Activity Description: Small Enterprise Assistance Funds ("SEAF") is a global investment firm focused on providing growth capital and operational support to businesses in emerging markets and those underserved by traditional sources of capital. SEAF selectively makes structured debt and equity investments in locally owned enterprises with high growth potential.

Based in Washington D.C., SEAF invests in more than 20 countries around the world through an international network of 15 offices in Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Investors include a cross section of public and private institutions, including several of the international finance institutions, local pension funds, insurance companies, banks and family offices.

Activity Description:

Mr. Yan Jingyu, owner of Jiangyou Xun Pai Organic Agriculture Co., had a dream of making organic agriculture a common practice in his native Sichuan province is one that he has been cultivating since he began harvesting the first Damascus rose in 1969. Since then, Yan has not only worked to convert degraded soil into productive land, he has become an entrepreneurial trendsetter by bringing organic practices to the farmers of rural China. As Xun Pai begins to work with international buyers, the company’s quality standards and scalable methods are likely to spread throughout the regional agricultural sector.

Yan’s rose fields are maintained by a cost-effective biological process. Rather than using powerful pesticides, for example, he distributes natural predators throughout his crops to protect them from destructive insects. This is not only much less expensive than the conventional method, it is highly innovative in an industry where some crops such as rice may be treated with up to 15 different pesticides. The founder of Xun Pai has a clear passion for his work and remarkable mentoring abilities that are evident in his efforts to duplicate this process among other practitioners. Aside from having written a textbook that is still part of the curriculum in many agricultural programs, he trains 20,000 farmers occupying 1,000 hectares of land in organic practices. The popularity of Yan’s mentoring is evident, proving that his methods are not only sustainable, but scalable as well.

Xun Pai is also proof of the crucial role Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) play in forming supply chains with larger firms. Two major Chinese buyers, Tetea and Ostore, are going to purchase Xun Pai roses in bulk as ingredients for organic cakes, teas and facial powders. Now international firms as well are beginning to recognize Xun Pai for its quality product and superior market positioning, being one of only two organic rose producers in the country. Yan is negotiating an investment from Granit after having met representatives of the Swiss company at an Investor Forum hosted by New Ventures, a program of the World Resources Institute. Granit is planning to use the roses as a key ingredient in a line of essential oils, and its investment will help Xun Pai expand to keep up with international demand, particularly as it prepares to become a supplier for German companies. As its sales continue to grow, Xun Pai serves as a strong example of the value sustainable SMEs can have as essential actors in forming linkages within an economy and as catalysts for positive change in local businesses.

Activity Description:

Ventures in Development is a social enterprise that seeks to elevate the lives of the poor through growing the spirit of entrepreneurship. Venture in Development is currently trying to incubate two ventures, Mei Xiang Cheese Factory and The Shokay Company. The concept is to capitalize on Western China's abundant resource - 13 million yaks.

Activity Description:

China has set up a special fund to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to China's Ministry of Finance (MOF).

The funds, which come from the central government's budget, will offer China's SMEs free financial aid and loan repayment subsidies of up to 2 million yuan (250,000 U.S. dollars) per project, according to a policy document issued by the MOF and the National Development and Reform Commission.

Activity Description:

Activity Description: A Chinese company has developed an inexpensive Linux-based computer as a way to close the "digital divide." YellowSheepRiver's $150 "Municator" is available now and claims to have performance akin to Pentium III-quality; it is also compared to MIPS's four-way superscalar R10000 processor, which shipped in 1995.
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Whereas the MIT One Laptop Per Child models offer an LCD display and no harddrive, the Chinese model offers an external 40GB USB drive and an S-video cable to support television hook-ups.

Activity Description: Micronutrient deficiencies threaten the health, development, and productivity of millions of people worldwide. One approach to alleviating malnutrition is fortifying food with micronutrients. On a large scale, food fortification can be cost-effective and sustainable, and it allows people to get more nutritional value from the food they already eat.

To bring fortification to vulnerable rice-consuming communities, PATH developed a manufactured “Ultra Rice"--which can be mixed with rice and mimics the look, feel, and taste of rice--to provide nutrients the local diet may lack. In Colombia, two versions have been developed. One carries vitamin A; the other carries thiamin, folic acid, and zinc. An iron-bearing formula is expected to hit the commercial market later this year.

Activity Description: In response to China's growing problem of deforestation, the Yunnan Zhenzhong Environmental Protection - Energy Conservation Company has designed an biomass stove that saves 3000kg of firewood (compared to average fire-burning stoves) per year.

This stove is targeted at China's 220 million farmers. In addition to providing efficient, more cost-efficient usage of scarce firewood, t

Activity Description: BroadReach Healthcare is an international company dedicated to expanding access to life-saving healthcare across the globe. BroadReach focuses particularly on addressing HIV/AIDS, which infects 14,000 new people every day.

BroadReach works across sectors to: 1) advise governments on strategies for developing and implementing national treatment programs; 2) help design private-sector approaches to HIV/AIDS in their workplace; 3) assist funders, NGOs, governments, and multi-lateral assistance funds in identifying investments and managing projects to ensure a return on their investments.

Activity Description: Sun Microsystems, the multinational hardware and software firm, has established a per-citizen pricing model that will make its enterprise systems widely available to developing country buyers at reasonable rates. The model targets federal, state, and local governments in developing nations, which will be able to buy licenses ranging from USD $0.33 to $1.95 per citizen per year. The actual price for a given country is determined based on the number of citizens in the respective government entity and the stage of development of the country as defined by the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Activity Description: The UNEP's CREED initiative fosters the development of rural energy entrepreneurs in China through partnerships with local NGOs. With the support of international development organizations and financial institutions, the initiative provides a combination of business development services and start-up financing. AREED aims to attract investments from mainstream financial partners to these entrepreneurs.