Market-related

Digital financial services (DFS), particularly mobile banking, have the potential to extend financial services to unbanked populations.[1] Specifically, DFS reduce direct and indirect transaction costs. Mobile banking allows clients to access bank accounts, save money, and send and receive payments directly from their mobile phones, eliminating travel to a physical bank. Additionally, mobile banking reduces social or administrative constraints—such as in-person meetings and paperwork, and safety concerns while travelling with money—which can be especially salient for women.

Launching KISM - the Knowledge Platform for Inclusive and Sustainable Food Markets and Value Chains

by Swati Malhotra

The Russia-Ukraine war has focused global attention on the key economic roles that those countries play as major exporters of agricultural commodities. Over 2019-2021, they accounted for 12% of global agricultural trade on a kilocalorie basis, with a combined market share of 34% for wheat, 26% for barley, 17% for maize, and 75% for sunflower oil. The war has scrambled this picture, with Ukraine’s exports falling dramatically, and Russia’s falling, then recovering.  

Beans play an important role in the diets of rural Ugandans, making up as much as 25 percent of average daily protein intake. They are also an important cash crop within the country, with biofortified beans holding the potential for significant value-added production and income generation. However, this potential is constrained by Uganda’s weak seed systems and uncoordinated value chains, which limit productivity.

The CGIAR Initiative on ‘Rethinking Food Markets1 led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), organized a two-day (12-13 Dec. 2022) stakeholders workshop in Abuja, Nigeria. The workshop aims to engage with key stakeholders to kick-start the co-designing of innovations and interventions in ‘Food Markets and Value Chains’ to enhance employment opportunities and increase income for smallholders and SMEs along the agri-food value chains in Nigeria.