Blog

To foster consumer demand and food safety confidence in food supply chains, numerous international trade organizations now require sanitary and phytosanitary systems (SPS) to be maintained at the highest standards. Smallholder farmers, farmer organizations, buyers and governments of low and middle-income countries are expected to meet these phytosanitary standards or risk export shipment rejections. With a growing need to have safe, quality food, it is critical to adhere to food safety standards of buyers and regulatory bodies.

The Linkage Between Food Safety and Sustainability Food loss and waste pose a major threat to both global food system security and sustainability. Postharvest loss is both nutrient and resource loss. When food is wasted, so are the resources required to produce it, namely land, water, and energy. In Africa, with the world’s highest rates of hunger and malnutrition, about a third of all food produced is lost before it ever reaches consumers.

Waste management is a significant problem globally due to its impact on human health and the environment. However, in developing countries the situation becomes more acute due to the cultural and economic need for proper urbanization in the peripheral belt of the cities. Thus, waste management is a social, economic, and environmental problem facing all African countries. EU Africa RISE supports several initiatives to manage waste sustainably. One of them is a digital app solution that will be piloted in Angola with National Waste Agency (NWA).

The European Commission through EU Africa RISE, SADC Business Council, and Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) jointly organised a conference on the ‘Implementation of circular economy regulations in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’ on 22 and 23 February 2023 in Lusaka, Zambia. The conference aimed to mobilise regional business, government, and civil society leaders to come together around the development of a circular economy, waste management, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) topics on a formalised platform.

‘Bridging the Gender Gap in Investment and Financial Services Sector in Mauritius’ was a joint workshop organised by the EU Africa RISE Regional Facility and The Association of Women in Investment and Finance in Mauritius.

This blog is co-authored by Komal Bazaz Smith, Program Director of USAID Digital Connectivity & Cybersecurity Partnership Programs and Anthony Brown, Co-Founder, Acute Incite

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.

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.

This blog is jointly authored by Dongnaan Swomen, Intervention Lead, Agri Insurance of the Rural Resilience Activity, Mark Akpan, Senior Advisor, Financial Services of the Rural Resilience Activity, and John Rachkara, Deputy Chief of Party, Rural Resilience Activity.

A nation’s ability to mobilize resources to combat and cope with climate change is primarily constrained by its resources and financial capacity, which vary dramatically across developing contexts.  While external sources of funding like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) are critical to meeting a nation’s Paris Agreement goals, they are often out of reach without domestic financial systems and processes to absorb such funds and use them productively.

How many times this week have you heard someone rave about an amazing mother who is simultaneously juggling her business with childcare, while running a household? This is constantly happening. Everywhere across the globe. We all do it – men and women. Glorifying multi-tasking by women entrepreneurs must stop.

This blog was authored by Rhea Dhar and Rachel Levine while interning at Chemonics International.

This blog, written by Ashfaq Enayetullah, was originally published on Agrilinks. 

This blog was written by Carolyn Barker-Villena, Corus International’s Senior Regional Director of Latin America. She reflects on the importance of private sector engagement after a recent trip to El Salvador. 

In Northern Kenya, county governments have a unique responsibility to support local development, as much of their population struggles with poor access to economic markets, frequent drought, and other challenges that perpetuate poverty and food insecurity in the country’s arid and semi-arid lands. Their efforts cannot succeed without the involvement of the community and often partners like USAID.

The pandemic and following economic shocks have underlined the importance of resilience at all levels of the economy, from national and local governments to your neighborhood business. Access to appropriate financial services is a key component of a resilient economy. Access to the right financial services at the right time can strengthen economic opportunities and support business growth.

Necessity Breeds Entrepreneurship  “I needed to provide for my children.” It’s a simple reason that motivates millions of parents to earn money every day.

By Digital Frontiers Project Staff

This blog is written by CV Viverito, ​Director, Global Impact Programs, ​Out & Equal Workplace Advocates.

This post was written by George Khisa, William Nielsen, and Moussa Traoré.

This post was authored by Jay Gilliam, Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator, USAID.

In this blog, originally published on acdivoca.org, Jenn Williamson, Vice President of Gender and Social Inclusion at ACDI/VOCA, collaborated with Ryan Ubuntu Olson, Technical Advisor for Health, Human Rights, and Gender at Palladium, to identify lessons learned from the health and human rights sectors for promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion that can strengthen and inform other sectors, including agr

USAID CATALYZE Private Sector Development Activity Provides COVID-19 Relief Grants to Build Resilience and Adaptability in Sri Lanka's Apparel Sector.

This post was written by Gabriel Falk for USAID’s Trade and Competitiveness Activity (TCA).

In vibrant financial ecosystems, Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) play a vital role in unlocking financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). BASPs are business consultants, lawyers, incubation hubs, accountants, and other intermediaries who support actors on the demand or supply side of capital during the transaction process. With the right capacity and experience to support SMEs and investors, they can accelerate and direct large volumes of investment.