TechnoServe’s COVID-19 Impact Report examines how the pandemic disrupted key sectors of emerging economies and the livelihoods of those who work in them. Our first feature in our blog series on the report highlights the challenges smallholder farmers faced last year and the promising solutions that could help stave off a future production crisis.
In northern Nigeria, gender norms often limit women’s abilities to control resources, including land and finance. A TechnoServe program is helping women rice farmers like Rahma Umar increase their incomes and opportunities through improved rice production.
Numbers show that when entrepreneurs receive support, they can innovate, adapt, and overcome enormous obstacles. But there are millions of entrepreneurs in the world still facing the prospect of losing their business amid the lingering crisis. Civil society, government, and the private sector must work together to reach these women and men.
In this series, we check back with TechnoServe program participants previously featured on our blog, documenting how their lives have changed and progressed. In our previous story on Juliana Solís Barón, an entrepreneur and café owner in Peru, she was learning how to reinvent her business in response to strict lockdown restrictions. Find out how she is doing now, five months later.
Eight years ago, Fedila Hussein and Mustafa Tesfaye struggled to earn a living from coffee. Their coffee trees were old and were not producing enough to cover the living expenses of their family of six. After participating in a TechnoServe program, Fedila and Mustafa learned important techniques to improve their coffee yields. Today, their farm is flourishing, and they have seen a 23-fold increase in their coffee production.
In this series, we check back with TechnoServe program participants previously featured on our blog, documenting how their lives have changed and progressed. Catarina Bié is a small business owner in Maputo, Mozambique. After receiving digital business training from TechnoServe, Catarina learned how to adapt her business to survive the crisis. Find out how she is doing now, seven months later.
Julia Podevin is a former TechnoServe Fellow who worked in Ghana in 2011. During her time with TechnoServe, she looked for ways to link financial institutions, such as rural banks, with the agricultural sector. In this Q&A, Julia shares why she became a Fellow, what her experience was like on the ground, and why she continues to support TechnoServe.
In this series, we check back with TechnoServe program participants previously featured on our blog, documenting how their lives have changed and progressed. Gomti Devi is a smallholder guar farmer in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, whose gender-inclusive training from TechnoServe helped her withstand the COVID-19 crisis. Having learned how to sew and to grow food, Gomti saved money, reduced her risks, and gave back to protect the wider community. Find out how she is doing now, almost a year later.
Angela Choi is a former TechnoServe Fellow who worked in Zimbabwe in 2017 performing an agricultural value chain analysis. In this Q&A, Angela shares how she got involved, what inspires her about TechnoServe’s work, and what she learned from her time as a Fellow.
Women play an essential role in the success of small farms and agricultural businesses around the world. But despite the vital role of women farmers, they continue to face inequality and obstacles to earning a decent living. Guillaume Le Cunff, CEO of Nespresso, William Warshauer, CEO of TechnoServe, and Mefthe Tadesse, East Africa Regional Director for TechnoServe, discuss ways to promote gender equality in coffee farming.
