For over 50 years, TechnoServe has helped hardworking women and men in the developing world gain the skills, connections, and confidence to create self-sustaining businesses and build a path out of poverty. In part two of this series, we ask a few of these farmers and entrepreneurs to share how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their lives and how they are coping with its effects.
In Nigeria, TechnoServe is helping tomato farmers boost incomes and reduce post-harvest losses, while adapting to a changing climate.
For over 50 years, TechnoServe has helped hardworking women and men in the developing world gain the skills, connections, and confidence to create self-sustaining businesses and build a path out of poverty. In 2020, we asked a few of these farmers and entrepreneurs to share how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their lives and how they are coping with its effects.
In San Martín, Peru, coca used to dominate the landscape. Now, through the Coffee Alliance for Excellence (CAFE) program, farmers in former coca-growing regions are learning how to improve their livelihoods through coffee.
In Tanzania, shopkeepers like Emanuel Barosha Ndiwene often lack the business and financial management skills they need to run profitable businesses. A TechnoServe program connects young entrepreneurs with the knowledge, training, and tools they need to become successful retailers.
In the Indian tradition and culture, it is common for parents to be highly involved in their children’s decision-making processes, particularly regarding career choices. However, parental involvement can also sometimes be a barrier to youth employment. TechnoServe is engaging both youth and their parents to ensure that young people can pursue formal sector jobs with their parents’ support.
In Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, agri-entrepreneurs like Helena and Amândio are seeking to lift themselves out of poverty by expanding their businesses. But even good market opportunities, like poultry production, can pose challenges when entrepreneurs lack the technical knowledge to run enterprises successfully. TechnoServe’s Catalisa program teaches small-scale poultry producers how to profitably produce chickens for the live market through hands-on training and one-on-one coaching, enabling them to expand their production and earn higher incomes.
From launching a new program to help small shops respond to COVID-19, to using remote sensing technology to map cashew production in Benin, here are some of the highlights of an eventful year.
In a year filled with challenges, TechnoServe has remained committed to helping farmers and small businesses fight the impact of COVID-19. While some of our methods may have looked a bit different this year, our mission has remained the same. Our five most-read stories from 2020 illustrate just a few of the ways that TechnoServe has helped women and men in the developing world overcome obstacles to build brighter futures.
Food fortification is one of the best ways to fight malnutrition at scale. This is particularly important in countries like Nigeria, which has the largest number of malnourished people in Africa. Recently, leaders from across Nigeria's public and private sector gathered virtually to highlight some rare progress in combating this problem: major improvements in the country's food fortification.
