5 Effective Strategies to Address Global Poverty
Learn about five practical strategies to address poverty, from promoting regenerative agriculture to leveraging technology for development. Discover how these approaches are creating sustainable pathways out of poverty and explore how you can contribute to building a more equitable world.
Global poverty remains one of the most pressing challenges of our time. According to the World Bank, approximately 9.3% of the global population lives in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $2.15 per day. While this represents significant progress from previous decades, it still translates to over 700 million people struggling to meet their basic needs.
Addressing poverty is a moral imperative and crucial for global stability, economic growth, and sustainable development. At TechnoServe, our mission is to fight poverty by helping people build regenerative farms, businesses, and markets that increase incomes.
Here are five practical strategies to address global poverty that draw on TechnoServe’s experience and expertise:
- Promote regenerative agriculture
- Empower small businesses
- Invest in skills development
- Improve access to markets
- Leverage technology and innovation
5 Strategies to Address Global Poverty
1. Promote Regenerative Agriculture
Nearly two-thirds of the world’s poor rely on agriculture for their incomes. It remains the backbone of many developing economies, providing employment to a significant portion of the workforce and contributing substantially to gross domestic product. Regenerative agriculture is an approach to farming that focuses on restoring and enhancing ecosystem health, improving soil quality, and increasing biodiversity while producing food and other agricultural products.
Promoting regenerative agriculture practices can help increase productivity, enhance resilience to climate change, and boost smallholder farmers’ incomes. Crop rotation is an example of a regenerative practice. It involves alternating different crops in the same field to break pest cycles and balance nutrient use. By implementing these methods, farmers can create more sustainable and productive agricultural systems that benefit both the environment and crop yields.
TechnoServe’s MOCCA (Maximizing Opportunities in Coffee and Cacao in the Americas) Program in Latin America aims to improve the livelihoods of over 120,000 coffee and cocoa farmers across six countries by promoting regenerative farming practices and improving market connections.
2. Empower Small Businesses
Small businesses are engines of job creation and economic growth in many low- and middle-income countries. We create sustainable pathways out of poverty by empowering entrepreneurs and providing them with the tools and knowledge to succeed.
TechnoServe’s Smart Duka program in Kenya exemplifies this approach. The program empowers small shopkeepers by providing business training, access to finance, and connections to suppliers. Smart Duka has helped increase shop owners’ revenues by an average of 30%.
TechnoServe initiatives like Smart Duka can help prepare small business owners to run profitable enterprises. Sylvia Nyambura, an entrepreneur in Muchatha, Kenya, initially struggled with keeping business records, analyzing her local market, and managing waste effectively. After participating in the Smart Duka program, she learned responsible waste management practices, improved record-keeping, and diversified her revenue streams.
As a result, her daily sales doubled, enabling her to pursue personal goals such as enrolling in a business management program and moving her family to a better neighborhood. Sylvia’s story demonstrates how targeted support can transform small businesses and improve livelihoods.
3. Invest in Skills Development
Education and skills development are crucial for breaking the cycle of poverty. By equipping individuals with the skills needed in the job market, we can increase their employability and earning potential.
TechnoServe’s youth employability programs focus on providing young people with the skills and connections needed to secure stable employment. The Youth Employability Program (YEP) in Mumbai, India, offered workshops and mentoring to students, equipping them with not only the skills, confidence, and knowledge to succeed in the workplace but also connections to companies looking to hire young workers.
Aishwarya Nanaware shared her experience in the program: “The TechnoServe training gave me clarity in thought and speech and prepared me well to face interviews. I learned what to expect from the different hiring processes, a structured manner to answer the company hiring managers, and how to tackle difficult questions.”
After participating in the program, Aishwarya secured a job as a sales coordinator at a bank.
In its first stage, YEP helped 1,000 young people secure employment in the formal sector. Studies have shown that vocational training can increase employment rates and earnings for individuals who participate. YEP’s success is partly attributed to its use of young trainers who can provide relatable guidance, helping to break down barriers to formal sector employment for youth from marginalized communities.
4. Improve Access to Markets
Access to markets often presents a significant barrier to growth and profitability for smallholder farmers and small business owners. Improving market linkages can help these entrepreneurs reach new customers and command better prices for their products. Many TechnoServe programs include a component on market linkages.
The Improving Market Access for Smallholder Farmers in Central America program works to connect farmers with buyers and help them meet market requirements. Nelda Gaitan is a mother of two and farmer in Nicaragua. Through the program, she learned new techniques to improve her productivity and access new markets. As a result, Nelda has been able to grow her business and make new investments on the farm. Nelda’s success has also challenged traditional gender roles in her community.
She explained, “Women in the community are [usually] housewives, and even though they perform agricultural activities on the farm, they don’t participate in decision-making on its income…I see myself as an example, and I’m proud because I’m the highest-producing farmer in the community and can educate my daughters.” Improved market access can not only boost incomes but also empower women and change community dynamics.
5. Leverage Technology and Innovation
Technology and innovation offer efficient, scalable, and often cost-effective solutions to global development challenges. Digital tools enable our clients to overcome traditional barriers such as lack of infrastructure, limited access to information, and geographic isolation.
TechnoServe uses a variety of tech-enabled approaches in its programs. For example, we have developed digital platforms to deliver educational content to farmers and entrepreneurs remotely, expanding the reach of our training initiatives. We’re also using satellite, aerial, and drone imagery—coupled with TechnoServe ground truth data and machine learning—to improve how we manage and report on our programs. In Benin, we mapped smallholder cashew plantations to inform sustainable tree crop expansion.
A Multifaceted Approach to Poverty Reduction
Addressing global poverty requires a multifaceted approach. The five strategies discussed represent powerful tools in this fight. When implemented in an integrated manner, these approaches can create sustainable pathways out of poverty for millions of people.
As global citizens, we all have a role to play in supporting poverty alleviation efforts. Whether through supporting organizations like TechnoServe, advocating for better policies, or making conscious consumer choices, each of us contributes to a better world.
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