Techno Serve

Table of Contents In 2017, Lucy Wacuka and James Kinyua Kamanjiri hoped to harvest 1,000 kilograms of coffee from their small farm in Kenya. They invested time, money, and hope in their coffee crop. But a fungal infection called coffee berry disease swept through the farm, and in the end, they harvested just 100 kilograms—not enough even to cover their costs. For coffee farmers like Lucy and James, failed harvests–or even poor yields in a typical year–are not just numbers on paper.

Table of Contents In Mozambique, smallholder women farmers often face barriers in accessing information on good agricultural practices, business management, and financial literacy. Without this information, it is difficult to plan production, track income and expenses, or have a say in the income generated by their small plot of land.

Table of Contents Today, international migration to countries like the United States and Canada is reshaping household and agricultural dynamics in some of Guatemala’s rural coffee-growing communities. As men leave, women are assuming greater responsibility for planning coffee production and managing household and farm resources. These changing roles can expand women’s participation in decision-making, while also increasing their productive and caregiving responsibilities.

Table of Contents Arequipa, a city in southern Peru, generates over 56,000 tons of usable inorganic waste each year, but only 7% gets recycled. That leaves tens of thousands of tons sitting in landfills or polluting local communities. It’s a serious environmental threat that also reveals a clear opportunity to build businesses around materials that still have economic value. Where others see trash, young business owners in Peru are finding opportunity, innovation, and a pathway to long-term income.

Bertin Tchieta, 30, proudly shows off the crops and livestock on his farm in Boukoumbé, northwestern Benin. In this semi-arid region, just across the border from the neighboring country of Togo, Bertin has coaxed a wide variety of produce ranging from corn and sorghum to soy, bambara nut, rice, and beans. He also raises goats and started poultry farming a few years ago. This is the foundation of “Massantchouho,” the enterprise he started in 2023.

Table of Contents Eric Sillman (left) and Matt Tierney (right) in Tanzania, 1997. (Photo courtesy of Matt Tierney) Thirty years ago, Matt Tierney and Eric Sillman boarded a plane to South America, becoming the very first volunteers in what would become the global TechnoServe Fellows Program.

How many teams from sub-Saharan Africa qualified for the knockout round of the World Cup?* Select an answer 2) Both Peru and Mexico experienced which extreme natural event this past month?* Select an answer 3) A recent U.N. report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) found that what percentage of the SDGs are on track or making moderate progress?* Select an answer 4) The government of which country recently announced an expansion of a nationwide initiative to boost the incomes and...

Table of Contents Every harvest leaves something behind. Across India, millions of tons of agricultural residue remain in fields after crops are harvested. Much of it has little economic value and is often burned, contributing to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. For most people, crop residue marks the end of the harvest. For Jenil Gandhi, 23, and his partner Manan Vyas, it marked the beginning of an idea.

Table of Contents Across much of India, the southwest monsoon starts in full swing by mid-June. The first rains are more than just a relief from grueling summers, when temperatures soar above 40°C. For farmers, the onset of the monsoons marks the beginning of the most anticipated agricultural season of the year: “Kharif”. This season is high stakes. For a vast majority of smallholder farmers in India, the success of the Kharif cropping cycle determines the bulk of their annual income.

Table of Contents In an era where people with disabilities were frequently dismissed as a burden rather than recognized for their potential as economic contributors, the founders of Tunaweza Persons with Disabilities Community-Based Organization (Tunaweza PWD CBO) sought to carve out an independent space of their own.