Tag: 3BL

Farming communities in Africa have contributed the least to climate change, but they’re paying the greatest costs. Currently, only six percent of arable land in Africa is irrigated. Crops that rely on rainfall are more susceptible since climate change is leading to more erratic weather patterns, including drought.

PlantVillage is on a mission to help African smallholder farmers adapt to climate change at scale, by using artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and an incredible team of young people on the ground. Last year, PlantVillage was the recipient of funding through the Cisco Foundation’s $100 million climate portfolio for a program to help scale regenerative practices on 12,500 farms in Kenya and create many green jobs in the process.

Specifically, the project helped to plant border (including fruiting) trees along the boundaries of farms, contributing to many short and longer-term benefits, such as helping to prevent further erosion through stabilizing the soil, providing shade and wind protection to lower the field temperatures and increase soil moisture, serving as a source of income via the carbon markets and over time, many positive impacts from the fruiting trees.

A short time ago I spent some time with David Hughes, PlantVillage’s founder; Chelsea Akulet, Plant Village Project Coordinator; Tracyline Jayo, Plant Village Research Associate, and several other members the PlantVillage Field Officers, young people local to the area in which they serve, who help to ‘bridge the gap’ between the technology and the farmers.

How did the idea for PlantVillage come about?

David Hughes: The first formalized system of agricultural knowledge sharing began in a time of crisis, in my hometown of Dublin during the Irish Potato Famine. Experts, or ‘extension workers’ were sent out to farms to help them cope with the disease of potatoes (late blight) and help them diversify into other crops. Expert delivery of advice to farmers has continued ever since, across the world. Over 170 years of excellent research has meant that we know a great deal about how to deal with pests and diseases. However, we just don’t share this knowledge effectively with African farmers.

PlantVillage was started to ‘level the playing field’, via the AI charged super computer in your pocket (also called your phone). We provide smallholder farmers in Africa the tools and technologies to diagnose problems caused by pests and diseases on their farms using award winning AI solutions we develop with partners around the world. Government-backed and privately funded ‘extension workers’ do already operate in Africa, but there are not enough of them. For example, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there’s one ‘extension worker’ for approximately every 8-10,000 farmers. PlantVillage is the idea that mobile-connected, cloud technology can help us ‘leapfrog’ and so we pioneered the application of AI in a phone, working offline, that would help smallholder farmers cope with pests and diseases.

Since technology has changed every other sector of the world, why would it not change African agriculture? We wanted to take the same phone and cloud-based software systems that have driven your ability to get food, get a date, or get a lift home, to drive the transformation and adaptation of hundreds of millions of farmers in Africa to climate change.

What made you realize that farmers could be leading the way in climate action?

David: In 2019, two of the largest cyclones to ever hit East Africa left a trail of destruction and made it clear that climate change was here and only going to get worse. It was these events that helped us to shift our focus towards being a climate change-centric organization. Because if you don’t consider how farmers in Africa (particularly, low-income, smallholder farmers who rely on rain), can cope with climate change, all the downstream dealing with pests are for naught, because you’re not focusing on the biggest problem.

Four years later we have seen that climate change has become worse and not just for Africa, but globally. Right now, we’re 1.2 degrees Celsius above historical norms. It’s necessary that we adapt and learn, and engage farmers, so we can figure out how we grow food in the context of our climate changing.

Following an investment by the Huck Institutes at Penn State, providing me a named chair in Global Food Security, I wanted to use the money from that to see if we could not only provide advice on adaptation but also leverage the farms and phones to create AI powered Carbon Capture Cubes. The idea is simple: can AI and the PlantVillage software help us maximize the ability of smallholder farms to drawdown and store carbon at scale. We are focused on tree planting on farms (agroforestry) and the durable storage of carbon in the soil via biochar. This has taken off via Cisco and the Carbon XPRIZE (which we won) and has become a major part of PlantVillage’s efforts.

Tell us more about how the PlantVillage field officers and technology work together.

Chelsea Akulet: We are young people from the community who are known as the ‘sons and daughters of the soil’. We’re come straight from university and have a lot of passion. It’s an opportunity for us to help and it’s easier for our farmers to listen to us and to adapt, as we’re from the same place as them and they trust us.

David: We have found that by bringing smartphones to the typical smallholder farmers they can immediately benefit from the AI system resulting in less diseases in their farms and the ability to connect to the global community to get help. And now with our focus on climate change mitigation via partners like Cisco, we are showing how the phone can be a catalyst. This is not just for adaption and mitigation, but also creating many green jobs such as local people who work in tree nurseries.

Can you share how PlantVillage helps with ‘knowledge sharing’?

David: The philosophy behind PlantVillage comes from Elinor Ostrom’s seminal work on the Tragedy of the Commons. Before she died, Elinor started working on something called the Tragedy of the Knowledge Commons. Increasingly, in a digital world, what’s happening is that small groups are putting knowledge into the public space because it’s good to share knowledge. But then, large actors ‘suck up’ that knowledge and then put a paywall behind it. As we reach a peak of technological connectedness, where knowledge should be more available, it’s becoming less available.

At PlantVillage, we believe that knowledge should be accessible to all individuals. It’s not enough to say that knowledge is accessible and free, you must have a bridge to translate that knowledge. For example, NASA puts out a lot of knowledge every day. But, in Africa, if you don’t have an internet connection, smartphone, or the ability to speak English (or all three), then that knowledge isn’t free. We need to make sure we look at ‘bridges to knowledge’ and think about how knowledge needs to be equitable.

Tracyline Jayo: Farmers get knowledge through the PlantVillage Nuru App. We talked about the app using AI to help farmers in the field to diagnose crop pests and diseases, without an internet connection. But it also contains a library of knowledge, the largest open-access library of crop health knowledge in the world. The Dream Team can then advise them on management and connect them with their nearest ‘extension officer’ to get any further advice.

David: It’s also important to mention the scale. As an organization, with the help of partners, we reach about 14 million farmers in any given week, across multiple channels, for example, TV, SMS and radio. This can be about the weather, biochar, and other technologies.

What does the future look like for PlantVillage?

David: We’re in the global impact game. In a world where the most important thing is growing food for ten billion people, with an increase of 2 degrees Celsius, the most important thing is how much time you spend with farmers to help them cope with climate change and leverage their farms to reduce the negative effects of climate change via carbon capture and storage at scale.

The 21st century is Africa’s century because it should be. It’s a young continent made up of 1.3 billion people and by 2050 there will be 2.3 billion, 1 billion of whom will be children. We’re betting on young people and PlantVillage is on a 45-year journey of global change. It’s a global movement, which is right for the time we’re in.

Are you interested in learning more about PlantVillage? Head here for more.

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Did you know vegetation-related incidents like fallen trees and drooping branches are one of the leading causes of power outages in the United States?

Our extensive vegetation management program helps shield our electric lines from overgrown vegetation so we can reduce vegetation-related incidents and deliver safe and reliable service.

Environmental stewardship

Through our ongoing vegetation management efforts, we recently committed $1.9 million in in-kind contributions over five years to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which funds projects that improve wildlife habitats and foster biodiversity.

Through the program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will match our $1.9 million in in-kind contributions. This federal grant will help qualifying private landowners in Arkansas and Louisiana implement herbicide and other programs to promote biodiversity on their lands.

“Maintaining the biodiversity in our service territory and taking care of the environment that supports it all is an integral part of who we are,” said Charles Long, interim senior vice president of power delivery at Entergy.

The benefits of herbicides

At Entergy, herbicides are a key part of our robust vegetation management program. They allow us to manage invasive vegetation early on – while it’s low – to safely protect our transmission lines in our rights-of-way.

Through our low-volume, selective herbicide application program, we can responsibly target and clear invasive and tall-growing vegetation with precision. In turn, we mitigate disruption to native species and foster more hospitable habitats for local foliage and wildlife.

“Our vegetation management practices help protect water quality and the diverse species and habitats in our service area, while providing the clean, affordable and reliable electricity that powers life,” said Long.

Ready for storm season

We take a systematic, comprehensive and year-round approach to vegetation management. We’re prepared to respond to the worst, especially during hurricane season.

Our ongoing storm preparations include rights-of-way inspections at scheduled intervals, with the goal of clearing incompatible vegetation that could pose reliability or safety risks.

After a storm, our priority is restoring power safely and efficiently. We remove downed trees and limbs that interfere with our electric lines and equipment to facilitate safe service restoration.

To learn more about our vegetation management initiatives, visit www.entergy.com/tree-trimming.

Did you know vegetation-related incidents like fallen trees and drooping branches are one of the leading causes of power outages in the United States?

Our extensive vegetation management program helps shield our electric lines from overgrown vegetation so we can reduce vegetation-related incidents and deliver safe and reliable service.

Environmental stewardship

Through our ongoing vegetation management efforts, we recently committed $1.9 million in in-kind contributions over five years to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which funds projects that improve wildlife habitats and foster biodiversity.

Through the program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will match our $1.9 million in in-kind contributions. This federal grant will help qualifying private landowners in Arkansas and Louisiana implement herbicide and other programs to promote biodiversity on their lands.

“Maintaining the biodiversity in our service territory and taking care of the environment that supports it all is an integral part of who we are,” said Charles Long, interim senior vice president of power delivery at Entergy.

The benefits of herbicides

At Entergy, herbicides are a key part of our robust vegetation management program. They allow us to manage invasive vegetation early on – while it’s low – to safely protect our transmission lines in our rights-of-way.

Through our low-volume, selective herbicide application program, we can responsibly target and clear invasive and tall-growing vegetation with precision. In turn, we mitigate disruption to native species and foster more hospitable habitats for local foliage and wildlife.

“Our vegetation management practices help protect water quality and the diverse species and habitats in our service area, while providing the clean, affordable and reliable electricity that powers life,” said Long.

Ready for storm season

We take a systematic, comprehensive and year-round approach to vegetation management. We’re prepared to respond to the worst, especially during hurricane season.

Our ongoing storm preparations include rights-of-way inspections at scheduled intervals, with the goal of clearing incompatible vegetation that could pose reliability or safety risks.

After a storm, our priority is restoring power safely and efficiently. We remove downed trees and limbs that interfere with our electric lines and equipment to facilitate safe service restoration.

To learn more about our vegetation management initiatives, visit www.entergy.com/tree-trimming.

SEMICON West 2023 is now in the rear-view mirror, yet its impact will be felt for many years to come. For the first time in my experience as a sustainability professional, I witnessed industry leaders coming to grips with an inherent contradiction: the promise of semiconductors marching toward becoming a $1 trillion market, while simultaneously creating a path to Net Zero carbon emissions. The industry’s growth and carbon footprint are invariably linked, presenting an enormous challenge that we must meet as an industry.

Applied Materials President and CEO Gary Dickerson presented a keynote titled, “A Collaborative Pathway to Net Zero,” where he delivered a call to action for the entire semiconductor industry to get serious about collaborating to execute real, achievable plans to reach Net Zero in carbon emissions. Gary shared Applied’s playbook for Net Zero – a framework we’ve been developing for more than a year. Significantly, that playbook goes beyond our own Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, which come from running the company and from the energy we purchase. In fact, Applied has made great progress in reducing our Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which Gary shared and you can read more about in our latest Sustainability Report.

However, the bulk of Gary’s talk was about Applied’s Scope 3 emissions, the upstream emissions from our supply chain and the downstream emissions from the use of our products by customers. Since these are not in our direct control, you might say that’s someone else’s problem. But Applied agrees with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) framework, which says companies need to influence their Scope 3 emissions as well to achieve Net Zero.

It’s not an easy task. Gary showed that as we grow industry revenue, we grow carbon emissions. In fact, as the new AI and IoT computing era promises to double semiconductor revenue by around 2030, carbon emissions are forecast to quadruple. If we don’t collaborate to bend that curve as semiconductors become more pervasive throughout the economy and society, our industry won’t become more sustainable.

That’s what the playbook is all about. Gary showed the pathway for Applied to get to Net Zero. And it’s a playbook that other companies can evaluate for their own Net Zero strategies. We stand ready to work with the entire industry ecosystem, and we’re grateful for the comments Micron, ST Microelectronics and Schneider Electric contributed to Gary’s keynote. Applied is also excited to join Intel as a founding member of the new Catalyze program announced by Schneider Electric at SEMICON West. We have posted Gary’s SEMICON West keynote slides and prepared remarks on our website.

Let’s collaborate to make possible a better, more sustainable future!

GRI North America organized an exclusive virtual networking session this week for GRI Community members in the region. The session provided an excellent opportunity for sustainability professionals from corporations and service providers, to engage in casual conversations, exchange insights and experiences from the current reporting season, as well as receive updates directly from GRI.

During the group discussion, several key points were highlighted:

Assorted stakeholders – including investors – are driving increased corporate disclosure, with a majority of our members experiencing different stakeholder groups demanding information.Elevated reporting expectations are leading sustainability reporting to be moved under more traditional corporate functions, such as finance, and more internal controls and auditability is being prioritized.The assurance of data in reports is becoming more commonplace, with over 60% of attendees indicating that they, or the majority of their clients, had data assured in their latest reports.

The increase in assurance aligns with the findings of the latest IFAC study, The State of Play in Sustainability Assurance. The study reviewed a total of 1,350 companies across twenty-one jurisdictions in 2021. Notably, 95% of large companies reported on ESG, and 64% of companies now obtain assurance/verification over some of the information provided (increasing from 91% and 51%, respectively, in 2019). Additionally, information disclosed following GRI Standards received higher assurance rates than any other reporting framework or standard, reaching 39% in 2021.

One of GRI’s previous installments of the GRI Perspective Series was Auditing to Save the Planet. The two-pager highlighted that inaccurate and incomplete data undermines the credibility of sustainability information. Effective reporting and controls go hand in hand, and at GRI, we believe that both are essential. Comparable data is crucial for companies and their stakeholders to assess whether their risks are mitigated and what impact the organization has on the environment, the economy and society, and how those impacts are managed. In line with this, we are pleased to note that the IAASB is developing a sustainability reporting assurance standard, which is a positive step towards increased transparency and accountability. If business, investors, and other stakeholders cannot trust published sustainability information, from both the financial and impact perspectives, it will be hard to demonstrate how they are contributing to a better world for everyone.

GRI North America’s Head of Engagements and Public Affairs, Matthew Rusk is pleased to be leading the panel discussion The Evolving Double Materiality, Two-Pillar Corporate Reporting System, and Roles for Accountants at the American Accounting Association’s annual meeting in Denver next month. The conversation will highlight the significance of internal auditing and controls in advancing the professionalization of ESG and Sustainability Reporting practices, while emphasizing the need for external assurance in ESG and Sustainability Reporting.

Dental schools in two states are reaching underserved populations with dental care they otherwise might not get as a result of grants from Marathon Petroleum Corporation.Funding in El Paso, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, has provided free access to dental care for more than a thousand people, including a homeless man who had never visited a dentist.It’s the second consecutive year Marathon has supported outreach by the two schools.

When a 28-year-old man with a history of gang involvement entered a homeless shelter in El Paso, Texas, he had never been in a dentist’s chair. He needed molars removed and recently received care through free services provided by the Hunt School of Dental Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. Now, the man is on a new path forward.

“He had a strong will to improve himself, got the dental work he needed, and everything changed,” said John Martin, director of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless. “He now helps at our facility, volunteering to pick up items for elderly individuals who can’t go to the store. He has an outlook on life that is so positive.”

This man’s treatment came through the Marathon Dental Patient Fund that Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) established when the dental school opened in 2021. MPC has provided a total of $80,000 in grants that continue to provide free access to the school’s clinic for children and adults from underserved areas near the company’s El Paso refinery. After two outreach events at the clinic earlier this year, the fund has now made a total of 672 patient visits possible. 

Parallel effort in Utah

In Salt Lake City, MPC is assisting a similar program in partnership with the Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine. On Aug. 4, the school’s clinical practice, Roseman Dental, will provide free dental screenings and cleanings for children and teens 18 and younger from qualifying low-income households.

It is the second of two free opportunities this year funded by a $50,000 grant from MPC. During the first event in February, Roseman students provided care to more than 500 children and teens. 2023 is the second consecutive year MPC has supported Roseman’s work in the community. 

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show an average of 34 million school hours are lost each year in the U.S. because of the need for unplanned or emergency dental care by students.

With the school year set to start in August, AEG along with its sports franchises, the LA Kings and LA Galaxy have teamed up with six Los Angeles-based nonprofits to ensure that elementary school students across Southern California have the supplies they need to be successful during the upcoming academic year.

On July 14, employees from AEG, the LA Kings and the LA Galaxy gathered at L.A. LIVE in Downtown Los Angeles to pack 3,500 backpacks with a variety of school essentials, including folders, rulers, pens and pencils, glue sticks, pencil sharpeners, scissors, crayons, and colored pencils. The backpacks were then distributed to 10th Street Elementary School in Pico- Union, and non-profits across the region including Crenshaw Family YMCA, Empowerment Effect, A Place Called Home, Boys & Girls Club of Carson, and the St. Francis Center.

“Across Los Angeles parents struggle to meet the high costs associated with kids going back to school,” said Anette Padilla, Director, Community Foundation, Community Affairs, AEG. “Yet we know that getting a good education is the gateway to providing students in low-income communities with the ability to achieve their full potential. That is whyAEG and our sports franchises are committed to working closely with non-profits across Southern California to provide more equitable opportunities for all kids.”

“With brand-new backpacks filled with school supplies, thousands of children across Los Angeles will be ready to start their school year with confidence,” said Gabriel Osollo, Senior Manager, Community Relations, LA Galaxy. “We are very proud of our employee’s volunteerism not only for this event, but for all of the events throughout the year that they participate in, because these activities exemplify the true spirit of service.”

To learn more about AEG’s social impact activities, click here.

Crain’s Cleveland Business has named KeyBank Cleveland Market President Kelly Lamirand to its 2023 Women of Note list. Honorees represent numerous industries and roles, showcasing how diverse and encompassing women’s business influence in Northeast Ohio truly is.

Lamirand, who has spent her entire 25-year career at KeyBank, was honored for her longevity, passion for mentoring and commitment to Cleveland. She says the key to her longevity has been learning when and how to take advantage of opportunities within the company.

Crain’s wrote: “She began with KeyBank in 1998. After she had her first son, she worked a reduced schedule, a concept unheard of at a time before remote work was even an option, she said. Once she was ready to return full time, she could focus more on her career. 

“I was never pressured to do anything, but when I was ready, there were plenty of opportunities that were presented to me,” she said. Recently, Lamirand felt the timing was right for the next big challenge (as market president). 

“My kids are a little bit older now, and I have an incredibly supportive husband, and I just thought this is probably the right time for me to try something a little bit out of my comfort zone,” she said.”

In Lamirand’s current role, she works with clients with revenues of $20 million to $500 million as head of Key’s commercial banking team. Active in the community, Lamirand serves on Magnificat High School Board of Directors and has been an active participate in the American Heart Association’s Cleveland Heart Walk and the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb. Additionally, Kelly participates in Key’s Executive Women’s Network and has sat on the local board of the Risk Management Association, serving one term as the treasurer.

Read more about Kelly Lamirand in Crain’s Cleveland Business 
 Learn more about KeyBank’s commitment to helping clients and communities thrive

Originally published by Ericsson

Welcome to the latest edition of our Diversity & Inclusion News Round-Up. Today we are talking about UK’s 4-day workweek trial results, hair discrimination, Generation Z being stressed in the workplace, and how Europe could solve its tech talent shortage.

Well being

A few weeks ago, the world’s largest 4-day workweek trial came to an end – and the results are promising for both employees and employers. The pilot showed an increase in employee well-being, retention, productivity and even revenue, and also had a positive impact on gender parity at home. Read more here.

Generation

According to various surveys, Generation Z is currently the most stressed generation in the workplace. But what are the reasons for this, and what do employers need to consider? Interesting insights.

Women in tech

How can Europe solve its talent shortage in tech? Interesting analysis from McKinsey, looking at the talent gap and how this could be solved by recruiting and retaining more women (women currently hold only 22 % of all tech roles in Europe).

Hair discrimination

According to the CROWN 2023 Workplace Research Study, Black women’s hair is 2.5x more likely to be perceived as unprofessional. Dove and LinkedIn have now teamed up for a campaign to raise awareness about hair discrimination.

The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

By Christine Svarer and Payal Dalal

RISE supports collaborative industry action at scale to advance gender equality in global garment, footwear and home textiles supply chains.The partnership builds on the positive impact of wage digitization proven by The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth’s previous partnership with HERproject (a founding partner of RISE), which supported over 45,000 workers (70% women) in Egypt and Cambodia and developed a range of materials including the Digital Wages Toolkit.Mastercard will support RISE’s focus on financial health through wage digitization with its technical and financial inclusion expertise, products, network and philanthropic funding.

Meet Champi, a 24-year-old cutter at a garment factory in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she has worked for seven years. Champi is married to a farmer and has a three-year-old daughter. Her long-term financial goal is to invest in her family’s farm, and she is saving towards buying a tractor.

The factory where she works recently switched from paying workers in cash to paying wages into a digital bank account. Coupled with financial education, the shift has opened up new conveniences, like online shopping for her daughter, and is helping her save and build a financial cushion.

“I’ve started saving $10 each month,” says Champi. “I feel more confident now about my future expenses – if someone is sick, then I have savings to pay the hospital bill.”

Since 2018, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and HERproject have been working together to scale up digital wages for garment factories and workers like Champi in Bangladesh, Egypt and Cambodia. We’ve seen the longer-term potential of digital wages to drive financial inclusion and resilience and bring low-income workers into the formal financial system. Digital wages have increased the ability of workers, particularly women, to save, plan and respond to crises.

Workers are experiencing economic stressors resulting from factors like the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, inflation and climate shocks. Globally, about 165 million adults receive private sector wages in cash. Switching to digital wages is an opportunity to create resilience against these economic stressors and start to build financial resilience.

Introducing digital wages is most effective when done so in a gender-intentional manner. Women represent nearly 60% of the garment workforce globally, reaching 80% in some regions. Studies show that women who maintain financial accounts have more control over their income and greater influence over household spending. When women have more control over household spending, there is greater investment in education and health, leading to wider benefits for families and local economies.

Digitizing wages can build financial inclusion by driving usage, trust and confidence to use financial products, which can lead to an increase in savings and better financial management. By empowering women workers with knowledge and skills, they can make more informed financial decisions, improve their financial well-being and build a stronger financial future. For example, after digitizing wages and participation in the HERfinance Digital Wages program (now RISE Financial Health), 96% of workers surveyed at one factory in Egypt reported that they now preferred to be paid in a bank account, rising from 2% at the start of the program. Four in 10 women said they were saving every month after the program implementation.

Digitizing wages is good for business too. For factories, wage digitization offers timely, accurate payments and reduces the risk of errors or fraud. Brands and buyers welcome the greater efficiency and transparency. One study conducted by the World Bank showed that after two years of digitizing payroll, factories had slashed costs by 45%.

The opportunity now lies in creating impact at scale. We have tested our hypotheses through our collaboration over the past four years, and we have evidence of the benefits of digital wages for financial health and inclusion. We now seek to replicate and expand these benefits to more women workers. Partnerships will be crucial in this effort, which is why the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth has become the anchor partner for RISE’s Financial Health focus area, doubling down on its support for women workers in global garment supply chains.

We look forward to working together to expand and deepen the impact of economic empowerment for women workers, and we will share what we learn through reports on our work in Cambodia and Egypt later this year.

Photos courtesy of RISE

Originally published by The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

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