Business for Development (B4D)

When I joined B4D in 2019 (2nd CEO) one of our Board members said to me “we are the world’s best kept secret.” A situation in need of change so our work can be amplified to more businesses and impact the lives of more smallholder farming communities. I believe the Elevate Prize funding and support will be the catalyst for this change.

Our development timeline from 2007 to today comprises 4 stages – advocating, proving concepts, building evidence and now, scaling for impact. The funding would be used to advocate to business to create value chains over supply chains, expand our key impact areas, and amplify our current scale for impact work. We will invest in our key programs to ensure we are blueprinting our work with a data driven approach as robust proof points for sustainable development.

The mentorship, networking, support, and community from the Academy will be invaluable – it will fuel our partnership ecosystem model for scale and impact beyond what we could ever achieve on our own. Learning and growing as a leader through the Academy will help me and, as such, our team to serve our smallholder farmers (SHFs) better whilst driving system change.

I came to know B4D while working with the Grameen Foundation, providing pro bono support for Mohamed Yunus’s Social Business Conference in India. In conversation with like-minded people, we discussed the importance of systemic change in business and supply chains. From this, I came to know B4D, a NFP using business principles to drive change.

I am now the 2nd CEO, holding my personal purpose of creating generational improvement and just change as my rudder.

We call on business to align their organisation to support the SDGs and – most importantly – to act. Simply stated, we exist to help business achieve sustainable development for enhanced outcomes. Since inception SHFs have been at the centre of our work.

Our vision is to leave a legacy of sustainable businesses in the communities where we operate.

Our goals are to advance our work in food and agriculture systems, go back to our roots – advocacy – making business models more inclusive. Our key areas of focus will be on building our business model, strengthening key impact areas, and collaborating for scaled impact. Key impact areas include sustainable food systems, climate adaptivity and resilience, sustainable sourcing, and market activations and linkage.

Globally, +500 million SHFs are supporting ~2 billion people, the majority living in poverty. Most do not generate sufficient output to earn an income or meet household needs yet they produce 70% of the world’s food.

Consistent factors inhibiting SHFs ability to transition from poverty include: 

• Farmer mindset shift to believe in a sustainable income.
• Poor crop diversity/agriculture practices. 
• Lack of quality farm inputs.
• Gender roles.                                      
• Limited credit/finance. 
• Difficult logistics.
• Climate susceptibility. 
• Market access limitations.

SHFs we are working with have family household of 5-7 members depending on geography. Food security and malnutrition remain key issues, in Papua New Guinea (PNG), malnutrition is the number one risk factor driving death and disability. Typically, we reach over 2,500 farmers within the first 12 months, listening closely to the community, interrogating the process, and bridging sectors to arrive at the best solutions to specific problems.

In Kenya, B4D is re-configuring the cotton/stockfeed/poultry system and working with Cotton On Group (COG) to develop an equitable value chain. Over 15,000 people are impacted either directly or as part of the value chain. In partnership with the Government of Kenya (GoK) and Base Titanium (BT), this program is set to grow, impacting 500,000 people. 

Our innovation starts with our culture – we believe in community inclusive business models.  We believe community development does not sit on the sideline – it is integrated and supported by a partnership ecosystem until such time it is self-sustaining. We design for this outcome and our work demonstrates a value proposition to all stakeholders.

Our long-term inclusive (LINC) model creates the type of social enterprise, designed with and for the community. As a social enterprise, the LINC works towards owning productive assets and more of the value chain to improve its members' livelihoods by achieving financial independence. A strong governance system and business processes are embedded, enabling the LINC enterprise to protect the community’s interests, help SHFs improve produce value, strengthen their role in larger markets, provide SHFs access to financial resources, and meet the needs of market partners and funders.  Over time, scale is achieved as the LINC enterprise matures and its membership grows to impact more SHF communities.

Our seven unique capabilities provide an integrated approach to getting the outcomes and impact required. Disruption will be achieved when inclusive business models and value chains are the new standards to which business is measured.

Our impact on humanity starts with the understanding everyone has the right to a livelihood. Four steps are taken to achieve our planned impact:

1. RESEARCH

To ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of investment in programs.

2. FEASIBILITY

Develop an understanding of the community through research, site visits, interviews, and surveys. Analyse value chains to understand the root causes of market failure and identify opportunities.  Pilot small-scale implementation to prove the idea developing options into proofs-of-concept via iterative trials.

3. IMPLEMENT AND SCALE

Learnings are consolidated and implemented with the community. 

A LINC enterprise is developed to aggregate farmer produce and meet market requirements. The LINC:

• Protects SHFs interests by reducing risks;
• Ensures they have a voice in the partnership ecosystem; 
• Owns productive assets and more of the value chain;
• Develops strong governance and business processes;
• Provides access to financial resources; and

As the LINC matures scale is achieved. Based on the model, often Governments take the learnings and implement the program into other regions, creating further scale. 

4. TRANSITION

The LINC becomes self-reliant and sustainable over time. B4D’s involvement gradually shifts from hands-on implementation to an advisory role. The supportive ecosystem of partners becomes embedded with the community.