Imagine and Replicate
Published: 15 February 2017 Ebenezer Kumi
Imagine thousands of low-income women farmers whose lands are degraded and infertile because of overuse. How can they continue farming to provide for their children and families? Read more
SDGs:
Call for applications: launch of the second SAG-SEED Starter in Ghana & Uganda
Published: 24 January 2017
Time for the second cohorts: Switch Africa Green and SEED announce today a call for applications for the second rounds of the Starter Months in both Ghana and Uganda. Read more
SDGs:
Soil: Appreciate what's beneath your feet
Published: 19 January 2017 Amar Munnolimath, Elizabeth Mamo
Soil gives life and opportunities. Having land with “good” soil can mean the difference between thriving plants and those struggling to stay alive. Read more
SDGs:
Call for Applications for the 2017 SAG-SEED Awards
Published: 10 January 2017
SEED has opened the call for applications for 15 SWITCH Africa Green (SAG) – SEED Awards for enterprises in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda. Read more
SDGs:
Turning challenges in impact investing into prototype innovations
Published: 05 December 2016 Kay Eunkyung Kang, Rainer Agster
Kenya, where our first Impact Financing Lab took place, is one of the global centres of impact investing! But even there, many challenges for deal flow exist… Read more
SDGs:
Spurring the replication of eco-inclusive enterprises – towards a collaborative integrative support approach
Published: 16 November 2016 Lina Frank, Mirko Zürker
At the 2016 SEED Africa Symposium in Nairobi Ligia Noronha, Director of the UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, underlined that “Replication is a key theme to foster green growth and sustainable development”. But replication demands targeted support at every stage, which calls for collaboration between diverse support providers and a strong ecosystem. Read more
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Launch of the Second SAG-SEED Starter Months in Kenya
Published: 16 November 2016
Want to set up an eco-inclusive enterprise? SEED announces the second round of the SAG-SEED Starter Months in Kenya Read more
SDGs:
Scaling Innovation at the Energy-Agriculture Nexus in East Africa
Published: 27 October 2016 Christian Pirzer, Christine Meyer
With this year’s theme of the World Food Day on October 16th, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) chose a strong message that tackles key issues of our modern global society. Indeed, climate, energy and agriculture are all interconnected. Read more
SDGs:
From innovative off-grid mobile solar power stations to the polymerised bitumen roads from recycled plastic - Meet the 2016 SEED Award Winners
Published: 28 September 2016
At SEED's largest annual international forum, the SEED Africa Symposium, SEED announced the 20 winners of the 2016 SEED Awards, today. These 20 outstanding eco-inclusive enterprises will be honoured during the international SEED Award Ceremony this evening. Read more
SDGs:
Training Business Development Service Providers to Boost Eco-Inclusive Innovations
Published: 14 September 2016 Rainer Agster
Working with more than 220 enterprises in 38 countries, we soon realized that although each enterprise is unique, topics are reoccurring. Instead of re-inventing the wheel each time, we put time and effort into ‘toolifying’ our support. Read more
SDGs:
Case Study: Food & Trees for Africa
Published: 07 September 2016
Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA) aims to build healthy and sustainable lives to uplift poor communities out of poverty while addressing environmental degradation and climate change. Read more
SDGs:
Case Study: Waste to Food
Published: 07 September 2016
Waste to Food has developed a combination of technologies to overcome the widespread disposal of organic waste to landfills in South Africa, while at the same time contributing to employment and food security. Read more
SDGs:
Replicating successful business models - Moving from lighthouses to a network of street lamps
Published: 05 September 2016 Christine Meyer
It is a challenge to transition to a low carbon economy while improving the well-being of the world’s nine billion people. By replicating proven solutions, positive impact from eco-inclusive enterprises can spread, and facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy while also improving social conditions as set in the SDGs. Read more
SDGs:
Driving Conservation Through Sustainable Tourism Enterprises: A Sectoral Business Condition Brief
Published: 01 September 2016 Dr. Christina Tewes-Gradl, Mariska van Gaalen
To protect biodiversity, we need to create alternative economic opportunities for the people who depend on the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems. Biodiversity is the foundation of human well-being and prosperity. At the same time, human activities are its greatest threat. In particular, biodiversity hotspots like savannahs, forests and coral reefs are under pressure due to unsustainable tourism development and the livelihood needs of low-income communities. Read more
SDGs:
Scaling Innovation at the Energy-Agriculture Nexus in East Africa: A Sectoral Business Condition Brief
Published: 01 September 2016 Allison Robertshaw, Amélie Heuër, Christian Pirzer, Christine Meyer, Dr. Christina Tewes-Gradl, Jona Liebl
Energy and agriculture form a nexus. On one hand, energy can be generated by using crops, agricultural residues, and livestock waste. On the other hand, substantial amounts of energy are required along the agricultural and food processing value chain, accounting for around 30 % of the global energy consumption. Read more
SDGs:
Waste to Food, a SEED Story from South Africa
Published: 30 August 2016
Waste to Food recycles food waste into high quality organic products. Commercial food waste is processed using industrial composting technology, the partially stabilised organics are then converted into high-quality earthworm compost. Read more
SDGs:
Food and Trees for Africa, a SEED Story from South Africa
Published: 29 August 2016
“Food & Trees for Africa” is a social enterprise addressing sustainable development through greening, climate change and food security programs. Started in 1990, FTFA has distributed over 3.8 million trees, facilitated the creation of over 2 500 organic food gardens for the poorest in South Africa and launched the first carbon calculator and the Carbon Protocol in this country. Read more
SDGs:
East Africa Fruit Farm and Company: an outstanding enterprise, not just according to President Obama
Published: 19 August 2016 Magdalena Kloibhofer
“[Entrepreneurship] puts rising economies on the path to prosperity and empowers people to come together and tackle our most pressing global problems, from climate change to poverty. When people can start their own businesses, it helps individuals and families succeed." Read more
SDGs:
From workshop to market in seven weeks
Published: 22 July 2016
The first steps as a startup are the hardest, especially for eco-inclusive startups in emerging markets. It all comes down to the right spirit and lion-hearted attitude. Read more
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The SEED Annual Report 2015
Published: 19 July 2016
2015 was a special year for SEED, in which the partnership celebrated 10 Years of SEED Awards, and took the opportunity to take stock and publish a comprehensive Flagship Report that looked not only on the success of former SEED Winners and the lessons learnt over those 10 Years of SEED Awards, but also on opportunities that could help increase the impact of locally-driven social and environmental entrepreneurship in the years to come. Read more
SDGs:
Enterprise Brief: Chonona Aquaculture
Published: 05 July 2016
Chonona produces diverse fish products in an integrated aquaculture approach. While the production aims at closing the natural resource cycle, Chonona integrates the local community into the supply of inputs, marketing and fish processing. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Farmerline
Published: 05 July 2016
Farmerline provides information and services needed by farmers like best agronomic practices, weather data, literacy training and market prices through its developed mobile software technology. The localized data help transform smallholder farmers into successful entrepreneurs and mitigate some of the harmful effects of climate change. Read more
SDGs:
Enterprise Brief: Green Acre Living
Published: 05 July 2016
Green Acre Living provides organic farming training to emerging farmers in urban areas and promotes the establishment of urban food micro-enterprises. The focus is on biodiversity, promoting indigenous foods and increasing organic production to achieve food security. Read more
SDGs:
Enterprise Brief: Mashandilo Co-operative
Published: 05 July 2016
Mashandilo is a co-operative of smallholder farmers committed to improving its members’ market integration by promoting resource-efficient innovation in agriculture production and providing a wide range of member services. Read more
SDGs:
Enterprise Brief: Safi Organics
Published: 05 July 2016
Safi Organics provides an organic fertiliser for rural smallholder farmers, contributing to soil carbon storage. The Safi Sarvi® blend is derived from various types of local organic farm waste, and is transformed into a soil conditioner through low-cost production. Read more
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