Business Fights Poverty Institute to Drive Action
What does it take for business to play a meaningful role in tackling today’s biggest global challenges, from living wages and climate transition to responsible AI? A central challenge is becoming clear: while the volume of research and insight is growing, businesses often struggle to translate it into action at the pace required. Evidence is […]
Forced Labour in Supply Chains: A Growing Competitiveness Challenge for the UK
When the landmark lawsuit involving Dyson and allegations of forced labour in global supply chains made headlines, it sparked an important conversation in the UK. Across the world, governments are introducing stronger measures to address forced labour and human rights risks in global supply chains. What might once have been seen as a reputational or […]
Why Water Risk Is a Boardroom Issue – And How an Updated Global Standard Can Help
When businesses talk about climate risk, they increasingly end up talking about water. Floods, droughts and pollution are no longer distant environmental issues; they are disrupting factories and farms, cutting off workers and communities, and reshaping where and how companies can operate. For the millions of people whose livelihoods depend on water‑stressed value chains, this […]
Public-Private Partnerships Can’t Be Optional – They’re the Key to Achieving Sustainable Development
Today’s development challenges – from climate resilience to inclusive economic growth – are vast and deeply interconnected, stretching far beyond the capacity of any single organisation to solve alone. Tackling issues of this scale demands collaboration across sectors, bringing together diverse resources, expertise, and perspectives. Effective public‑private cooperation remains one of the few tools powerful […]
Making Environmental Action Second Nature
For years, we’ve told people that addressing climate change requires sweeping lifestyle changes. Drive less. Fly less. Buy less. Do more. It’s well-intentioned. But it focuses on effort instead of outcomes. The truth is, most people don’t fail at climate action because they don’t care. They fail because they’re acting in the wrong places. We’ve […]