Designing Win-Win Relationships between Business and Smallholders
Around the globe, there are about 200 million smallholder farmers involved in commercial supply chains. And while many multinational corporations have made commitments to increase their investments in sustainable supply chains and distribution models that engage these smallholders, these initiatives have often struggled to gain real traction. That observation spurred a unique partnership: with support […]
Candid Reflections on How Companies and Donors Collaborate
Are you already collaborating in a business-donor partnership, seeking one, or nursing bruises from one? Such collaborations are increasingly common, but it’s rare that we hear candid views from businesses and donor programmes alike, on what worked, what didn’t, and what tips they can offer others. This month on the Practitioner Hub for Inclusive Business, […]
These 5 Innovations Will Transform the Lives of Smallholder Farmers
This article is part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017. From artificial intelligence, to precision agriculture, to the internet of things, emerging technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way food is consumed, handled and produced. But which technologies could most powerfully transform the lives of smallholder farmers? These, after all, are the […]
Seeing Evidence of Company Action on Modern Slavery
Initiative ETI is recommending that companies place their Modern Slavery Statements in the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre’s Central Registry for Modern Slavery Statements arguing that it provides the only independent, credible, free, open and accessible repository that is accountable to the public interest. In this important blog, Cindy Berman explains why. Go to […]
‘We the People’ for Social and Economic Sustainability
The United States, United Kingdom and the European Union are undergoing dramatic social, economic and cultural change in a volatile political environment. Donald Trump’s victory was the outcome of years of disturbing world events, a turbulent financial system, and economic stagnation in the U.S. In the wake of the election, the political system being scrutinized, […]
The Role of Business in Building a Human Economy
Eight billionaires own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who form the poorest half of the world’s population. An Economy for the 99 Percent, a new report by Oxfam, shows that the gap between rich and poor is far greater than had been feared. New and better data on the distribution of global […]
Delivering the SDGs through Ethical Trade
ETI’s newest guide on ethical trade and the SDGs shows how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are relevant to ethical trade and workers’ rights, particularly SDG8 on decent work and sustainable development, as well as other key goals. It also sets out the relationship between the SDGs, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human […]
The Unilever Global Development Award, supported by Business Fights Poverty
The Unilever Global Development Award, supported by Business Fights Poverty, recognises businesses that can demonstrate positive impact against one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Awards close on 17 February 2017, 5pm GMT. Don’t miss the deadline! To find out more and apply, click here. Adopted on 25 September 2015, […]
Why Business and Social Protection are Not Contradictory but “Two Sides of the Same Coin”
Longstanding (mis-)perception of the distinctiveness of business ambitions and Social Protection (SP) goals has inhibited identification of joint opportunities to leverage synergies for effectively addressing needs with market based solutions. This discussion is increasingly relevant for protracted (often chronic displacement) crises caused by conflict or weather induced disasters that create and exacerbate existing vulnerabilities among […]
Four Ways Business Can Support Lasting Change in Youth Unemployment
Youth unemployment in the face of the growing youth population bulge is a problem on a massive scale. Raleigh International works in rural areas of countries where the problem is particularly severe. Without a doubt, this is one area where business has a critical role to play. We can only be successful through meaningful partnerships, […]
Business on a Mission: How to Build a Sustainable Brand
By Andy Last, Co-founder, Salt Readers of Business Fights Poverty have seen story upon story of businesses stepping up their efforts to be a force for good in the world. Yet trust in business and business leaders remains low. Why is this? If businesses are doing more to do good, why doesn’t that translate into […]
Top 10 Discussions of 2016
2016 saw our 100th online discussion, with over 1,300 comments posted over the course of the year! Online discussions have played a central role in our new Challenges as a way for members to share insights on the Challenge question. From next year, we will be upgrading our discussion forum to make it easier to […]
Recycled Loans Recycling Plastic
Lendwithcare began supporting entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe, through Microfinance Institution Thrive, one year ago. I was able to visit the country recently and met some of the entrepreneurs that I – and 80 of you – had supported in June 2016. I met the Nokutenda group which comprises four women entrepreneurs all running different businesses. By […]
Poverty Alleviation Through Qarz-e-Hasan (Interest-free Loans)
Akhuwat, Lendwithcare’s microfinance partner organisation in Pakistan, is one of the largest interest-free microfinance organisations in the world. Shakeel Ishaq is the Lendwithcare co-ordinator there, and is responsible, among many other things, for collecting and uploading the entrepreneur profiles onto the Lendwithcare website. In this blog he describes one of his field visits to a […]
Building Resilience Among Micro Entrepreneurs in the Philippines
The Philippines ranks third in the list of countries in the world where a natural disaster is most likely to occur, after the Pacific islands of Vanuatu and Tonga. Although it is also prone to earthquakes, flooding and droughts, it is typhoons that strike the Philippines most frequently. The state weather bureau PAGASA estimates that, […]
Financial Products and Training: The Winning Formula?
It is now widely accepted that a key component of financial inclusion, that is providing poor and low-income people with access to appropriate and affordable financial services, is financial literacy. This, of course, makes perfect sense. After all, what is the good in providing the tools if the recipients do not fully understand how to […]
Why Small Businesses are Vital to Building Urban Resilience
A record-breaking 272 mm of rainfall fell on Chennai, India on 1 December 2015, leading to a two-week flood which displaced 1.8 million, claimed over 300 lives and caused well over $7 billion in economic losses. Due to the flooding, some 14,000 individual Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) experienced a total of $250 million […]
Corporate Volunteers from Syngenta are Honoured at First Ever VSO Volunteer Awards
A team of volunteers from global crop science company, Syngenta, have won an award for transforming the lives of marginalised farmers in Bangladesh. Team Leader, Anna Maria Klimza, picked up the award on behalf of her colleagues at a prestigious event in London earlier this month, hosted by leading international development charity, VSO. This award […]
A Call for More Entrepreneurs to Focus on Toilets
Entrepreneurs are everywhere these days, not just in the purely for-profit world but also those looking to create social, as well as financial, gain. As the international development community grows, entrepreneurial thinking is becoming ever more mainstream, with social enterprises demonstrating how to create businesses that deliver social benefit. As Naveen Jain, technology and spacecraft […]
Emerging Lessons on Scaling Inclusive Distribution Networks
One of the most difficult and underestimated hurdles to doing business in low-income markets is figuring out how products make their way from production to the final customer. In India, more than 90 percent of all retail purchases are made in 12 million kirana stores and in Mexico, more than 50 percent of retail business […]