The Importance of Investment and Farmer Innovation
FAO Investment Centre Deputy Director John Preissing speaks about the importance of investing in farmers. The FAO Investment Centre has helped to design and implement over 2,250 investment operations across 170 countries, bringing development to scale through investment support with the
Should We Have Impact Assessments for Disruptive Technologies?
Disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence or ride-sharing apps, are already affecting people in significant ways. There are increasing concerns about data collection, surveillance, behavior management and the shake-up of local economies as automation takes over. The question arises of
How to achieve large-scale impacts from agricultural innovations
How scaling can help to achieve large-scale impacts through agricultural innovation. Is there a blueprint to establish scaling as a key part of agricultural innovations? Experts believe there are many ways to do it. Related topics: De-risking agricultural value chains - Developing a more
Recovering Silicon Valley’s Radical Imagination: Putting Production over Consumption
Silicon Valley's "radical imagination" was born some 50 years ago, inspired by the 1960s Hippy counterculture and the flower people. The Internet founders dreamt of a world where consumers and producers of digital solutions were equal and free. With the
Silicon Valley Insider: mHUB Raises $15M to Innovate Chicago’s Manufacturing Industry
When we think of sustainability, we conjure up images of electric cars, lab-grown meats, recycling plants, and solar panels. Too often we ignore the economic side of sustainability. It’s easier for a city to make investments in efficiency and reducing
Diversity and Inclusion in Fintech: More Than a Business Model
Diversity in Fintech The fintech industry has a gender diversity problem, with women representing only 29% of staff in the sector. Some of the main challenges can be listed as the pay gap, absence of women on boards & leadership positions
STEM Education – Creating a Global Impact
The intersection between science, technology, engineering, and math is transforming our economy and our schools. As we take strides in strengthening STEM education, we are realizing the global impact that leadership in STEM has on our current generation of young
Design for a Circular Future: Creating Positive Products and Regenerating Our Cities and Regions
The circular economy is a promising way to promote a positive future, and overcome the current linear production system, based on constant extraction of raw materials, exacerbated consumption, and disposal of goods. As a result of this system, we face
Could Microfinancing Be the Secret Weapon Enabling the Circular Economy?
The circular economy has started to become trendy, and hopefully, it is not just another economic framework. Some may ask, what on earth is it? The circular economy is an alternative to our traditional linear economy, in which we take
Science for Good: A New Breed of Entrepreneurs with Science-Based Solutions for a Positive Impact
Science, technology and innovation are often regarded as critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, while scientists have been alerting society for decades on the negative impacts and risks linked to human activity — climate change, growing pollution levels,
Smart Vision Labs: Harnessing Telemedicine to Provide Affordable and Accessible Eye Care for All
When was your last eye exam? For most Americans, the answer is: too long ago. According to a survey conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2016, 64 percent of adults suffer from vision and eye problems. However, only
Women are Changing Business for Good
Women owned businesses have been growing at an impressive rate in recent years, and the body of evidence showing that this is positive news for people and planet has been growing, too. According to the latest annual State of Women Owned