Podcasts about smallholder

Robotics technology is improving and adoption is picking up. But there is still the barrier of the price tag of this equipment.

Smallholder farmers are the unsung heroes of our food system. Tilling tiny plots, they produce a staggering one-third of the world's food and up to 80% of the food supply in regions like sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. But these vital contributors face immense challenges: such as climate change, pests, insufficient finances, and limited education and training. On this episode of Growing Impact, we're revisiting the story of PlantVillage, a project funded as a seed grant by IEE in 2016. Its aim was to empower smallholder farmers with knowledge through smartphones and machine learning. Since its creation, PlantVillage has gained strong support from organizations worldwide and has built a robust team of partners and collaborators. Looking ahead, PlantVillage plans to expand how it's helping farmers while simultaneously addressing climate change.

With a career in corporate finance, Florence originally founded Nyota as a way to continue employing her nannies once her children started school. The company partners with smallholder farmers in rural Kenya to flash-freeze local produce and create specialty sauces, tackling food waste and boosting farmers' livelihoods. Nyota soon began employing more women in the community and moved production from Flo's kitchen into a commercial facility. In this episode, discover Florence's inspiring journey, including how she has evolved her previous no-nonsense, corporate leadership style to embrace patience, empathy, and camaraderie. Nyota's nutritious foods are sold in supermarkets across Kenya, with expansion plans for New York City.

 Edit cover photoManda Scott 2.7Kfriends Add to storyEdit profileManda ScottIntroThrutopian Novelist: ANY HUMAN POWER. odcaster @AccidentalGods. Smallholder. Evolutionary economistEdit BioWorks at Self-employedStudied at Schumacher College

Jehiel Oliver is changing the lives of smallholder farmers in 18 countries.It started 10 years ago in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 60% of crops are plowed by hand.That means there's a 90% gap between what Africa's smallholder farmers could be producing and what they're actually producing.But what if, Jehiel thought, you could connect Africa's small-scale farmers with tractor owners — in the same way rideshare apps connect riders with drivers?He founded Hello Tractor to connect small-scale farmers with tractor owners to do just that.In the latest episode of The High-EQ Founder, Jehiel shares:* Why he decided not to take VC funding (even though they were using credit cards to make payroll) and what he focused on instead* The hard decision he had to make when COVID wiped out their revenue streams and how they bounced back to have their most productive year ever* How being prepared for opportunity led to moderating a panel discussion with not one, but two sitting presidents, including President Obama which then led to a series of incredible strategic opportunities for Hello TractorConnect with Jehiel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jehiel/SUBSCRIBE TO THE HIGH-EQ FOUNDER Every week I send out an EQ micro-shift that you can put into practice immediately and level up as a leader. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” author and journalist Roger Thurow talks about his new book Against the Grain: How Farmers Around the Globe Are Transforming Agriculture to Nourish the World and Heal the Planet. During the conversation, they discuss the link between the environmental and hunger crises, how farmers around the world are turning to practices that heal the soil and restore biodiversity, and becoming comfortable with new relationships that will put the Earth back in balance. While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” wherever you consume your podcasts.

In this episode, we have the privilege of chatting with Theresa Frost, a remarkable 68-year-old athlete who shatters stereotypes and redefines what it means to stay active and competitive at any age.  Theresa's list of accomplishments is as impressive as it is diverse, including: European Aquabike Champion 2023  Team GB Athlete  Barcelona Ironman Finisher 2022  70.3 World Championships Competitor 2016  Theresa's journey is a testament to her incredible resilience and determination. A retired teacher and smallholder living in Cornwall, UK, she balances her athletic pursuits with her family life, being a wife of over 40 years, a mother of two, and a grandmother of three. In this episode, Theresa shares her fascinating life story, from her active childhood on a farm in Gloucester to her impressive achievements in the world of endurance sports. She talks about her initial foray into running after the birth of her daughter, Harriet, and how this led to her participation in multiple London Marathons and ultimately, Ironman competitions. Listeners will hear about Theresa's triumphs and challenges, including overcoming double hip replacements, her rigorous training schedule, and her philosophy on staying active and healthy.  Whether you're looking for inspiration to take on a new challenge or tips on staying fit and motivated at any age, Theresa Frost's story is sure to captivate and inspire.  Tune in to learn how Theresa continues to defy expectations and live life to the fullest, proving that age and obstacles are no barriers to achieving greatness. *** Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.  By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast to be a part of this important movement.  Thank you for your invaluable support!   Show notes Who is Theresa Retired teacher and small holder  Being a GB athlete and competing in standard, middle and long distance Aquabike (Swim and bike of a triathlon) Being European Distance Champion for the 65- 69 age group Based in Cornwall, UK 68 years young Reflecting back on her childhood and growing up on a farm in Gloucester with her 3 siblings  Doing all of the team sports at school, from hockey, netball, rounders, tennis and gymnastics.  Outside of school, doing Judo, fencing and sub-aqua Spending time outdoors exploring, and playing in the woods Being inspired by her sports teacher at school in both sports and education Becoming a PE teacher and meeting her husband at work Being married to Peter for 41 years, having 2 children and 3 grandchildren Not being active during her pregnancy's  Getting into running after her daughter, Harriet was born What her running journey looked like Starting with 10ks and half marathons and entering the London Marathon in 1990 Running London Marathon 5 times  Deciding to take on a Ironman and not knowing if she had the potential to achieve it Doing an Ironman with Harriet Having 2 hip replacements 14 years ago - August 2010 Doing the London Triathlon in 2013 at 57 Getting more confident and training better 2015 doing an half ironman  Finishing first in her age group to go to the World Championships in Australia  Being retired and working on her smallholding Speaking with and working with a coach in 2021 Deciding to commit and do a full Ironman in October 2022 What a typical training week looks like Training 13 out of 14 days (not always taking a day off) Strength and conditioning class with Ruth  Not being a fan of stretching Being a member of a running club GLL Better Leisure Centres, Cornwall SNUGGs Wetsuits Liking the thought of running   Feeling pain while running Running on her terms  What is Aquabike? https://www.aquabike.world/  The European Aquabike Championships in Portugal The mental side of races Being inspired by the Eileen's in her life The distances involved and fuelling during the race Maurten  Food and meat from the small holding  Needing to eat more protein Being a baker but not a cooker Food before a race and after Recovery and not being a fan of stretching Dog walking and active recovery Not being good at sitting down and doing nothing Turning 70 and looking forward to it How to connect with Theresa on Instagram Final words of advice for other women who are in their 60s and want to try new things Starting with one thing and why moving is so important Take opportunities and try new things   Social Media Instagram: @theresa.frost   

Support Bionic Planet: https://www.patreon.com/bionicplanet  In episode 109 of Bionic Planet, we learn how the Quilombola people of Brazil are blending the IPCC Livelihood Vulnerability Index Assessment with soil carbon methodologies developed under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) to save themselves and their soil from urban expansion and agricultural encroachment.  We begin with Sandra Pereira Braga, a descendant of enslaved peoples who has been farming on her family's land for almost 300 years. Sandra's story highlights the importance of recognizing and valuing the traditional practices and accumulated carbon stocks of these communities. Our main guest is Vasco van Roosmalen, CEO of ReSeed, a startup focused on helping smallholder farmers access climate financing. Vasco discusses the innovative approach taken by ReSeed to support vulnerable farmers who are already practicing regenerative agriculture. By adapting methodologies like VM42 for soil carbon and utilizing the IPCC vulnerability assessments, ReSeed is helping farmers access the funding they need to maintain their existing carbon stocks and continue their sustainable practices. We also delve back into the challenges of land tenure in Brazil, discussing the complexities of land titles and the implications for carbon projects. The recent Operation Greenwashing by Brazilian authorities targeting projects with fake land titles underscores the importance of ensuring legal ownership and sustainable management practices. Overall, the episode sheds light on the critical role of smallholder farmers in climate action and the need for innovative approaches to support these communities in preserving their lands and traditional practices. Through initiatives like ReSeed, there is hope for empowering farmers to mitigate climate change and protect their livelihoods for future generations. Timestamps 00:00:00 - Introduction to Regenerative Agriculture in Brazil 00:05:30 - Importance of Carbon Finance for Smallholder Farmers 00:10:00 - Challenges Faced by Quilombola Communities 00:15:00 - Role of Carbon Markets in Agriculture 00:20:00 - Methodologies for Assessing Vulnerability and Carbon Stocks 00:25:30 - Discussion on VM42 Soil Carbon Methodology 00:30:00 - Land Tenure Issues in Brazil 00:35:00 - Operation Greenwashing and Land Title Fraud 00:40:00 - Challenges of Land Titling and Timber Management 00:45:00 - Overlap of Illegal Land Titles and Carbon Projects Quotes "My people have been on this land for 276 years." - 00:00:38-00:00:50 "Today's guest, Vasco van Roosmalen, is the CEO of a startup called ReSeed." - 00:02:58-00:03:08 "We know that the enemy is carbon, and we know its ugly face, we should put a big fat price on it, and of course, add to that, drop the subsidies." - 00:05:52-00:06:04 "Man may be unwittingly changing the world's climate through the waste products of his civilization." - 00:05:52-00:06:04 "We need to recognize what they have been doing for 300 years, the accumulating of that biomass in that soil and the protection of the agroforest that they have on their land." - 00:28:39-00:28:50 "It's a way to quantify actions that need to be taken to help that economic sector move from those high emissions to low emissions." - 00:14:56-00:15:06 "Smallholder farmers are among the most vulnerable to climate change. They're the front lines of climate change." - 00:16:10-00:16:21 "We need to really look at their ability to adapt." - 00:33:14-00:33:25 "It's a step process. First illegal land titles, then sustainable management, timber plans that weren't followed." - 00:45:10-00:45:21 "But it was all built on the very beginning of those illegal land titles." - 00:46:14-00:46:24

Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa are essential contributors to food production, yet they often face formidable challenges such as limited market access and agricultural knowledge gaps.These challenges hinder their ability to achieve optimal productivity and income stability, thereby impacting food security across the region.To address these issues, Bayer has established impactful partnerships with key agricultural organisations. Liza Bohlman, Sub-Saharan Africa external communications at Bayers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Usman Javaid is the CEO of Ricult International, a multidimensional artificial intelligence-powered solution seeking to empower smallholder farmers in Asia, through a digital financial technology solution.  In this episode, KJ and Usman share insights on the critical challenges faced by farmers in Asia, such as inefficiencies, financial exclusion, and climate change, and how technology can mitigate these issues.   Key Takeaways: 01:33 The Ag Tech Revolution 06:30 Challenges in Agriculture 10:05 Climate Change and Its Impact 11:57 Innovative Solutions with AI 27:54 Future Vision and Expansion   Quote of the Show (18:00): "My vision is to help farmers work their way out of poverty. Technology or access to capital is a means to an end. The end is improving lives." - Usman Javaid   Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we're keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.   Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval   Ways to connect with Usman Javaid LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/usmanj Company Website: https://www.web.ricult.com/   Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ricult/   How to get more Disruption/Interruption:  Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlDSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jackson Buzingo is a multi-generational small holder farmer who grew up facing the challenges of a changing landscape in Tanzania, East Africa.As he witnessed rivers running dry and crops failing he set out to find a solution.In Season 1 of the podcast Jackson shared his journey of learning about regenerative practices in agriculture. He brought his passion to the communities around him, educating hundreds of small holder farmers and establishing small demonstration farms and food forests that have since inspired with their ability to produce when surrounding lands are dry and struggling.In this episode we catch up with Jackson over two years later. We speak at a turning point in his journey where he's taking the first steps to establish his own regenerative farm in Western Tanzania. This time to become an example of a profitable business model for small holder farmers rather than as purely a demonstration for regeneration. Jackson offers a wide range of insights into the steps that he plans to take with his farm along with exploring some of the barriers that are holding back a wider spread transition within the communities around him.Find a video version of this episode on the website: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/jackson-buzingo-farming-transition-in-east-africa/For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below:00:00 - Intro02:57 - First steps on the new farm05:23 - Why this farm differs from the demo farms07:52 - Trees and layers in the new farm09:18 - Climate struggles & barriers to transition14:03 - Conventional farming struggles - tobacco dominance and deforestation16:39 - Hope & inspiration from food forests23:51 - Plan and progression for the new farm31:23 - Access to seeds36:25 - Access to food for local communities37:36 - Building awareness & momentum for regeneration

Malaysia is the second largest producer of palm oil after Indonesia, making up 24% of global production. With the sector facing headwinds including challenges in productivity, regulatory impediments and uncertain demand conditions, how well can Malaysia adapt to the changing ties? We discuss these issues with Datuk Dr. Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir, Director General of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).

This week: At the future of food and beverage conference in Amsterdam, Jason Archie-Acheampong, international commercial programmes manager at Producers Direct, spoke with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about value chain actor and next-generation engagement in farming. They discuss the importance of improving farmer incomes and how to implement new technologies on-the-ground with farmers in mind.   Plus: Bayer Crop Sciences' head of biologics Benoit Hartmann and Innovation Forum's Savanna Razzaque talk about what to expect in the next focus on farmers webinar series. This complimentary webinar will focus on how agri-food stakeholders can efficiently scale, accelerate and unlock innovation. Click here to register.

A conversation with Emiliano Mroue, founder of WARC, about their recent funding round, being close to the farmers and why he left a corporate job in Germany to starting a farmer focussed anti poverty company in Sierra Leone which turns into a company which todays serves over 20000 farmers mostly in Ghana, in the transition to more regenerative practices. What is their secret to be close to the farmers always, not quite often but always?Smallholder maize farmers at the edge of the Sahara, brutal circumstances in the Sahel mean most farmers are growing to eat and to survive and, with climate change and current farming practices burn and deep tilling, their survival is literally on the line. These soils can be depleted in a decade or less, not like in the global North where we might have 50 to 60 harvests left. So how do you go about behaviour change with farmers that are in poverty, you want to help them to change, but don't want to risk their fragile livelihood? How do you find the recipes that work in the local context?In March 2024, the Ghana-based agricultural service provider Warc Africa has successfully closed its Series B round, securing $7.5 million. The fresh capital raised aims to boost Warc Africa's reach to serve over 100,000 farmers in Ghana, increase their incomes, and protect the soils. ---------------------------------------------------Join our Gumroad community, discover the tiers and benefits on www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag. Support our work:Share itGive a 5-star ratingBuy us a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture----------------------------------------------------More about this episode on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/.Find our video course on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/course.----------------------------------------------------The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.https://foodhub.nl/en/opleidingen/your-path-forward-in-regenerative-food-and-agriculture/Support the showFeedback, ideas, suggestions? - Twitter @KoenvanSeijen - Get in touch www.investinginregenerativeagriculture.comJoin our newsletter on www.eepurl.com/cxU33P! Support the showThanks for listening and sharing!

Wain Collen, co-founder and executive director of Fundación Aliados in Ecuador, joins Scott Stone, Marlies Quirino, and Lucia Guaita on The Lookfar Podcast: Voices from the Wild. Aliados's work is centered on four pillars – practicing regenerative agriculture, incubating bioeconomy initiatives, connecting to responsible markets, and creating new ecological value. Aliados just launched the Center for Bioeconomy with eleven indigenous and local community organizations, spearheading an innovative investment hub in the Ecuadorian Amazon to scale resilient community-led businesses. A fascinating discussion with Wain about Aliados' remarkable work. Available on all major podcast platforms. Just search Lookfar and you'll find it! 

Climate Change, crops and carbon credits In this episode Ankita Garg spots light on these aspects and much more. We talk about smallholder Farmers, agricultural practices and highlight solutions rather than problems. Ankita is Co-Founder and COO of Varaha, a ClimateTech Startup pioneering nature-based solutions to uplift smallholder land stewards' incomes. We shed light on sustainable practices, how to ensure equal participation and hear a lifechanging story. If you like what you're listening to please subscribe and hit the follow-button and consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buying me a coffee .⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support shows me it's worth continuing! Want to reach out to me? Send me an e-mail: podcast.gender.climate@gmail.com Check out my website: www.annikadegen.com Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gender-climate/ Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcast.gender.climate

You have a lot to thank sheep for. Yes, sheep.More than just wool and meat - sheep have played a part in the development of contraception AND reproduction of humans.It's not as dodgy as it sounds, but it is absolutely surprising and listening to this show will have you thanking every sheep you see from here on out.Featuring:Tara Farms, YouTuber, and Sheep farmer.Sally Coulthard, Historian, Smallholder, and Author of “A short history of the World according to Sheep”Dr Charles Roselli, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland.Emeritus Professor Gareth Evans, University of Sydney.Dr Stephan Leu, The University of Adelaide.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Nathan Turnbull.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

In episode 147, we're excited to welcome Jon Trask, CEO of Dimitra, an AgTech company on a mission to connect smallholder farmers with easy-to-use technology to increase yields, reduce costs, and mitigate risks. We discuss how emerging technologies such as blockchain, AI, and IoT devices, can help smallholder farmers grow their businesses and improve their livelihoods, how blockchain can improve monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) by equipping farmers with important data, and much more.--Three Key Takeaways--One of the biggest unlocks of blockchain is ensuring true traceability of products, allowing consumers to see every step of that product's journey from point of harvest to consumption. This will be a gamechanger for socially conscious consumerism and building sustainable supply chains.Blockchain alone won't solve the challenges faced by smallholder farmers and must be leveraged alongside other emerging technologies. In the case of Dimitra, blockchain is built into their platform in conjunction with AI, IoT devices, satellite imaging, genomics, and more.Smallholder farmers are vital to a sustainable and thriving planet. Not only do they play an important role in global food chains but are also vital to local economies and ecosystems. By improving the lives of farmers, it will lead to improved economies and a healthier environment.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-147-dimitra-empowering-smallholder-farmers-with-ai-blockchain-based-agtech-solutions--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--This episode was recorded on Zencastr!--Interested in starting your own podcast? Use my special link to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. Alternatively, head to zencastr.com/pricing and use my code "CryptoAltruism".Please note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it's important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltruism.org.

It's bizarre to think that like fashion or food, there are emerging trends in the social impact and philanthropy spaces, but as C.D. Glin, global head of Philanthropy at PepsiCo and president of the PepsiCo Foundation says, it's the pointedness and emphasis that consumers are putting on issues like sustainability, digitization and localization that transforming them to be ever present yet emerging at the same time.

Over the coming decades, smallholder farmers throughout Africa will play a pivotal role in supporting the continent's economic development and enabling food security. However, these farmers currently face numerous constraints that hinder their productivity and profitability. Challenges include a lack of support and access to resources such as financing, technology, inputs, and markets. Accelerating Africa's regenerative agricultural transformation requires a farmer-centric, ecosystem-led approach that involves actors across the whole value chain. Impactful partnerships and collaborations between farmers, governments, developmental organisations, entrepreneurs, food companies, and stakeholders must yield innovative solutions to help smallholder farmers overcome this complex set of constraints. Access to resources and opportunities through resilient value chains is essential to optimising profitability and improving smallholder livelihoods. Our panel of experts drew on from real-world examples and experiences, as they discussed: The current financial, economic and technological barriers preventing many African smallholders from implementing more sustainable farming techniques How can value-chain stakeholders best work together to build capacity, and support farmer-centric solutions to smallholder farmers challenges within fragmented value chains? The role of policy changes and support mechanisms in fostering robust, efficient and inclusive smallholder ecosystems Examples of new and innovative technologies that can improve rural access to financing, for improved livelihoods and climate-smart farming This webinar was moderated by Toby Webb, founder of Innovation Forum. This was the second part of the Focus on Farmers webinar series, hosted in partnership with Bayer Crop Science. To listen to the first part in this series, click here.  To find out more about Bayer's work in this area, see here.

Gillian Pais of McKinsey & Company returns to Lagos to Mombasa to discuss the importance of localizing climate solutions, strategies to promote the uptake of climate-smart agriculture, and the role of regional organizations in sharing best practices.    

8-1-23 AJ DailyJonwyn Ayres Named Outstanding Leadership Award RecipientAdapted from a release by Katelyn Engel, Angus Communications NCBA Welcomes House Passage of Two ESA Resolutions Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Global “Polycrisis” Disproportionately Hurts Smallholder Farmers: Report Adapted from a release by the Farm Journal Foundation Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.  For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net.

In this edition we welcome, Kayalethu Sotsha, senior economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council to focus on smallholder wool producers in South Africa. He shares some of his findings in a wool baseline report as part of the smallholder market access tracker, a tool developed by the NAMC to measure the progress in the achievement of the market and access goal for smallholder farmer in Mzansi…

Overview: Today, we're going to talk about Twiga Foods. We'll explore the story across the following 6 areas Africa Agricultural context Kenya farming & market access context Twiga Foods' early history Twiga Foods' Product & monetization strategy  Twiga Foods' Competitive positioning & potential exit options Future outlook. This episode was recorded on May 28, 2023 Companies discussed: Twiga Foods, Apollo Agriculture, Vendease, Kibanda, Kellogg, Tolaram, Multipro, Olam, Dangote, Coca-Cola, Shoprite, Cargill, Nestle, Unilever & Safaricom (M-Pesa) Business concepts discussed: Agriculture technology (AgTech, AgriTech or AgroTech), Agribusiness marketplaces, farming financing, Farmer market access opportunities, SMB Retail, B2B solutions and Agriculture Logistics. Conversation highlights: (01:00) - Twiga Foods context (08:53) - Africa Agriculture context (18:30) - Kenya background and agriculture context (23:34) - Market access context in Africa (31:20) - Market access context at Twiga Foods' founding (40:12) - Founders' background and farming context (56:10) - Fundraising (1:04:10) - Geographical expansion, Partnerships and Hiring (1:15:00) - Metrics (1:20:15) - Product & Monetization strategy, Cost structure (1:32:58) - Competition (1:35:00) - Options for exit (1:45:50) - Olumide's overall thoughts and outlook (1:58:58) - Bankole's overall thoughts and outlook (2:06:31) - Recommendations and small wins Olumide's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: Berkshire Hathaway story on the Acquired podcast. It has multiple parts and is really good. The Acquired podcast is like the non-African version of Afrobility. They tell stories of companies in developed markets. Alternatively you could say Afrobility is the African version of Acquired. Recommendation: Exxon-Mobil analyses on Business Breakdown podcast. Business Breakdowns is like a more serious suit-and-tie version of Acquired. As you can tell from my recommendations I like podcasts that analyse businesses. Small win: Sao Paulo trip. It was fun.  Small win: To physically touch and hold the Firedom (financial independence) book. I and Samon released the paperback and hardcover versions in May and I just received my author copy. It feels magical, the book is beautiful and bright red. Bankole's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: Article about end of Life Dreams, Hallmarks of Good Product Sense & This Company Will Give You A Free TV In Exchange For Your Data | AdExchanger  Small win: The EPL season is over, and the suffering of being a Chelsea fan is on pause… Other content: Winning in Africa's agricultural market, After 18 Months, Your Investment Probably Isn't Getting Marked Up - Angellist & Kellogg purchases 50% of Multipro for $450M Listeners: We'd love to hear from you. Email info@afrobility.com with feedback! Founders & Operators: We'd love to hear about what you're working on, email us at info@afrobility.com Investors: It would be great to link up with you. Contact us at info@afrobility.com Join our insider mailing list where we get feedback on new episodes & find all episodes on Afrobility.com

Excited to share this episode with Pankaj Mahalle, Co-founder & CEO at GramHeet. Pankaj was brought up in India in a smallholder farming family and it was through his lived experience of the physical, emotional, and financial stress facing modern Indian farmers that propelled him to co-found Gramheet, a brand which provides integrated post-harvest services to over 8,000 smallholder farmers. Their work has helped farmers increase their income by up to 40% and has prevented over 1300 metric tons of grain losses over the past two years alone.

Scaling Green Tech Solutions for Smallholder Farmers: Insights from a Ghanaian Female Entrepreneur and an Africa and Middle East regional female leader in finance. Are you ready to learn from a young female entrepreneur from Ghana and an Africa and Middle East female finance leader from Pakistan who are passionate about the way we approach green tech solutions and improve incomes for smallholder farmers? Then buckle up and tune into this podcast featuring Social Impact Pioneers Audrey S-Darko and Khadija Hashimi. Audrey S-Darko, the visionary behind the climate tech start-up Sabon Sake, is a fierce advocate for regenerative agriculture. Her innovative agri-tech business focuses on restoring soil health and biodiversity through sustainable waste recovery and utilising eco-friendly biochar to increase carbon sequestration. Audrey's vision is to empower smallholder farmers across Africa to adopt regenerative farming practices and access new markets, creating more resilient and economically productive agricultural communities. Joining Audrey on this podcast is Khadija Hashimi, the Head of Corporate Affairs Brand & Marketing for Africa and the Middle East, as well as the Country Head of Pakistan for Standard Chartered Bank. Khadija is a thought leader, coach and multi-disciplinary expert who is passionate about championing female leaders and women entrepreneurs. Through her work with Standard Chartered's global initiative Futuremakers, she advocates for lifting the economic participation of women and girls. During the podcast, Audrey and Khadija share insights into their partnership and discuss the importance of investing in women and girls. They offer advice on what it takes to succeed as a female leader while exploring how banks can better support women entrepreneurs to succeed. As Khadija notes, investing in girls and young women brings greater prosperity and diversity to everyone in society. Don't miss out on this exciting conversation about scaling green tech solutions and improving incomes for smallholder farmers in Africa. Tune in to hear Audrey and Khadija share their experiences and learn how green tech and empowering women can change the world for the better. If you enjoyed this podcast, do try: What Does it Take to be a Female Entrepreneur? With Naom and Natasha: https://businessfightspoverty.org/what-does-it-take-to-be-a-female-entrepreneur-with-naom-and-natasha/ and Gender Equity Pathways at work with Rani from IFC and Tere of Circle de Luz: https://businessfightspoverty.org/what-does-it-take-to-create-gender-equality-at-work/ Links: Futuremakers by Standard Chartered sc.com/futuremakers Standard Chartered long-term ambitious - Lifting participation https://www.sc.com/en/about/our-long-term-ambition/lifting-participation/ Sabon Sake www.sabonsake.com McKinsey Global Institute (2015); How advancing women's equality can add $12 trillion to global growth: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/employment-and-growth/how-advancing-womens-equality-can-add-12-trillion-to-global-growth

This podcast is a commentary and does not contain any copyrighted material of the reference source. We strongly recommend accessing/buying the reference source at the same time. ■Reference Source https://www.ted.com/talks/anushka_ratnayake_a_transparent_easy_way_for_smallholder_farmers_to_save ■Post on this topic (You can get FREE learning materials!) https://englist.me/78-academic-words-reference-from-anushka-ratnayake-a-transparent-easy-way-for-smallholder-farmers-to-save--ted-talk/ ■Youtube Video https://youtu.be/1_CbEvNU4I4 (All Words) https://youtu.be/lTqtYYVdPro (Advanced Words) https://youtu.be/B_Pr8mIxSIE (Quick Look) ■Top Page for Further Materials https://englist.me/ ■SNS (Please follow!)

Hello Tractor uses digital tools to connect their eco-system of partners from tractor owners to tractor operators and farmers in need of tractor services in order to improve their yields and earn more money to help empower their local economy and communities. Jehiel Oliver, the founder and CEO of Hello Tractor, joins the podcast to chat about his company, his journey from finance to social entrepreneurship, and how his company is creating innovation in Africa. In this episode we discuss:

A conversation with Luni Libes, about the enormous opportunities of African food companies and on buying from smallholder famers and selling into the local regional markets. We also discuss why the traditional venture capital model doesn't make any sense and a holding company does, plus why and how he wants to take the holding company public in a few years' time.---------------------------------------------------Join our Gumroad community, discover the tiers and benefits on www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag. Support our work:Share itGive a 5-star ratingBuy us a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture----------------------------------------------------More about this episode on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/luni-libes.Find our video course on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/course.----------------------------------------------------The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. Support the showFeedback, ideas, suggestions? - Twitter @KoenvanSeijen - Get in touch www.investinginregenerativeagriculture.comJoin our newsletter on www.eepurl.com/cxU33P! Support the showThanks for listening and sharing!

Matt Matern speaks with Dr. Tony Salas, CEO of Shared-X. Dr. Salas discusses his journey and Shared-X's mission to support smallholder farmers through impact investing. He highlights the importance of regenerative agriculture and soil health, advocating for policies and subsidies to promote sustainable practices.  Dr. Salas distinguishes impact investing from ESG and calls for genuine investments. He emphasizes the need for more funding and collaboration to scale impact farming and address climate change.

Leona Archary is back on Farmer's Inside Track and this time to focus on the work she does as the CEO of the Agricultural Development Agency. In an exclusive with Dawn Noemdoe, she talks about how they're changing the face of South African agriculture by partnering with the private sector to develop small holder farmers in Mzansi…As you know by now, once a week we meet the amazing women selected for the Corteva Women Agripreneur 2022 programme, this is a year-long blended development programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science Entrepreneurship Development Academy. Our #SoilSista Zanele Tsambo switched careers from banking to farming and today she works in three spheres in agri – commodity trading, aggregation, and farming! Talk about breaking the glass ceiling, Wow, what a dynamic player in the agri space…She tells us more about her amazing journey in this sector…

How do you see, capture and express abstraction to a tangible form for human consumption?The above question is deep-seated within our subconscious, harnessing the potential of being aware of our environment, be it internal or external, and manipulating it to our advantage.Our growth in every sense of the word lies firmly on the knowledge we have come to acquire by the process of learning in the light of the contacts we make unconsciously or otherwise. Through these acquisitions, we come to build unique structures that transcend generations and, at the same time, create a path for the future.If we take a closer look at the above, we will see that this phenomenon is innate and indigenous in nature. Still, the potential and innate resource somehow come to find a way of being transformed into something useful by those to whom it is native.Being a native to something, like intelligence, doesn't restrict it to that given geography in a way. Still, it somehow finds its way to other nativities in terms of geography because it is an answer to questions and solutions to challenges with a universal theme and application.One this is unique about this is that particular piece of intelligence that has now formed the base on which the applied knowledge thrives and grows does not lose its uniqueness, the identity of its introduction, and, somehow, all come to acknowledge its origin and bearer; the INDI-GENE.In this episode of the Word Café, we will be talking about the benefits of indigenous intelligence. I am honored to have an individual who sees herself as a native of intelligence. Her name is Akwugo Anyaegbunam.Akwugo Anyaegbunam is a Development Finance Lead experienced in Stakeholder Engagement, Programme Implementation, and Capacity Strengthening.She believes strongly in the triple bottom line, Doing good and doing well don't need to be mutually exclusive – if we know how.She started her career in consulting because she wanted to solve problems. She became intrigued with program implementation as an independent reviewer of non-profit beneficiaries of international grants. Aside from gaining a better understanding of the financing gaps within non-profits and government agencies, one thing became clearer - in designing impact projects; funding must align with building and strengthening the capacity of both the beneficiaries and the institutions. If people know better, they will do better.  She loves to learn and consolidate her knowledge by implementing and teaching. As a result, most of her roles involve advisory, training, capacity strengthening, and ensuring stakeholders are actively engaged throughout the process. As a result, the prevalent thread from her years of experience is communicating for change. She is well versed in strategic partnerships, generating relevant knowledge, and leveraging technical expertise across sectors.   Her work in social impact programs has led to a higher inclusion rate for traditionally excluded populations in healthcare, financial services, and access to opportunities. As an MSME Advisor administering and monitoring intervention projects worth over $550 million to micro, small and medium enterprises, reducing the funding asymmetry in the SME space and driving access to funding for businesses in the startup and scaleup phase with no access to traditional collateral. Economic opportunities for women also improved by allocating 60% of the fund to female-owned businesses. Smallholder farmers recorded improved productivity and income through out-grower programs that effectively linked organized farmers groups to markets and secured off-takers for their produce.  She will always be dedicated to providing leadership and advisory expertise to tackle economic and social issues. When I'm notSupport the show

Overview: Today, we're going to talk about Thrive Agric, the Nigerian Agricultural technology company - we'll explore Thrive Agric's story across 5 areas: First we'll start with some context about African agriculture Thrive Agric's launch & early history Product & monetization strategy Competitive positioning & potential exit options Overall outlook This episode was recorded on September 25 2022 Companies discussed: Thrive Agric, Apollo Agriculture & FarmCrowdy Business concepts discussed: Agricultural Technology (AgriTech or AgTech), smallholder farmers acquisition strategy, Agriculture financing, Crowdfunding, Agriculture value and supply chains & Debt financing Conversation highlights: (10:41) - Africa Agriculture context (19:38) - Nigeria Agriculture context (26:14) - Nigeria crowdfunding backgroun (32:30) - Founders' background and launch story (46:48) - Fundraising (55:47) - Product and monetization strategy, (1:09:15) - Competition & options for exit (1:19:20) - Bankole's overall thoughts and outlook (1:24:45) - Olumide's overall thoughts and outlook (1:32:25) - Recommendations and small wins Olumide's recommendations & small wins: Interested in investing in Africa Tech with Olumide: Read about Adamantium fund & contact me at olumide@afrobility.com Founders looking for funding: If you're a B2B founder working on Education, Health, Finance or food, please contact me for funding at olumide@afrobility.com Recommendation: Jim Rohn - How to change your life video - Incredible. He just drops non-stop knowledge bombs. Remarkable Recommendation: Toucan chrome extension to learn languages Small win: Exercise of writing 50 goals. Brought up a lot of interesting ideas. Shout to Alan Donegan for facilitating this Other content: A Thrive Agric Story. One Farmer at a Time. Bankole's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: AI And The Limits Of Language, Lindy Hacker News & Lying For Money Small win: Strength workouts Other content: Asake - Mr Money with the vibe, ThriveAgricPR - product overview, Leadway Insurance response on Twitter, SEC Nigeria rules on Crowdfunding, Invest Like The Best - Jeff Jordan & Kevin Systrom on Lex Fridman All episodes on Afrobility.com

Richard Lackey founded the World Food Bank. Hear the origin story of this significant organization. More than 800 million people in the world are food insecure. Smallholder farmers provide over 80% of the food consumed in large parts of the developing world, but face volatile commodity markets that have a devastating effects on both growers and consumers. Through advancements in the latest food drying and storage technologies, agricultural commodities and complete meals can now achieve a shelf-life of up to 20 years. This shift essentially eliminates post-harvest loss issues associated with short shelf-life and opens the door for a number of innovative applications that will help smallholders scale their business and be the key to solving food insecurity and global hunger. OUR INNOVATIVE SOLUTION The World Food Bank™ is an asset-backed investment vehicle that operates under the thesis of acquiring extended shelf-life food to fill the gaps in inefficient food markets. The World Food Bank™ food will be part of a greater network where institutional quantities of extended shelf-life dried food are staged globally in strategic locations with the purpose of building out a network of global relief resources, available where and when they are needed for sale into local markets when supply is limited and to provide direct relief to victims of humanitarian crises, when resources are scarce.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/success-made-to-last-legends--4302039/support.

Richard Lackey founded the World Food Bank. Hear the origin story of this significant organization. More than 800 million people in the world are food insecure. Smallholder farmers provide over 80% of the food consumed in large parts of the developing world, but face volatile commodity markets that have a devastating effects on both growers and consumers. Through advancements in the latest food drying and storage technologies, agricultural commodities and complete meals can now achieve a shelf-life of up to 20 years. This shift essentially eliminates post-harvest loss issues associated with short shelf-life and opens the door for a number of innovative applications that will help smallholders scale their business and be the key to solving food insecurity and global hunger.OUR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONThe World Food Bank™ is an asset-backed investment vehicle that operates under the thesis of acquiring extended shelf-life food to fill the gaps in inefficient food markets. The World Food Bank™ food will be part of a greater network where institutional quantities of extended shelf-life dried food are staged globally in strategic locations with the purpose of building out a network of global relief resources, available where and when they are needed for sale into local markets when supply is limited and to provide direct relief to victims of humanitarian crises, when resources are scarce.

Assistant professor of environmental policy at ETH Zürich Rachael Garrett and Musim Mas's director of sustainability Olivier Tichit talk with Ian Welsh about their collaboration engaging smallholder farmer communities to deliver the data and traceability that palm oil buyers require. They discuss the importance of not divesting from higher risk sourcing regions and why there is still work to be done to ensure that due diligence regulation delivers the impacts intended.  

The Social Innovation Podcast spoke to Erika Balzarelli the Founder of The Sustainable Smallholder, an innovation studio that focuses on helping smallholder farmers become sustainable, commercial suppliers. From her years in the field, Erika shares with us an understanding of the needs of farmers on the ground. Her passion for what she does shines brightly in this conversation along with her inspiration to contribute to making a change, "The woman effect" and the power behind co-creation. Some of the topics Erika covered: The challenge of reaching more than 525 million farmers Her unique B2B2F approach Starting her own NGO in India The work Erika did on the ground Rice is more than just food What the priorities should be in rice Some other titles we considered for this episode: Rice Is a Huge Opportunity for Innovation The Transformative Lever of Co-creation The Women Effect Shut Up and Start Doing It

Overview: Today, we're going to talk about Apollo Agriculture, the Kenyan AgTech company - we'll explore the Apollo story across the following areas African agriculture context Apollo's launch & early history Product & monetization strategy Competitive positioning & exit options Overall outlook This episode was recorded on Aug 21, 2022 Companies discussed: Apollo Agriculture, The Climate Corporation (WeatherBill), Pula, FarmDrive, Monsanto, FairMoney & Kuda Bank Business concepts discussed: Agricultural Technology (AgriTech or AgTech), smallholder farmers, Risk mitigation, Debt funding, Customer acquisition costs (CAC) & Customer lifetime value (LTV, CLV) Conversation highlights: (01:30) - What Apollo agriculture is and why we're talking about it (06:10) - Agriculture context in Africa (21:00) - Context on Agriculture in Kenya (27:33) - Apollo founding story and founder background (40:55) - Fundraising and growth (55:14) - Product and monetization strategy (1:17:58) - Competition and exit options (1:27:53) - Bankole's overall thoughts and outlook (1:34:50) - Olumide's overall thoughts and outlook (1:49:36) - Recommendations and small wins Olumide's recommendations & small wins: Interested in investing in Africa Tech with Olumide: Read about Adamantium fund & contact me at olumide@afrobility.com Founders looking for funding: If you're a B2B founder working on Education, Health, Finance or food, please contact me for funding at olumide@afrobility.com Recommendation: Little Ways The World Works: Article by Morgan Housel. Great article talking about how learning from different fields is very helpful. He goes over learnings from evolution, astronomy, biology, anatomy, etc Recommendation: University of Berkshire Hathaway: Auto recommended by Kindle. Great. Chronicles 30 years of Berkshire Hathaway Annual meeting discussions Small win: Beach gathering with friends, it was fun Small win: Just got back from NYC 30 minutes before recording this episode, a lot of fun Bankole's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: Soul In The Game - Vitaly Katsenelson && Asake - Terminator && For My Hand - Burna Boy and Ed Sheeran Small win: Beat my previous Readwise streak of 190 days! Other content: CIA Factbook on Kenya, FAOStat Food production, Interdependence and modularity - Christensen institute , All I Want To Know Is Where I'm Going To Die So I'll Never Go There: Buffett & Munger – A Study in Simplicity and Uncommon, Common Sense Investors, Operators, Entrepreneurs - We'd love to hear from you. Please email info@afrobility.com to share feedback

In this episode, Clodagh tells us all about her sustainable smallholding farm project, the art of composting and pickling vegetables, what she is loving to cook at the moment, and why we should grow radishes! Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're moving to the continent of Africa in this episode of the Talkin' Solutions Podcast as I sit down with the Managing Director of One Acre Fund Matthew Forti to discuss how they are empowering over 1 million Smallholder Farmers with resources and education to create higher yields, earn more money for their families, grow their communities, and investing in their children's education. One Acre Fund is a non-profit social enterprise that envisions a world where all farmers have big harvests, healthy families, and rich soil. In addition, they focus on adapting to the impacts of climate change on the continent in order to create more sustainable farming practices and diversifying crops. In this episode we discuss:

Gabriel Eze, Co-founder & CFO, Rural Farmers Hub, Nigeria and Jamie Collinson, CTO, Innovative Solutions for Decision Agriculture (iSDA), UK, talked with IFA Chief Scientist Achim Dobermann about how digital advisory solutions can benefit smallholder farmers in Africa, particularly with regards to efficient use of nutrients and other agronomic advice. Hear more about the work and vision of Rural Farmers Hub and iSDA and how digital advisory solutions can scale up to reach millions of farmers.Rural Farmers Hub, a private e-extension service provider helping farmer organizations and extension agents support smallholder farmers with better farming decisions via satellite remote sensing or in-person. Gabriel Eze helps build new ventures and projects around AI in the education, SME, health, agriculture and security sectors, especially for disadvantaged communities. An advocate for ethical use cases of AI in Africa with more than 10 years of experience in design, software development, and IT consulting, Gabriel is also the Founder/CEO of Touchabl Pictures, co-founder of MyPaymart (an online trust management platform/escrow and trade advisory) and a guest speaker at Hult International Business School.Innovative Solutions for Decision Agriculture (ISDA), a mission-based company developing financially sustainable and commercially scalable solutions for smallholders in Africa. Jamie Collinson is a programmer, entrepreneur and lapsed mathematician who is passionate about building technology teams and using software to make things people want. Before joining iSDA, Jamie led a software consultancy focused on helping startups launch their first products, created a software-as-a-service product and took it to market. He also consulted with a wide range of organizations as a “virtual CTO,” managed IT and digital marketing for an international NGO and founded an e-commerce business. Jamie read the Mathematical Tripos at the University of Cambridge.    

“Redesigning traditional weed management practices in faba bean fields to optimize food-feed production in the smallholder system” with Peter Thorne. Researchers work hard to develop best practices and recommendations for farmers. However, cultural practices may affect how farmers do or are able to implement these recommendations on their farms. This episode, Peter discusses his work bridging the gap between researcher recommendations and farmer needs in smallholder Ethiopian farms. Tune in to learn: What kinds of farmer requirements may impact researcher recommendations How regional traits can impact farmer implementations What to consider when balancing food-feed production Tips for approaching sustainable intensification in smallholder farms If you would like more information about this topic, this episode's paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20779 This paper is always freely available. Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe. If you'd like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/. If you would like to reach out to Peter, you can find him here: p.thorne@cgiar.org If you would like to reach out to Guolong Liang from our Student Spotlight, you can find him here: gliang6@wisc.edu Twitter: https://twitter.com/guolong_liang Resources CEU Quiz: https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Security/Sign-In?returnurl=%2fLearning-Center%2fCourses%2fCourse-Detail%3fproductid%3d%257bB40B8E99-D7EC-EC11-BB3D-000D3A334F93%257d Transcripts: https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/P9zr4x9rmda8jk2VfWsjTJKDSHBwEtwebrl4CUDurG0XGaUFtTKcT_-Sg1Zwb2b9XlTYfX9iVmnCOzYUu8OYhUKUVNo?loadFrom=SharedLink  Africa RISING: https://africa-rising.net Feed the Future: https://www.feedthefuture.gov/ Sponsored by Gasmet Technologies. Check out more information at www.gasmet.com. See the GT-5000 Terra in action and the quick setup video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGgWkokLN10. Contact for more information at sales@gasmet.com.   Sponsored by METER Group. METER sensors deliver real-time, plant, soil, and atmospheric data that fuels environmental research. Listen to METER Group's new podcast We Measure the World to hear how innovative researchers leverage environmental data to make our world a better—and more sustainable—place at metergroup.com/fieldlabearth Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

A safe space to save money is life-changing -- especially for the 60 million smallholder farmers in West Africa (the majority being women) who often live on less than two dollars a day. Poverty fighter Anushka Ratnayake introduces her nonprofit myAgro, which offers farmers a place to save small amounts of money and allows them to access those funds as they need them. Over the next five years, myAgro plans to reach a million farmers in West Africa, providing a stress-free, transparent and convenient system that empowers agricultural entrepreneurs by putting the purchasing power it takes to run a successful farm in their hands. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

A safe space to save money is life-changing -- especially for the 60 million smallholder farmers in West Africa (the majority being women) who often live on less than two dollars a day. Poverty fighter Anushka Ratnayake introduces her non-profit myAgro, which offers farmers a place to save small amounts of money and allows them to access those funds as they need them. Over the next five years, myAgro plans to reach a million farmers in West Africa, providing a stress-free, transparent and convenient system that empowers agricultural entrepreneurs by putting the purchasing power it takes to run a successful farm in their hands. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

A safe space to save money is life-changing -- especially for the 60 million smallholder farmers in West Africa (the majority being women) who often live on less than two dollars a day. Poverty fighter Anushka Ratnayake introduces her non-profit myAgro, which offers farmers a place to save small amounts of money and allows them to access those funds as they need them. Over the next five years, myAgro plans to reach a million farmers in West Africa, providing a stress-free, transparent and convenient system that empowers agricultural entrepreneurs by putting the purchasing power it takes to run a successful farm in their hands. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Smallholder farming in Africa is a precarious existence. Low economies of scale, commodity price swings, out-of-date agronomic practices, and the effects of climate change conspire to trap farm families in a never-ending cycle of poverty. At the same time, Africa's booming youth population is entering a saturated workforce without enough jobs to absorb them. In Nigeria, the continent's most populous nation, that has led to a surge of gang violence and a  wave of insurgencies over the last two decades. Kola and Lola Masha, a Nigerian-born and US-educated couple, set out in 2012 to help mitigate the spread of both economic and physical insecurity. Their social enterprise, Babban Gona (“Great Farm” in the Hausa language), offers a rare model that not only makes farming lucrative and an attractive opportunity for Nigeria's youth. It also has become a profitable and bankable business for commercial lenders. For the first time, they are committing capital to support smallholder agriculture at large scale—and in the process, potentially creating a pathway out of poverty for millions. Highlights of this episode include:   why smallholder farming is central to the poverty problem in Africa (3:42) the wave of violence in Nigeria fueled largely by unemployed youth (7:21) the Mashas' rigorous process to identify agriculture as a job-creation engine (9:44) Trust Groups, or mini-cooperatives, and other core elements of the Babban Gona model (14:22) the impact on the lives of farm families (25:39) how Babban Gona is raising capital to super-scale the model (32:36) and how it mitigates climate change and other risks (39:39). For the full transcript go to: https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/from_plow_to_prosperity

Welcoming Miku Jha, Founder & CEO of AgShift, at the 2021 Leading Entrepreneurs of the World Series on the topic: Powering the Transformation of Food Through AIMiku Jha is the founder and CEO of AgShift. She grew up planting mango trees on a 4th generation family farm – in a Smallholder farming community – in Northern India. Miku is a passionate entrepreneur and product executive with a proven track record. She has led multiple startups from founding stage to successful acquisitions & mergers with companies such as IBM and Xyratex. As a product executive she has launched large scale enterprise products in mobile and internet of things for companies such as VMware and IBM.Miku helped build and scale multiple storage, mobile software startups into well-known global companies. She was instrumental in growing the storage business as a Founding engineer at Ariodata, which was acquired by Xyratex Inc. She helped grow and scale mobile business and product at Worklight, which was acquired by IBM. She has lead several mobile and IoT initiatives at IBM – under Mobile First portfolio. She was responsible for successful execution of Mobile virtualization initiative at VMware under the office of the CTO. At AgShift, Miku manages a nimble team of data scientists, researchers and technologists driven by a single passion – to digitize food supply chain with cutting edge innovations in deep learning and data science – which results in better transparency, better food quality and reduced food wastage.Miku serves on the advisory board of BetterMDM, PlainMark and MergeLane. Miku has a MBA from Cornell University and a BS (Hons.) in Computer Science from University of Mumbai. With AgShift, she is inspired to apply technology to solve real challenges in Agriculture, globally. She is also passionate about women in technology. She has lead multiple corporate initiatives to help young women entrepreneurs succeed. She continues to be a mentor to many young women entrepreneurs in technology – inspiring and guiding them to success!AgShift is an AI based food technology start-up working on designing world's most advanced autonomous food inspection system. AgShift's software blends patented Deep Learning models with Computer vision to make food inspections autonomous, consistent and standardized at scale. AgShift is empowering the world's largest food organizations to reduce global food loss and waste. AgShift, Inc. is based out of Silicon Valley, California. The management and advisory team comprises of entrepreneurs, technologists and thought leaders with decades of experience in agriculture and technology industry. Till this day, AgShift has raised $5 million in seed round from investors like Exfinity Venture Partners and CerraCap Ventures.Visit AgShift: https://www.agshift.com/To learn more about Leading Entrepreneurs of the World and to stay updated on upcoming insightful presentations and events visit our site:https://leadingentrepreneursoftheworld.com/Follow 1BusinessWorld:Website: https://1businessworld.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1businessworldTwitter: https://twitter.com/1businessworldFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/1businessworldInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/onebusinessworld/

AgDevCo makes million dollar plus investments in agriculture value chain companies in Africa. Apply to work with them at https://www.agdevco.com/our-approach/investment-criteria.html ---- Record an audio comment at: wishesgrant.media ---- Links we refer to in this episode: Sandi's new company: https://bio-ag.org/ https://www.agdevco.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandi-roberts-6ab78819 Refractometer: https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=refractometer+plants&ref=nb_sb_noss Note: Others dispute whether there is a correlation between Brix and disease resistance: https://ipm.missouri.edu/MPG/2010/5/Is-High-Brix-for-Vegetables-Valid/ This podcast is sponsored by Grant & Co. Grant & Co helps social entrepreneurs raise capital. Go to thegrant.co/job/ to apply for a job.

Seyram Kofi Mantey (CEO) of Kwidex is a young, energetic, and consummate entrepreneur experienced in running small businesses ranging from branding, lending, imports, and crowdfunding. Eugene Ofori Asiedu (CTO) is a computer science and software developer experienced in building applications. Seyram and Eugene came together to create Kwidex, Ghana's biggest agricultural crowdfunding platform that gives everyday people an opportunity to own part of the value in agriculture.Key interview highlights: KWIDEX was launched with a $10,000 grant from VAI global. KWIDEX is a crowdfunding platform for agricultural SMEs that is helping to solve the financing problems in the agricultural sector. It links farmers and agribusiness to investors and gives funding opportunities to novice investors who are interested in making a return on investment and impacting the agribusiness sector. KWIDEX is a commission-based model that generates revenue by charging 10% on investments made via the platform and has so far had over $500,000 in transactions. The KWIDEX platform is open to investment from anyone in any part of the world. Projects on the platform can be funded via mobile money and bank transfer. Investors could make a profit of 15-30% between 3-12 months of investment. Over 2,500 farmers have already benefited from the platform. The KWIDEX fundraising goal is to raise $100,000 via investors for 10% equity. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the WTF podcast. If you would like to be a guest or sponsor the podcast, please contact us at whereisthefunding@gmail.com.Guest Social Media: LinkedIn: Seyram Mantey; Eugene AsieduWhere to find us: Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts, and on our website agazella.com/podcasts.Help us grow: Please subscribe, stream, or download, leave a rating or review and share your favorite episodes with family, friends, and colleagues.Follow the WTF podcast on Instagram. Follow me on LinkedIn: Join us for the next episode!--- This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast.https://anchor.fm/app

Seyram Kofi Mantey (CEO) of Kwidex is a young, energetic, and consummate entrepreneur experienced in running small businesses ranging from branding, lending, imports, and crowdfunding. Eugene Ofori Asiedu (CTO) is a computer science and software developer experienced in building applications. Seyram and Eugene came together to create Kwidex, Ghana's biggest agricultural crowdfunding platform that gives everyday people an opportunity to own part of the value in agriculture.Key interview highlights: KWIDEX was launched with a $10,000 grant from VAI global. KWIDEX is a crowdfunding platform for agricultural SMEs that is helping to solve the financing problems in the agricultural sector. It links farmers and agribusiness to investors and gives funding opportunities to novice investors who are interested in making a return on investment and impacting the agribusiness sector. KWIDEX is a commission-based model that generates revenue by charging 10% on investments made via the platform and has so far had over $500,000 in transactions. The KWIDEX platform is open to investment from anyone in any part of the world. Projects on the platform can be funded via mobile money and bank transfer. Investors could make a profit of 15-30% between 3-12 months of investment. Over 2,500 farmers have already benefited from the platform. The KWIDEX fundraising goal is to raise $100,000 via investors for 10% equity. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the WTF podcast. If you would like to be a guest or sponsor the podcast, please contact us at whereisthefunding@gmail.com.Guest Social Media: LinkedIn: Seyram Mantey; Eugene AsieduWhere to find us: Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts, and on our website agazella.com/podcasts.Help us grow: Please subscribe, stream, or download, leave a rating or review and share your favorite episodes with family, friends, and colleagues.Follow the WTF podcast on Instagram. Follow me on LinkedIn: Join us for the next episode!--- This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast.https://anchor.fm/app