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Three presenters from USAID and Michigan State University covered topics ranging from how long agricultural transformation will take, to what types of resources smallholder famers have at their disposal.

Moloney is currently working on a major cocoa project with USAID in Peru that aims to engage the private sector in development.

Alejandro Escobar of the Multilateral Investment Fund at the IDB recently joined Microlinks for a preview interview about the Cracking the Nut Conference. Among other things, Escobar looks forward to networking and learning from other participants.

Looking ahead to the June 25-26 Cracking the Nut Conference 2013 in Dresden, Germany, Roger Frank of Innovare Advisors reflects on the critical importance of collaboration in the food security community.

Recent recognition of the impact of infrastructure on growth and trade is leading to increasing focus on investment in the power sector, such as the Power Africa Initiative. But that investment requires the right legal and regulatory framework.

Panelists Jay Banjade (Independent Consultant), Radha Rajkotia (International Rescue Committee), and Margie Brand (EcoVentures International) share cases from the field on expanding livelihood opportunities for the extreme poor through private sector engagement. This follows a session entitled, "PSE at the Bottom of the Pyramid" at the recent USAID/E3 Engaging the Power of the Private Sector for Development training course.

Learn more about the Cracking the Nut Conference to be held on October 14-16 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Anita Campion and Nikolaus Eichman of AZMJ share their thoughts on what participants can expect from the Cracking the Nut Africa conference to be held in Kigali, Rwanda.

David Weiss of Global Communities recently sat down with Microlinks to discuss the Cracking the Nut Africa conference, a joint effort of Global Communities, USAID/Rwanda, and AZMJ.

For Van Dusen, Cracking the Nut Africa represents an opportunity to share critical innovations and lessons learned with the broader development community.

Keck discusses Engility’s experience working with cereals value chains in the Senegal Economic Growth Project, as the linkages between development work and stabilization efforts in countries in crisis or emerging from crisis.

To strengthen economic prosperity in the Kingdom of Jordan, bolster female employment. 

Examining gender-specific COVID-19 impacts and integrating women’s empowerment interventions in agriculture remains essential to COVID-19 survival and recovery.

Youth — who make up a large portion of the potential workforce in developing countries — are often left out of markets systems, representing a significant lost opportunity to deliver social and economic benefits. 

Attention to inclusivity of youth and women in market systems development (MSD) is gaining traction around the world as part of work to strengthen inclusive agriculture-led growth, food security, poverty reduction, and improved employment. In recent years, at least 15 agriculture-related MSD activities valued at a combined half a billion U.S. dollars have targeted women and, increasingly, youth.

In January 2020, the Feed the Future Ghana Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement II (ADVANCE II) Project conducted a gender assessment in these culturally distinct regions to explore how women performed as members of village savings and loan associations (VSLAs).

Local textile manufacturers in North and West Africa are pivoting to meet demand for personal protective equipment.

This month, Marketlinks is exploring markets in crisis. Throughout October, we will take a deep dive into the topic and its relation to other relevant subject areas, like the COVID-19 pandemic, adaptive managment, and resilence.

The fragility of health systems has never been of greater interest—or importance—than at this moment, in the aftermath of the worst Ebola virus disease epidemic to date. The loss of life, massive social disruption, and collapse of even the most basic health-care services shows what happens when a crisis hits and health systems are not prepared.

Chief of Party, Kari Onyancha shares insights from a global survey.

With the right techniques and knowledge, shrimp farmers in Bangladesh, even those with small-scale production, have the potential to maximize their income and further provide for their families while making significant returns on investment. To achieve this, farmers must follow rigorous production practices that require strict technical precision.

The 2020 SEEP Annual Conference looked a little different this year. With the global pandemic rapidly evolving, SEEP stayed committed to creating a safe and meaningful experience for their community of global thinkers and doers by switching to an online forum from October 26-30th. 

This blog post was written by Emily Langhorne of USAID INVEST

Indonesian women’s roles in agriculture tend to be less visible and are frequently overlooked by agricultural input companies, government extension workers and even development programs. Unsurprisingly, gender considerations are largely absent from agricultural marketing activities and direct sales agent (DSA) models. To understand and address this gap, PRISMA conducted research on 10 agricultural sector partners and their respective DSA programs.

As global health supply chains expand and become more complex, the information systems that are used to manage them need to mature along with them. USAID’s Supply Chain Information System Maturity Model helps countries evaluate their supply chain systems’ capabilities holistically, enabling informed decision-making and timely delivery of health commodities.