TechnoServe’s Top 5 Stories of 2023

This year, TechnoServe worked with thousands of small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs to overcome immense challenges, find creative solutions, and build lasting change for themselves, their families, and their broader communities. Check out TechnoServe’s top 5 stories of 2023, then explore other content on the TechnoServe blog. 

TechnoServe’s Top Stories, #5: How Technology is Supporting Deforestation-Free Coffee Supply Chains (November 8, 2023) 

New regulations to address deforestation within supply chains, such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), are creating challenges and opportunities for global companies and small-scale producers. 

TechnoServe is developing a free Android application to help coffee farmers and exporters comply with EUDR regulations. The application is currently in beta testing in select countries. It has the potential to benefit over 25 million smallholder coffee farmers worldwide, fostering improved inclusivity and transparency.

TechnoServe’s Top Stories, #4: Three Major Differences Between Hunger and Food Insecurity (February 1, 2023) 

Do you know the difference between hunger and food insecurity? Contrary to what you may think, “food insecurity” and “hunger” are not interchangeable. Hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by a lack of food coupled with the desire to eat. Food insecurity refers to a regular lack of access to “enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life.”

The causes of hunger include one’s diet, lifestyle factors like exercise and stress, and medications. However, the causes of food insecurity are more systemic. For example, poverty, unemployment, low income, lack of access to healthcare, climate change, and racial discrimination.

TechnoServe’s Top Stories, #3: 5 Ways Climate Change Disproportionately Impacts Women (May 16, 2023) 

Women are often disproportionately impacted by climate change, especially in low-income countries. They may be more susceptible to harm due to poverty, lack of education, and limited decision-making power. Women are also essential players in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. They often have perspectives, lived experiences, and unique knowledge that can help shape effective climate change policies and interventions. 

TechnoServe’s Top Stories, #2: Is the Barbie Movie About Women and Men and Gender Equality? (August 9, 2023)

What does a movie about Barbie, a doll often associated with objectifying women, have to do with gender equality and women’s economic empowerment? 

Gender equality is a state where individuals and groups can have the same opportunities, rights, and agency over their lives without discrimination or bias based on gender or sex. Gender equality equates to fundamental human rights. TechnoServe works hard to achieve gender parity in terms of the share of women and men who financially benefit from our programs around the world.

The themes of the Barbie movie included the strong desire to make a difference, fight inequality, and help build strong communities. However, unlike Barbieland, the real world is more complex. TechnoServe designs programs that recognize the complexity and interconnected nature of the real world. 

Once the women we work with around the world have a chance to join a TechnoServe program, they start to gain more awareness of their rights and question the gender norms that have shaped their opportunities. Recognition is the first step to address the barriers they still face at the household, community, and systems levels.

TechnoServe’s Top Stories, #1: World Hunger: Causes, Effects, and Solutions (May 17, 2023) 

Hunger is a basic human need that everyone deserves to satisfy. Yet too many people around the world suffer regularly from hunger. According to the World Food Program, more than 345 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity this year. That’s more than the population of the United States. 

Poverty and inequality are among the leading causes of world hunger. Even though the world produces enough food for our global population, it can be out of reach for people living in poverty. They are also more vulnerable to the effects of economic downturns and natural disasters, which can further exacerbate hunger.

Global hunger is a complex problem with far-reaching consequences for individuals, communities, and nations. Addressing hunger requires a comprehensive approach considering the various factors contributing to the issue. We can work toward a world free of hunger through targeted interventions and investments in agriculture, sustainable food systems, and vulnerable populations.