TechnoServe’s Top 5 Stories of 2024
This year, TechnoServe worked with thousands of small-scale farmers and business owners to overcome challenges, find creative solutions, and build lasting change for themselves, their families, and their broader communities. Check out TechnoServe’s top five stories of 2024, then explore other content on the TechnoServe blog.
- What is Poverty: Understanding the Global Challenge (October 16, 2024)
Poverty is a complex global challenge affecting almost half the world’s population, with approximately four billion people living on less than $6.85 per day. Poverty is defined beyond mere lack of money. It encompasses inadequate access to basic needs like food, shelter, education, and healthcare. Food insecurity, climate change, gender inequality, and political conflicts all contribute to poverty.
TechnoServe is working to combat poverty through strategies that focus on regenerative agriculture, food systems transformation, and job creation, particularly for young people and women. By providing skills, connections, and support to smallholder farmers and small business owners, these initiatives help people build self-sustaining businesses and create brighter futures for themselves and their communities.
Read the inspiring stories of eight women entrepreneurs in India pioneering sustainable startups through TechnoServe’s Greenr Sustainability Accelerator program. These women are transforming various sectors, including agriculture, feminine hygiene, recycling, and fashion through environmentally conscious approaches. Their startups address critical challenges by developing solutions such as biodegradable products, plastic waste recycling, sustainable fashion design, and agricultural technologies that promote economic and environmental sustainability.
These women are not just building businesses but driving significant social and environmental change. Their initiatives focus on addressing global challenges through innovative approaches that minimize environmental impact and empower local communities. Their work demonstrates a deep commitment to sustainability, showcasing how entrepreneurial spirit can be leveraged to solve complex environmental and social issues while creating economic opportunities for marginalized communities.
- World Youth Skills Day 2024: 5 Essential Skills Youth Around the World Need to Thrive (July 15, 2024)
World Youth Skills Day highlights the critical importance of skill development for young people, particularly across parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where high unemployment and limited educational opportunities pose significant challenges. Learn the five critical skills essential for youth success:
- Soft skills
- Business skills
- Financial skills
- Technical skills
- Digital skills
These skills are crucial for empowering young people to overcome economic barriers, build successful careers, and contribute meaningfully to their communities. TechnoServe is working to bridge skills gaps by offering training programs that help youth develop these critical competencies, with a focus on meeting local market needs and supporting entrepreneurship. By providing comprehensive skill development, these initiatives help individual young people improve their economic prospects and contribute to broader economic growth and community development. The ultimate goal is to empower youth to overcome challenges, create jobs, and build more prosperous futures for themselves and their communities.
- How Farmers in India are Resisting Climate Change and Raising Incomes (February 15, 2024)
In drought-prone regions of Rajasthan, India, farmers found hope through support from TechnoServe’s Sustainable Guar Initiative (SGI). Guar, a drought-resistant legume, has become a critical crop for farmers in the arid Bikaner District, offering a sustainable solution to water scarcity. SGI helped farmers adopt improved agricultural practices, such as rain-fed cultivation and moisture retention techniques, while also introducing high-yield, drought-resistant seed varieties that can significantly improve crop production.
The program went beyond agricultural techniques, empowering farmers through farmer producer organizations that provide better market access and improved pricing. By connecting farmers to established markets and offering training in agricultural and entrepreneurial skills, the initiative has transformed the lives of thousands of farmers, with particular emphasis on supporting women’s participation in agriculture.
- Jobs in Tech and Development: Q&A with Sildio Mbonyumuhire, TechnoServe Labs (January 16, 2024)
Sildio Mbonyumuhire’s journey from an aspiring priest to a software engineer is a testament to the transformative power of technology. Growing up in rural Rwanda, he initially dreamed of becoming a priest. However, his fascination with technology led him to pursue a computer science degree at the University of Rwanda, where he overcame challenges like limited computer access by working as a teacher to save money for his own computer.
After completing his master’s in information technology at Carnegie Mellon University-Africa and gaining experience at several companies as a software engineer, Sildio joined TechnoServe. His current work involves developing technological solutions for small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs worldwide. Sildio is passionate about collaborative approaches to solving social challenges, emphasizing the importance of understanding people’s needs and using technology for meaningful change. His advice is simple: don’t be scared, just get started.
