Malulie is ONE’s newest policy intern focusing on agricultural development and innovative finance. Prior to joining ONE, she has been involved with Habitat for Humanity and more recently, interned with Asylum Access Thailand. Malulie recently completed her MSc in Anthropology and Development at the London School of Economics and also holds an MPH from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
Government-funded global agriculture programs are making a world of difference for many small farmers in rural Africa. Don’t believe it? Read the living proof:
Bernadette with some of the fruits of her labor. Photo credit: One Acre Fund.
In Tyazo, located in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda, Bernadette is one of many smallholder women farmers receiving agricultural assistance through One Acre Fund (OAF). By participating, she received a “market bundle” of seed and fertilizer on credit, as well as technical knowledge on improved methods of planting, harvesting, storing and selling her crops.
Publish What You Fund (PWYF) — the global campaign for aid transparency — has recently launched their pilot project: the Aid Transparency Index. By tracking aid information that has been published by 58 bilateral donors and multilateral organizations, PWYF has ranked them based on their level of aid transparency. And here’s what it said:
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, established in 2006, encourages good governance and effective leadership in Africa. By providing a framework for governments and civil society to assess their own level of governance, it not only encourages debate on governance issues, but it promotes leadership development and capacity-building within the government. In addition, every year, they do a comprehensive examination of all African countries and rank them according to their governance quality.
In 2009, the G8 met in L’Aquila, Italy and pledged $22 billion in aid towards agriculture and food security. Perhaps more importantly, they also pledged to align their aid with the Rome Principles, a set of qualitative commitments meant to achieve better outcomes and sustainability in food security. As a result, donors created the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) to combine donor resources and invest in developing countries’ agricultural development plans.
When you hear stories about increasing agricultural investment, what does this mean to you?
To me, it can mean one of many things. It could mean investing money in improving agricultural inputs such as giving farmers high-quality seeds or suitable fertilizers that will increase crop yield. It can refer to providing education on farming techniques for better irrigation or minimizing land degradation. Or it could even apply to findings ways to increase a farmer’s access to credit to purchase land.
Bernadette with some of the fruits of her labor. Photo credit: One Acre Fund.
In Tyazo, located in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda, Bernadette is one of many smallholder women farmers receiving agricultural assistance through One Acre Fund (OAF). By participating, she received a “market bundle” of seed and fertilizer on credit, as well as technical knowledge on improved methods of planting, harvesting, storing and selling her crops.
Right now, some of the world's biggest oil companies are fighting to keep some of their deals with foreign governments secret. Let's tell big oil we won't be bullied.
Cuts to poverty-fighting programs won't balance the budget, but they will set back progress on Canada's development priorities and risk jeopardizing existing investments.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
