“These guys are feeding the poor but their financing is very poor,” says Bonnie McClafferty, GAIN’s food value chain director. “They are pretty much falling through the cracks because they’re too small for all of the big lending and they’re too big for microfinance.”
Innovation and Technology
Betting the Farm: Big Data in Agriculture
At the intersection of climate change, agriculture, and economy, strategic foresight modeling looks ahead to inform better decisionmaking in agriculture.
Creating a Common Language to Solve Hidden Costs of Food System
Dr. Jes Weiglet, shares his thoughts on the role of the TEEBAgriFood framework in the creation of a common language in the agriculture system. He shows the hidden health care and environmental costs of cheap food, and how a collaborative effort can help realize the true cost of cheap food.
Tracking Food Waste With LeanPath CEO Andrew Shakman
Food Tank interviews LeanPath’s CEO Andrew Shakman about the status of food waste in our world today and his company’s efforts to encourage food waste prevention.
Tech Startup Changing Food Aid in Liberia
Taylor Quinn is the Emerging Markets Director for the US food-tech startup, JUST. Initially, JUST sent him to Liberia to start an educational project. Quinn soon found an opportunity to approach food aid in a totally new way. Now they are selling JUST Power Gari.
Climate Smart Agriculture Techniques Spread Beyond Senegal with New Regional Center
CERAAS earned Regional Center of Excellence recognition for its research on adapting dry cereals to drought conditions and its plans to expand into the rest of West and Central Africa.
Building a Big Data Platform for Agriculture
The tools of Big Data hold a lot of promise for many industries including agriculture. But the expertise required to build a data management platform are still emerging. Dr. Medha Devare is an agronomist and data architect who is helping to lead the new CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture.
You can Farm Anywhere, Even Inside a Shopping Mall
Startup company BeGreen is reducing food waste and creating access to healthy food by farming inside a shopping center in Brazil
Dr. Maiga on Cultivating Equality in West and Central Africa
Dr. Mariame Maiga, Regional Gender and Social Development Adviser for the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), tells Food Tank how CORAF’s projects make gender issues a key concern.
Transforming Food and Health in Native Communities Through Vertical Farming
7 Generations, an AgTech farm development country focused on Indian country, looks to indoor vertical farming and STEM education to foster a healthier food system and the next generation of agricultural businesses for Native communities.
Cashew Creations for Women’s Employment in Senegal
Cashews are not just grown; they’re also processed. This project generated opportunities for women in Senegal to be part of the process close to home.
Is There an Algorithm to End World Hunger?
The tools of Big Data analytics have led to transformations in many sectors—from finance to politics to professional sports. What could these new approaches to data science do for agriculture? The new CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture is leading the way for these innovations in agricultural development, with over 8,000 researchers working to incorporate Big Data into farming research.
HelloFresh and Spoiler Alert Team Up to Reduce Food Waste
Using data, this meal kit company was able to divert 65 percent of its food surplus away from landfills and towards America’s food insecure.
What does a Plan B For Europe’s fragmented food system look like?
Key food and agriculture stakeholders are working together to develop an integrated food policy for Europe, intended to bridge the gaps of the EU’s fragmented food system
Reality TV Encourages Farmers to be Innovative
Access Agriculture empowers farmers across the Global South with translated farmer-to-farmer training videos in integrated pest management, business skills, sustainable land management, and more.
Maine Takes a Lesson from Japan in Scallop Farming
Coastal Enterprises Inc. aims to develop an economic market for sustainably farmed Maine scallops by modifying aquaculture model from Japan.
Transfernation’s New App Seeks to Reduce Food Insecurity in Urban Areas
Transfernation’s app connects pre-existing transportation networks, businesses, and shelters in dense urban areas to efficiently solve food insecurity on a low budget.
Combining Technologies for a Better Food System
Initially thought of as a tool for banking, blockchain technology has continued to develop and new research shows it can increase sustainability, efficiency, and transparency in the food system.
Agriculture’s Silicon Valley Hopes to Attract Entrepreneurs Addressing the Food System
The Yield Lab and The Yield Lab Institute invest, accelerate, and mentor agri-tech companies around the world.
New Tool Equips Farmers with Financial Know-How
The price of land has more than doubled since 2004; NYFC and Fathom Information Design create new Land Affordability Calculator to empower land-seeking farmers to make informed choices in land purchases.