By the year 2050, Africa’s population is projected to more than double, reaching a staggering 2.4 billion people. African agriculture plays a critical role in both employment and food security of the continent — over half of sub-Saharan Africa’s employed people work in agriculture. The impacts of climate change, from rising temperatures to changing rainfall … Continued
Rice, maize, and soybean are pivotal grains in Nigeria. Cultivated all year round, they provide vital nutrition and protein, serving as the foundation of family diets. In states like Benue, often referred to as “the food basket of the nation,” these crops thrive in abundance. During the wet season, fruits like oranges, mangoes, and guava … Continued
Bali Devi is a 56-year-old woman living with a family of six in Jaipur, northern India. She is a widowed mother of two sons who runs a small makeshift shop in the front portion of her house. Her daughter-in-law makes a small earning by stitching sari borders for women in her locality. Both are part … Continued
Globally, 733 million people still lack access to electricity. Although many will gain energy access in the coming years, research shows that, with a growing population, business-as-usual solutions will leave behind more than 600 million people by 2030, 85% of whom will be in Africa. The off-grid solar sector can fill this gap. For over … Continued
Acumen has invested in Gram Vaani — a community-led, hyperlocal, and two-way participatory mobile platform that amplifies the voices of underserved populations in India. The Challenge: Information Inequality is Holding Back Marginalized Communities Ensuring access to information is essential for citizen engagement, empowerment, and holding those in power accountable. While the internet and smartphones have … Continued
By Paraag Sabhlok, Associate Director, Portfolio; Coco Lim, Senior Associate, Insights & Strategy; and Yash Vardhan Gaddhyan, Portfolio Analyst For years, Nidhi Pant held the perception that farmers were predominantly male. But as she and the other founders of the company, S4S, spent more time in India’s villages, they witnessed a large number of women … Continued
By Daniel Waldron, Head of Insights and Christopher Emmott, Associate Director, Investing in Energy Access Everything you touch or do today, every bite of food, every piece of clothing, every trip to the store, takes energy. It is essential to economic production; it literally fuels progress. But the opposite is also true. Without abundant, affordable … Continued
Acumen has invested in CropSafe — a social enterprise supporting smallholder farmers by minimizing post-harvest losses and providing access to local and international markets.