Devi Murthy’s Post

The loss of food to rot after harvest hurts us three ways - food becomes scarcer; farmers become poorer; and the burden on the planet to feed us grows. It's a huge problem: Fully one third of all produce is lost or wasted before reaching consumers. Here's fantastic opportunity to win a $50,000 Innovation Prize to Reduce Post-Harvest Loss for smallholder farmers in emerging markets.  It comes courtesy of our long time partner Factor[e] Ventures. Shell Foundation is proud to support innovations that bring clean energy solutions to the challenge of post-harvest loss. ISF Advisors MicroSave Consulting (MSC) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, AndMore Associates, LLC   #ImpactInvesting #CleanEnergy #Technology #PostHarvestLoss #Farming #EnergyAccess #EnergyTransition 

For Innovators in Post Harvest Loss in Agri Value Chain this is for you! Includes Clean Tech Solutions combining Productive Use of Energy(PUE). Good luck!

Shell Foundation is proud to collaborate with Factor[e] Ventures, ISF Advisors , MicroSave Consulting (MSC), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and AndMore Associates, LLC to announce the $50,000 Innovation Prize for groundbreaking solutions that reduce post-harvest loss for smallholder farmers in #Kenya, #Nigeria, and #India.  #ShellFoundation’s aim is to increase farmer incomes by reducing post-harvest losses in South #Asia and Sub-Saharan #Africa. To achieve this, it is necessary to find and support scalable, cost-effective solutions that cater to the post-harvest requirements of smallholder farmers. These solutions should encourage sustainable agricultural practices while harnessing the benefits of clean energy technologies. This prize offers more than just a $50,000 financial reward for the winning applicant. Finalists gain access to a network of industry leaders in scaling solutions that reach millions of under-served customers.   Key information:  🔹Application Deadline: July 31, 2024  🔹Eligibility: Applications may be submitted by any entity including startups, universities, non-profit organisations or for-profit companies.  🔹Submit a application: https://lnkd.in/eJG2BgkN  🔹Submit a nomination: https://lnkd.in/e-P_Zfwy  For more information, visit: https://lnkd.in/e2p4zAB8 #ImpactInvesting #EnergyAccess #EnergyTransition #SmallHolderFarmers #PostHarvertLoss #Innovation #Prize #Farming #Opportunity #Farmers

AgDevCo Secures $90M in Funding to Further Invest in African Agribusinesses Its original foundational endowment enabled AgDevCo to provide capital to agribusinesses that have directly created or sustained more than 15,000 jobs and have worked with 75,000 smallholder farmers to increase their income and their resilience to climate change. It also allowed AgDevCo to build the capability and track record putting it in the position to attract outside investment capital. Now with this latest investment, AgDevCo stated it will continue to grow its investment activities across sub-Saharan Africa. https://hubs.li/Q02zQ5sW0

ICYMI: AgDevCo Secures $90M in Funding to Further Invest in African Agribusinesses Its original foundational endowment enabled AgDevCo to provide capital to agribusinesses that have directly created or sustained more than 15,000 jobs and have worked with 75,000 smallholder farmers to increase their income and their resilience to climate change. It also allowed AgDevCo to build the capability and track record putting it in the position to attract outside investment capital. Now with this latest investment, AgDevCo stated it will continue to grow its investment activities across sub-Saharan Africa. https://hubs.li/Q02Cd_0C0

Agriculture value chain enabler Samunnati has raised Rs 133 crore ($16 million) in credit financing from Swiss impact investment firm Blue Earth Capital. This is Blue Earth Capital's first debt investment and will help Samunnati expand initiatives aimed at improving the lives of small farmers across the country through projects focused on climate adaptation, resilience and mitigation practices. Read the full story here: 👇 https://lnkd.in/djgPZvWM #agriculture #funding #Investors #debt #investment #farmers #indianstartupnews

A call to SMEs in the agri-food sector: Join O-Farms and make the most of food together! Our friends at Bopinc, through the O-Farms Project, seeks to transform the agri-food sector with circular economy principles. Imagine turning food waste into valuable resources, improving how we produce and consume food, and making a significant impact on the environment. O-Farms is East Africa's first SME accelerator program dedicated to circular agribusiness. If you're an SME committed to circular principles or looking to transition to circularity, this is the opportunity for you! ✅ Tailored support and long-term technical assistance ✅ Access to the O-Farms Investment Fund ✅ Opportunities to grow your impact and reduce food losses 🗓️ Applications are open until August 26th 2024. 📢Don't miss out! Learn more and apply here:https://bit.ly/applyofarms #O_Farms #CircularEconomy #SustainableAgriculture #AgriSMEs #FoodSustainability

Coming out of a couple of private investment conferences this week.* Lots of “humbled and honored” moments sung from the stage. LinkedIn worthy stuff. But one particular message is loud and clear. Avoid agricultural investments – at least those that have primary production exposure! Stories of failed palm oil farms, maize farms facing gov’t price tampering, and citrus orchards with produce stuck at ports. But here’s the thing: Africa imports food. A lot of food. ~$50bn of net imports. And most of the continent is undernourished. Like, severely. … in this context, I am more committed than ever to agriculture and food. In fact, at AFGRI we’re launching new bespoke agribusiness fund products this year. Dumb? Maybe. Naïve? Don’t think so. Convicted? Absolutely.   But fit for purpose capital is required more than ever. Blended finance vehicles, where philanthropic capital de-risks institutional investors. It’s not new. It’s not sexy. But it’s absolutely critical to see that $50bn begin to decline. Suggestions and contacts in this space are welcome! ---- *On a lighter note, it was great to reconnect with a few folks who are pioneering (successfully) in agri-investing in Africa... Mezuo Nwuneli, Tamer El-Raghy, Yosuke (Yo) Kotsuji, and Stuart Bradley!

Agrifoodtech investments in Africa have fallen by more than 50% since 2022. To reverse the investment decline, African governments, investors, and stakeholders should implement policies supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and infrastructure development, enhance access to financing, particularly for seed-stage startups and foster partnerships between agtech companies, farmers, and local communities. Let's work together to revitalize Africa's agrifoodtech ecosystem, prioritizing sustainability, scalability, and social impact!

Barka is an impact investment fund that supports and invests in African founders building companies that mitigates and adapts to the impact of climate change in their communities. Barka focuses on three (3) sectors that lead to climate action: 🌾 Agriculture & Food: -Enhancing agricultural productivity in climate change with sustainable and innovative approaches -Reduce inputs and system inefficiencies -Increase landscape sequestration 🌳 Environment & Natural Resources: -Increase sequestration of carbon through natural and human-made solutions -Reduce the amount of untreated wastewater entering ecosystems -Improve business models based on ecosystem restoration and sustainability ⚡ Energy: -Reduce emissions from energy generation and use -Increase renewable energy production -Reduce energy lost through inefficiencies -Increase energy access, especially electricity access By providing funding and support to entrepreneurs in these sectors, Barka aims to help scale up innovative solutions while also creating economic opportunities. #entrepreneurship #climateaction #impactinvesting