A Different Way to Make a Difference: TechnoServe’s 2023 Annual Report

In 2023, TechnoServe’s work helped farmers and entrepreneurs in over 30 countries earn an additional $485 million and changed the lives of 3.4 million people. Our 2023 annual report takes a closer look at the impact our clients achieved last year and the inspiring stories behind the numbers.

Coffee farmers in Rwanda receive subsidized seedlings through the Rwanda INC project’s seedling distribution initiative. Part of TechnoServe's 2023 annual report: a different way to make a difference.

For over half a century, TechnoServe has been committed to providing business solutions to poverty. Our approach is a unique way to make a difference, one that has helped millions of small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs improve their incomes and lives. Each year, we meticulously measure and analyze data from each of our projects. We are thrilled to share the results from 2023 with you.

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Make a Difference: Our Impact in 2023

Incorporating New Environmental Indicators

TechnoServe recognizes that people’s ability to thrive is inextricably linked to the health of our planet. That’s why we incorporated two new environmental indicators in 2023: emissions reduced and land under regenerative management. These indicators are crucial in measuring the sustainability and long-term impact of our projects, aligning with our commitment to promote regenerative practices. 

Emissions reduced refers to the estimated amount of greenhouse gas emissions avoided, reduced, or sequestered by TechnoServe projects that promote regenerative practices. Land under regenerative management is the amount of farmland or natural areas where TechnoServe clients have applied regenerative practices. Examples of regenerative practices include cover cropping, crop rotation, and agroforestry. By applying regenerative practices, farmers not only avoid harming the environment but actually leave the planet healthier.

For smallholder farmers like Benjamín Alas Ordoñez, learning regenerative agricultural practices has had economic and environmental benefits. Since joining a TechnoServe program in El Salvador in 2023, Benjamín has seen a 200% increase in his coffee yields. 

Benjamin Alas Ordoñez is a 69-year-old coffee farmer in Sacacoyo, La Libertad, El Salvador. Photo by Julieta Ocampo Giraldo for TechnoServe.
Benjamin Alas Ordoñez is a 69-year-old coffee farmer in Sacacoyo, La Libertad, El Salvador. (TechnoServe / Julieta Ocampo).

Maintaining this forest is important for the climate—for the oxygen it provides and the carbon it captures,” Benjamín explained. “There’s another added value to this work that goes not only to the people of El Salvador but to the whole world. These are small contributions, but little by little, a lot is done.”

Emissions Mitigated

60,000 tons of CO2e is the estimated greenhouse gas avoided, reduced, or sequestered by projects that promote regenerative practices. This data represents six projects for the inaugural year for this metric. 

Land Under Regenerative Management 

140,000 Ha of farmland or natural areas where TechnoServe clients have applied regenerative practices to land and water where we can attribute improvements in protection, management, or restoration to project activities. Data was collected from six projects in this first pilot year. 

TechnoServe is on a thrilling mission: prosperity through business solutions that embrace regenerative practices,” said Tony Siantonas, Global Director of Regenerative Business. “In 2023, we measured climate and nature impacts across 14 projects. We’re eagerly expanding these key performance indicators to 50% of active regenerative projects in 2024 and aiming for 100% coverage by 2026.”

A Different Way to Make a Difference

Our 2023 annual report highlights the collaborative efforts of TechnoServe staff, partners, donors, and, above all, the smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs we work with every day. We invite you to continue supporting our mission to fight poverty. With your vital support, we can create even more pathways to prosperity, transforming countless lives for the better.

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