Business Fights Poverty Climate Justice Summit 2023, Online and In Person
Why a Food-Secure Future Means Focusing on Smallholder Farmers
Today, World Children’s Day, is a fitting day for the UK government to host the Global Food Security Summit, an event focused on achieving Zero Hunger and ending malnutrition. Ending hunger by 2030 is the second of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), targets that were internationally agreed in 2015 as a universal call to end poverty, […]
Empowering Ghanaian Women in Sustainable Shea Trading
Shea butter, a natural fat from Shea nuts, comes from Shea trees, indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. Shea trees take 15 years to produce their first nuts. Shea butter is the only natural fat that contains all the nutrients the skin needs and its production is a centuries-old craft practiced by local women for cooking and skincare. […]
Capturing Natural Goodness In Hazelnuts From Soil To Snack
As you walk around the villages tucked away in Turkey’s Eastern Black Sea hills, every sight and sound is permeated by hazelnuts, or Findik. They carpet the towering hillsides, they’re in conversations in supermarkets and gas stations, and on display behind glass cabinets in hotels and restaurants. You can understand why this is the world’s […]
Mainstreaming Gender to Power Sustainable Business Growth
Gender equality is one of the essential pieces of the global prosperity puzzle. Women represent almost half of the global population and thus, also possess half of its potential. Yet inequalities faced by women are so deeply rooted and persistent, that we are lagging behind in our progress towards the gender equality targets set out […]
Acting Together for More Nutritious Food
How do we scale up the fortification of staples with vital nutrients and avoid micronutrient deficiencies during these challenging times where many people don’t have access to a balanced diet? Over the past decades, a solid regulatory framework has been created in many countries for the fortification of staples like salt, flour, sugar, oil or […]
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 […]
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 […]
Addressing Global Hunger: Insights from Ceres2030 Project
The world is not on track to eliminate hunger by 2030. Despite the gains made between 2005 and 2015, we are now witnessing an alarming increase in hunger and undernourishment. According to the latest estimates, 828 million people are facing hunger everyday – 150 million more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Reversing this trend will […]
Bridging Net Zero and Poverty Zero Goals: A Crucial Framework for Global Sustainability
The global climate crisis is only going to worsen, exacting huge tolls on people, urgently needed resources, and local, regional, and national economies unless commitments by governments to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and hit Net Zero by 2050 are met. These commitments continue to be a work in progress, but a more […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Plastic Waste is Hurting Women in Developing Countries – but there are ways to stop it
If we are to build a greener, fairer and more equal society in the wake of COVID-19, it’s time for rich countries to end their practice of dumping plastic waste in developing countries. This not only harms the environment but disproportionately affects the women and girls who tend to clear it up. The problem was […]
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 […]
Action on Climate Resilience is Business Critical
As the impacts of climate change bite, business efforts to reduce emissions must now be matched by action to strengthen climate resilience. Here I set out four action areas where companies can better protect themselves and others, while seizing opportunities to market resilience-enhancing products. Many businesses are acting on climate change: setting net-zero or science-based […]