Blog

Read Twitter highlights from day one of the Cracking the Nut 2012 Conference.

When developing agribusiness partnerships, one must understand and address the vulnerabilities of these small-scale farmers.

Increasing small farmers' income comes down to creating the connection to a market, which creates incentives for farmers to innovate and increase production. But the more difficult proposition is how we go about doing that.

In advance of the June Note From the Field on the state of microfinance in Iraq from USAID-Tijara (that comes out tomorrow!), Microlinks is featuring a series of videos from the program to give you an inside look at the progress on the ground. The USAID Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program is a five-year initiative to promote economic growth and employment in Iraq by increasing private sector access to finance, in particular for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Iraq's rapidly expanding microfinance industry is fast becoming a strong indigenous force for economic development.

To learn more about how USAID is unlocking private financing for development priorities around the world, you can watch an animated infographic featuring Ethiopian farmer Abebaw Gessese.

Two main objectives of the NAFAKA program are to improve the competitiveness and productivity of maize and rice value chains and to expand the benefits from the growth of the maize and rice subsectors, especially to women and youth.

The Rizal Commercial and Banking Co. (RCBC), one of the largest commercial banks in the Philippines, has introduced an SME business loan program which gives women the opportunity to increase their financial capacity and meet the growing demands of their business.

A young artist is keeping the art and culture of Iraq alive for the people of Kirkuk in a gallery he established with assistance from Al-Aman, an Iraqi microfinance institution.

In this video, Rosner and Eckert discuss how the project has achieved quick wins while still ensuring sustainability through solid planning, relationship strengthening, and behavior change strategies.

The seminar was successful in discussing the encouraging findings revealed so far and in identifying new research needed to unearth additional compelling, robust, welfare-enhancing results that can then guide policy and practice moving forward.

n this video, Goldberg discusses the findings of a recent study she worked on that focused on the savings behavior male tobacco farmers who received different account products.

In this video, the two presenters discuss the implications of findings from recent studies measuring the impact of commitment savings accounts on rural households in Malawi and Kenya.

On April 18, MasterCard helped Pro Mujer open their latest center in Mexico City’s Milpa Alta neighborhood and in celebration of Pro Mujer President and CEO Rosario Pérez blogged about igniting the entrepreneurial spirit of women.

A young Iraqi beekeeper establishes his own honey production business with assistance from the Iraqi Youth Initiative.

On April 30, 2012, FIFO DC and MEDA hosted a panel on the subject of “Innovative Market Research and the Design of Client-Centered Microfinance Products.”

The two presenters discuss the implications of survey results from 11 African nations that shed light on payment and money transfer behavior in African households.

The goal of the Iraqi Youth Initiative is to reduce youth unemployment by providing business skills training to help unemployed youth find jobs and apprenticeships.

Donna Read and Frank Page introduce a model for working in complex systems that has been developed by Human Systems Dynamics based on the science of complexity.

Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo discusses USAID's committment to address issues associated with disabilities in its implementation of mobile financial services throughout its global programs.

Axel Leblois discusses how the latest accessibility standards and innovations in mobile technologies may be leveraged to solve accessibility issues.

Maria Stephens reviews the role of various stakeholders involved in deploying accessible mobile solutions for persons with disabilities.

Meet two participants of Trickle Up’s USAID-funded Microenterprise Program for People with Disabilities in Guatemala: Astrid Yesenia Ben Ramirez and Diego Ramírez Xicay.

This summary covers three main points: the recent strategy refresh of the FSP team, the findings of research on Domestic Remittances in 11 African Countries, and how policy makers and market players might use these findings.

In advance of the June Note From the Field on the state of microfinance in Iraq from USAID-Tijara, Microlinks is featuring a series of videos from the program to give you an inside look at the progress on the ground. The USAID Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program is a five-year initiative to promote economic growth and employment in Iraq by increasing private sector access to finance, in particular for micro, small and medium enterprises.