Cultivating smallholders

Jay OwenSustainability News, Trendspotting, Beyond GDP

Taking Care of Business

by Joel Makower

I’m just back from a long weekend away — and largely unplugged — so am more than a little sun-blissed this morning, tiptoeing back into the all-too-real world.

Let’s see: Politics as usual. Horror at high school. Border skirmishes. Sordid affairs. The Russians are coming — again. Sigh.

Thank heavens for sustainable business. It remains a beacon of hopefulness, a renewable resource of optimism. I’ve been plowing these fields now for nearly 30 years and it never gets old.

So, below we offer: how the world’s biggest companies are supporting some of the world’s smallest ones … the lengthy list of firms aligning their commitments and achievements with today’s scientific realities … the growing move to completely eliminate waste … and how to prime the pump of private capital to address sustainable development across the globe.

Ah, sustainability! It’s good to be back.

How 
GM, Mars and Timberland are cultivating smallholder farmers featured image

By: 

Heather Clancy

Thriving agricultural communities are critical for the long-term for these companies. Plus, three tips for managing programs that combine the “head” with the “heart.”