Empowering Women in Cotton Farming: Building Resilience Amid Climate Change Challenges
In cotton, women play a significant role in building sustainable, productive and resilient farms. From planting seeds to nurturing and harvesting crops, women are at the beating heart of smallholder farming that is the source of much high-quality raw material supplied to global retail buyers and made into the cotton clothes we love to buy […]
Beyond Doing Good: Why ESG Makes Great Business Sense for African Fintechs
If you’re reading this, there’s a very good chance you’re already familiar with the acronym ESG. Standing for “environmental”, “social”, and “governance”, it’s a constantly evolving standard that emphasises the importance of doing business in a way that positively impacts the environment, society and stakeholders. In essence, it’s the idea that companies can grow and […]
Improving Human Wellbeing in the Coffee Supply Chain
Improving Human Wellbeing in the Coffee Supply chain: The Need for Better Data and Benchmarks Ahh a freshly-brewed cup of coffee…if just the smell of it brings you comfort at the promise of a caffeine-hit each morning, you’re not alone. Globally, we consume over two billion cups of coffee every day. And yet, how often […]
How to Improve Strategic Planning by Using Foresight Tools
The business challenges involved in preparing for the future are becoming more difficult. From the “push” side, a more complex and more entangled world means that disruption comes more often, and from more unexpected places. From the “pull” side, employees, customers, and sometimes investors increasingly expect businesses to worry about more than the bottom line. […]
Weathering COVID-19: Small and Micro Businesses in Pakistan
The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a wave of disruption, leaving no corner untouched. While the world focused on the health crisis, a quieter battle unfolded on the streets of Pakistan. Small and micro enterprises, the lifeblood of the nation’s economy, faced an unprecedented challenge. As we delve into the depths of their struggles, it becomes evident […]
Five Reasons Why We Need Fair Food Systems for Future Food Security.
Who doesn’t like to start their day with a banana smoothie, avocado on toast or a steaming cup of strong coffee? Or relax after work with a glass of wine and a handful of nuts? For millions of consumers around the world, life without some of our favourite foods and drinks would be very dull […]
Eco-Green Teens Project: Empowering Nigerian Youth for Sustainable Agriculture
The Covid-19 pandemic had a socio-economic impact on the Nigerian economy, which led to increased food prices making basic staple foods (maize, cowpea, green leafy vegetable etc.) difficult to access for both low and middle-income classes [1]. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also predicted that over 19 million Nigerians would face food insecurity in […]
Unraveling the ToT Model: Insights and Best Practices for Effective Training of Trainers
Training of Trainers (ToT) is a frequently used model of delivering training content that reaches large numbers of individuals. The model relies upon a cascade of knowledge: where a Master Trainer trains Lead Trainers who then train others. Conventional wisdom is that ToTs work in practice and are a cost-effective way to reach large numbers […]
It Takes Partnership and Innovation to Close the Financing Gap for Small-Scale Farmers
Raising livestock provides livelihoods for rural families throughout Latin America; in fact, the livestock sector now accounts for nearly half the agricultural GDP of the region and is growing 75% faster than the livestock sector globally. But for Jaime Cortés and his father, Don Jaime, dairy farming in Jalisco, Mexico, could often feel like a […]
Why Doesn’t the Private Sector Talk More About Socio-Economic Inequality?
The private sector has a responsibility – and, in the long term, arguably a commercial imperative – to tackle inequalities through the levers that it can pull directly: improving pay and working conditions, tackling inequalities in recruitment and promotion, encouraging workers to unionise, ensuring that their products and services are produced and priced fairly, and […]
Prevention is Better Than Cure: €450,000 to Tackle Child Labour in Fairtrade Cocoa Supply Chains
It’s no secret that cocoa farmers in West Africa sometimes resort to child labour. Spiralling inflation, ever-higher production and wage costs and unsustainably low prices mean growers sometimes rely on children – who should be in school or playing with friends – as cheap or free labour. It’s an increasingly uphill battle. According to a […]
Green and Social Investments in the Global South will Show Returns Worldwide
If you want to predict the effects of global warming in Europe, just look to Bangladesh. Despite producing merely 0.56% of global CO2 emissions, this country in South Asia is among the most vulnerable to the climate crisis. Floods, storms, intensifying cyclones, rising sea levels: the consequences of the climate crisis are numerous and visible, […]
What Loss and Damage Means for Human Rights and Your Business
Skyrocketing prices and empty shelves have made headlines again this year and a standout factor is the escalating impact of climate change. This is bad for businesses and customers, but worst for the world’s poorest communities who produce food and goods for the local and global economy. One key issue is ‘Loss and Damage’: the […]
Now Is Time to Unite to Act for a Sustainable Future for All
As the SDG Summit in New York fast approaches, UN SDG Action Campaign Global Director Marina Ponti says that unity in action is the key ingredient to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals The world is now at the midpoint of our journey towards 2030 – the deadline set for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development […]
The Unprecedented Potential of Africa’s Future Generations
“The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.” Spoken by Nelson Mandela, these words ring true, eluding time and geopolitical context. For Africa, they resonate today more than ever before because of our historic boom in the population of young people. This International Day of the African Child, June 16, is arguably the most […]
Five Reasons Why Fairtrade Remains the #1 Ethical Consumer Choice
Encouraging news for those of us who believe value can’t always be measured by price: consumers all over the world are staying loyal to Fairtrade as the most visible and trusted ethical label, despite the cost of living crisis. Research in 12 countries by GlobeScan for Fairtrade suggests rising food prices haven’t deterred the majority […]
5 Insights on Generative AI, Social Impact and the Role of Business
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is triggering transformations that were hard to envisage even a year ago, with some predicting it could be as transformative as the Industrial Revolution. Generative AI, which includes systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing Chat, Google’s Bard, and Anthropic’s Claude, can generate new content or predictions based on vast amounts […]
How Can We Better Articulate the Benefits of Managing ESG Issues for Businesses and Stakeholders?
The increasingly interconnected world and escalating poverty and climate change challenges have led to a surge of interest in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. While ESG has moved from a fringe topic to the forefront of business and investment strategies, questions persist about its real impact and how best to articulate its benefits. The […]
How Can the Private Sector Tackle Inequality and Generate Shared Prosperity for All?
Listen to this article (audio generated using AI assistance): The high level and structural nature of inequality in our world is a systemic risk that poses an existential threat to our society and economy. It is eroding trust in our political and economic systems, constraining growth, contributing to polarization and unrest, and undermining our ability […]
Understanding Local Markets Can Create Green Jobs and Improved Livelihoods in African Cities
Understanding Local Markets Can Create Green Jobs and Improved Livelihoods in African Cities Halima Awol, a 30-year-old mother of two, is a hard worker and does everything she can to provide for her family. However, despite her best efforts and strong work ethic, the most she was able to earn was 2,800 Ethiopian birr–barely more […]