In this podcast, Nicholas Mungai, a financial inclusion expert at MSC, and Albert Bundi, an SME expert at MSC, have an insightful conversation about ways to address youth’s financial needs and overcome barriers to access finance for the youth.

AI in agriculture is moving toward hyper-personalization and multimodal models, which use diverse data sources for personalized solutions. Institutions should embrace the transformative AI potential to benefit smallholder farmers and build a resilient agriculture ecosystem.

Our recent work in Bihar highlighted climate change’s persistent impact, which led to disruptions from heat waves, droughts, and floods over the past decade. This has led to a significant increase in pest infestations for farmers. Bangladesh also observed similar challlenges where extreme heat and saline land from previous cyclones complicated land preparation. Erratic rainfall delayed and dried seeds, followed by torrential downpours that flooded and washed away crops. Cyclone Amphan further worsened conditions. It wiped out standing crops and introduced saline water, which made the soil less fertile. We worked with CGAP in Bangladesh and DECODIS in Nigeria on a macro scale and found climate change’s adverse effects on livelihood capitals.

In this second episode of our two-part series, Pranav Singh, a climate change expert at MSC, engages Tahira Mohamed, an interdisciplinary social scientist at ILRI, and Wendy Chamberlin, a development professional focusing on building climate resilience among pastoralists. They look at the value of equitable engagement and indigenous knowledge while shedding light on the role of financial inclusion and local governments in empowering pastoralist communities.

In this podcast, Pranav Singh, a climate change expert at MSC, is joined by Tahira Mohamed, an interdisciplinary social scientist at ILRI and Wendy Chaplin, a development professional who works to build climate resilience among pastoralists. In this first episode of a two-part series, the speakers share their thoughts on the inequitable impact of climate change on female pastoralists.

Watch this video to view key insights from the report titled “Mentorship for Women Entrepreneurs—A Highway to Growth.” It provides essential insights into the need, design, and perceived value of entrepreneurial mentorship for women-led businesses, and a glimpse of the current mentorship landscape in India with its skewed geographical and gender focus.

MSC’s Agent Diaries pilot research in Indonesia uncovered nuanced insights into how agents manage their business, profitability, and gender dynamics.

In this podcast, financial inclusion expert at MSC Kim Kariuki is joined by Sybil Chidiac of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grace Majara of CARE USA, and Phyllis Kariuki of the World Food Programme. They each share their thoughts on access to group-based informal financial services and their usage.