Discussion: BIF and Sanitation
Toilet Teachings: 2 Toilet Ventures Illustrate Strategies For Success In Inclusive Business
I’ve leant more than I ever expected about toilets the past 6 months. But understanding toilet ventures has taught me a lot about how inclusive business works. In fact, the challenges and innovations that we can see in two sanitation projects in slums of Kenya and India illustrate typical issues for businesses that are solving […]
Lendwithcare in the Philippines – Providing more than just microcredit
Like every visit to a lendwithcare.org partner, it has been characteristically heartening to see how these businesses are thriving because of access to vital capital. A typical story is to see that within a year or so of investment, coupled with financial and business advice from our partner MFIs, entrepreneurs have managed to double or […]
Nestlé report sets out forward-looking commitments
Nestlé has published a set of forward-looking commitments to society and on environment sustainability it aims to meet by 2020 or earlier. The company has identified 30 goals in the areas of nutrition, water, rural development, sustainability and compliance in its new report, ‘Nestlé in Society: creating shared value and meeting our commitments 2012’. The […]
Cassava beer in Ghana – New Beer, New Opportunities
Today we’re excited to announce the launch of our cassava beer, Eagle, in Ghana. It marks not just the launch of a new beer brand, but the opening up of new opportunities for business, consumers and Ghana’s smallholder farmers. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of Ghanaian farms are 3 hectares or smaller […]
Low Carbon Logic: How competitiveness drivers create a business case for low carbon investment
Climate change, international mitigation, and natural resource scarcity will transform global trade patterns. What impact will this have on developing countries? How can they maintain their competitiveness, manage threats to their growth, and capitalise on new opportunities generated? And what does this mean for their potential to achieve low carbon growth? At an ODI public […]
Investing in Growth
This morning, the London Stock Exchange hosted the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development. The Secretary of State gave a speech focusing on how DFID’s investments can drive growth in new and emerging markets, and how this work can support businesses operating in these markets and enhance trade. Below is […]
Investing In Growth -How DFID Works In New And Emerging Markets
This morning, the London Stock Exchange hosted the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development. The Secretary of State gave a speech focusing on how DFID’s investments can drive growth in new and emerging markets, and how this work can support businesses operating in these markets and enhance trade. Below is […]
Bridging the Gap for African Women in Business in Uganda
On 2 March, 2013, as part of the 2013 Series, a group of inspiring people came together in Kampala to talk about “Bridging the Gap for African Women in Business”. The event was livestreamed here on Business Fights Poverty, and the focus of a blog by one of the event’s lead organisers, Ida Horner. Hope […]
Private Sector and Women’s Empowerment- Weaving Together Two Strands of Development’s “Golden Thread”
VSO How can businesses factor gender equality into their development partnerships with NGOs? As we approach International Women’s Day on 8th March, a series of articles from VSO and our partners, published every day this week on Business Fights Poverty, looks at how the private sector and NGOs can play a part in supporting women’s […]
Behind the Brands: Where is our food produced and under what conditions?
We have all watched public confidence in the European food industry plummet in recent weeks with the revelation that many familiar products in supermarkets, some restaurants and even in school dinners contain horsemeat. And ‘horsegate’ is not the only issue. According to the Guardian, EU labelling regulations allow tomato puree grown and processed in China […]
Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value
Help your programme scale up! We are looking to invest in social change by helping innovative, commercially viable, and high impact initiatives achieve social scale and financial sustainability. The winning entry will benefit from financial support of up to CHF 500,000 (approx. USD 530,000). Specific fields of activity include, but are not limited to: agriculture, […]
Cocoa Life- the project empowering women in Ghana’s cocoa growing communities
Cocoa has been grown in Ghana for over one hundred years and it is the second export crop for my country after gold. However we found that the supply of cocoa was dwindling because of many challenges. Young people were not getting involved in cocoa farming leaving such labour-intensive farming like cocoa farming in the […]
Kristie Wang: Nutrients for All – Thriving Ecosystems for Productive, Resilient Food Systems
Natural ecosystems ensure that vital nutrients flow from soils to food to people. Thriving ecosystems are the bedrock of healthy nutrient chains, the basis of all life on the planet. So what’s the issue? Degraded by human activity like unsustainable agricultural practices, ecosystems around the world and their capacity to regenerate are threatened. This escalating […]
Nutrients for All – Thriving Ecosystems for Productive, Resilient Food Systems
Natural ecosystems ensure that vital nutrients flow from soils to food to people. Thriving ecosystems are the bedrock of healthy nutrient chains, the basis of all life on the planet. So what’s the issue? Degraded by human activity like unsustainable agricultural practices, ecosystems around the world and their capacity to regenerate are threatened. This escalating […]
Nutrients for All: Vitality in Soil, Food, and People
Being fully nourished is a must for good health, but did you know that the carrot you’re eating today probably has far fewer vitamins and minerals than a carrot grown 50 years ago? Soil depletion, as a result of unsustainable farming methods, is a primary culprit. Another cause of depleted nutrients has been the breeding […]
Interview with Jillene Connors Belopolsky: The Bigger “Whole” in Business
What if 1 + 1 could somehow equal 3? For social intrapreneurs working for social or environmental welfare from within a large business, there’s a chance it can. In order to create a whole that’s bigger than the sum of its parts, social intrapreneurs must be savvy. They must not only develop solutions to pressing […]
Development in Transition
This morning the UK’s Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, gave a major speech on international development, setting out her priorities for the Department for International Development (DFID). The event was hosted by ONE Campaign UK. Below is a transcript of the speech: I’ve been privileged to head up DFID now as Secretary […]
Social Impact Bonds Help Investors Bridge Philanthropy and Business Goals
Long before doctor and entrepreneur Paul Polak began trying to revolutionize social investing — before he could even drive a car — he was planting the seeds for a movement he hopes will change the way some people do business. It was 1939, and Polak’s father was making a good living as a peasant farmer […]
Who’s Innovating at the BOP?
Solar-powered milk cooling systems in Ethiopia, bio-gas charges for electric devices in Bangladesh, testing kits for substandard medicines in Kenya; these are just three of the many innovations that served as an anchor for discussion at last month’s “Implementing Inclusive Innovation” conference, hosted by the BoP Innovation Center in Amsterdam. The Business Call to Action […]