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Browse recent blogs of interest to the Marketlinks community. Use the search box or the filters on the left-hand side to refine the listing of blogs by keyword, topic, and/or region/country.

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Women-Owned Enterprise Combines Technology and Food Safety for Fruit Processing Invention

March 24, 2023
Senegal is home to an emergent fresh fruit and vegetable sector that employs many women, from production to retail. Despite challenges in maintaining quality throughout the product lifespan, there are growing markets for fresh fruit and vegetables, like “ditax”. Ditax, or Detarium Senegalese J.F. Gmel, is a forest tree found in Senegal whose fruits are locally called ditax in Wolof.

WOCCU Economic Inclusion Project Introduces ‘The Practical Guide for the Financial Inclusion of the Refugee and Migrant Population’

March 23, 2023
LIMA, Peru— The USAID/World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) Economic Inclusion Project in March introduced to more than 100 representatives of Peru’s financial sector a formal guide that will help them identify the types of assistance refugee and migrant populations need to access formal financial services, and the best practices to help facilitate their financial inclusion.

Gaining Connection & Connectivity: Women Leaders Share Five Ways Digital Centers Impact Their Rural Communities in Guatemala

March 22, 2023
Across Guatemala’s Alta Verapaz region, the USAID/Microsoft Airband Initiative partnered with New Sun Road to bridge the rural broadband gap and close the gender digital divide by establishing 10 Digital Community Centers and, in turn, 10 Women’s Leadership Committees (WLC) to run them. In this blog, WLC members share five key reflections and lessons learned from their involvement with the Digital Community Centers and the impact on their communities.

Is ‘Graduation’ Possible in Emergencies?

March 13, 2023
This post was authored by Alexandra Klass of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). We know the power of the Graduation Approach and its impressive results that lift the ultra-poor out of poverty, but can it also be successful for people living in humanitarian crises and displacement?

Introducing the Harmonizing Development and Private Sector Indicators (HI) Tool

March 6, 2023
Investors are demanding more transparency and accountability from corporations as they look beyond the bottom line to understand an organization’s value and long-term sustainability. ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) provides shareholders with more effective management of material opportunities and risks. Virtually all major corporations report on ESG issues, and many small and medium enterprises are factoring it into their businesses.

USAID Partnership Builds Supply Chain Resiliency, Boosts Food Security

March 2, 2023
USAID CATALYZE’s Private Sector Development Activity in partnership with Sri Lanka’s largest supermarket retailer Keells and Hatton National Bank (HNB) launched an innovative Supply Chain Financing Facility to support micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the food sector, improving the resilience of the supermarket’s supply chains and helping to meet MSMEs’ working capital needs.

Digital Training Supports Sri Lanka SMEs to Expand Market Reach

March 2, 2023
USAID Collaborates with SLASSCOM to boost SME competitiveness In December, the USAID CATALYZE Private Sector Development (PSD) Activity partnered with the Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM) to conduct a five-session digital masterclass on using digital marketing to establish an online brand for 50 information and communication technology (ICT) professionals from 30 companies.

Conserving the Sinharaja Rainforest through Sustainable Ecotourism

March 2, 2023
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is Sri Lanka’s only remaining primary tropical rainforest and home to the country’s highest concentration of endemic species of plants and animals, several of which are rare or endangered. Designated both a UNESCO Biosphere and World Heritage Site, the forest reserve’s health is critical to the country’s ecotourism industry. Sustainable ecotourism can accelerate economic growth through increased foreign exchange, employment, and business opportunities, and help countries reach development objectives while protecting their natural resources.

Filling the Gap between Seeds Research and Small-Scale Farmers

February 28, 2023
CARE’s Farmer Field and Business School (FFBS) model focuses on improving small-scale farmers’ productivity, resilience, and access to markets. FFBS is a hands-on, learning-by-doing approach through which groups of farmers meet regularly during the course of their value chain production cycle to learn about new agricultural techniques and to experiment these treatments on group-managed demonstration plots. Since 2014, FFBS has directly improved the lives of more than 2.5 million farmers and their families.

Renewable Energy Project Advances Gender Lens Equity in Honduran Community

February 7, 2023
Across Central America, the number and size of renewable energy power plants has grown exponentially in recent decades. In Honduras particularly, hydroelectric power plants have sprung up as the government looks for sustainable ways to generate energy and economic stability for communities across the country.

Demand for Local Co-Op Products Grows in Lima, Peru Thanks to Innovative Grocer Thika Thani

December 15, 2022
This article first appeared in NCBA CLUSA's Co-op Weekly Newsletter.  Peruvian market Thika Thani is revolutionizing grocery shopping in Lima and uplifting co-ops in the process. What started in 2015 as a singular boutique grocery store in Lima specializing in locally produced natural, organic, and artisanal products has expanded to four stores in Peru’s capital city and includes a thriving online marketplace. Thika Thani recently opened a store inside a large shopping center that became profitable in just one month.