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Timbuktu Chronicles points out two previously unknown players in the African investment picture: African Agricultural Capital and Advanced Finance and Investment Group.

African Agricultural Capital (AAC) invests in early-stage, high-risk agricultural enterprises in East Africa.  AAC focuses on companies that are introducing new technology or production systems, and makes investments out of an already-raised pool over $7 million.  Initial support for AAC came from the Rockefeller Foundation, and Volksvermogen NV.

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It has been interesting and worthwhile to me to have the opportunity to sift through NextBillion’s multitude of resources in search of projects to add to the activity database. The projects I have come across never cease to inspire. Some are new twists on old ideas combining traditional methods with modern systems…some are partnerships forged in the name of innovation. Some focus on cultural and artistic traditions and still others address more urgent needs such as disease prevention and nutrition. Acknowledging and sharing each project’s success and significance is just as important as the activities themselves.

Banco do Nordeste's CrediAmigo: Microfinance Banking
In November 1996 at a meeting in Fortaleza, the World Bank and Banco do Nordeste, a development bank formed to support growth in northeastern Brazil, decided to initiate a collaborative process to jointly implement a local development program based on the idea of micro-credit. Motivated by the fact that small informal companies – family owned and small properties - were not being served by the Bank's financing activities due to the restrictive regulation of Brazil's Banking Systems, Banco do Nordeste and the World Bank decided to develop and launch a pilot low-income bank, targeting micro-entrepreneurs from informal sectors.

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I couldn't help myself. Staring at piles of steak, salad and cheese breads I wondered what had gone into this process - what had happened to allow this lunch to reach my table. A meal at Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian Churrascaria downtown, will have that effect on you; and it's easy to get philosophical after a couple caipirinhas and a pound of fraudinha.

Two molecular biologists in India asked the same question, and as with so many of the products we consume in this age of globalization, they found disturbing results. Dr. Shendye and Dr. Joshi explored large scale agricultural practices in their region and found that farmers had a strong incentive to inundate their fields with excessive amounts of water and chemical fertilizer to boost crop production in the short term even though this process would eventually have detrimental effects. Over time, noxious substances accumulate in the soil, gradually making some of the country's richest lands largely infertile.

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It's a classic example of traditional vs. "modern," market efficiency vs. sustainability. Agriculture in Indonesia is largely divided between two types of producers - those that practice environmentally friendly, small-scale methods, and those that have adopted the more efficient, large-scale, Western techniques.

The first is characterized by an intelligent use of resources to stay within the capacity of the natural environment, but also an inefficiency that does not lend itself to profit potential in a market economy. The second has much more growth potential, but is characterized by the unsafe and unsustainable use of pesticides, monocropping and overuse of fertilizer that actually decrease crop yields over time while damaging the local community.

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So much to read, so little time…but these activities are definitely worth a look-over.

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The Ashden Awards reward outstanding and innovative projects which tackle climate change and improve quality of life through the generation of sustainable energy at a local level. As you can imagine, the winners had some amazing ideas with the potential to drastically change the lives of the communities they are reaching out to.

Four awards were given in recognition of the way in which sustainable energy has been used to improve access to Light, to Food, to promote Enterprise and to improve Health and Welfare. An Africa Award was given in recognition of the urgent need to address the combined challenges of environmental degradation and lack of access to resources in the region. More general information on the awards can be found in the press release.

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I've recently been reading through some past blogs, keeping a keen and curious eye out for activities to add to NextBillion's activity database...care to see what I found? Some very interesting, and of course worthwhile projects...

ZENUFA Laboratories - Tanzania

Zenufa, a pharmaceutical company, is settting up one of the first Tanzanian pharmaceutical plants complying with the WHO Current Good Manufacturing Standards. The project is being supported by BIO (Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries)

Zenufa has a long-range plan to produce more innovative drugs, not yet manufactured in Tanzania, such as ARV drugs for aids patients. Zenufa will sell most of its products in Tanzania but will also target other neighbourhood countries. In addition, this plant will improve the access to essential drugs, will help reduce prices and will offer opportunities to launch more sophisticated drugs. Zenufa will create about 150 new jobs, most of them for women.

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The crop duster crashing and dumping pesticides into the Los Mochis water supply was bad enough. But when a warehouse blaze released toxic agrochemicals into the air, causing respiratory illnesses among farmers and their families in the area, Jorge Berni knew there had to be a better way.

Jorge had twenty years of experience as an organic farmer but in the wake of this series of ecological disasters, he decided to apply his chemical expertise and his principled stance on sustainable practices to form Berni Labs and create a pesticide alternative. His product, Bug Balancer has expanded its appeal as a safe, highly effective agrochemical from the local agriculture community in which he works to the far corners of Mexico, and more recently to the international market.

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You may have read a blog I posted recently discussing some of the problems with the Fairtrade system; this drew directly on a Financial Times article detailing the ways coffee growers in Peru pass their products off as Fairtrade while circumventing the rules. Soon after, the Fairtrade Foundation wrote back with a defense of the system and principles by which farmers are certified and monitored.

The press release answers the FT reporter’s charges that these Peruvian farmers make below the legal minimum wage, arguing that they in fact earn more than what uncertified growers in the region pay their employees despite selling only a fraction of their full crop.

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There is a poignant article in today's New York Times on the alarming rate of suicides amongst India's farmers - more than 17,000 in 2003. Tracing the causes of this epidemic, the article explores a confluence of forces from moneylenders to American multinationals selling genetically modified seed. An excellent article, recommended reading and, in my opinion, an important counterbalance to our frequent praise of market driven development.