allgreenblogs.com

See where the cutest ladybugs live! Perhaps you have noticed this phrase at the end of my posts.  It is my tag line to my Cafepress store. Back on May 14th, I told you about where my ladybug has landed.  My ladybug has been such a wonderful people greeter, that I have made her my official [...]

Ashoka's Changemakers announced the top ten finalists in their "Cultivating Innovation, Solutions for Rural Communities" competition.

In February, Changemakers launched a global search for innovative solutions to often complex issues facing rural development and sustainable agriculture, from food security to sustainably scaling-up production.

Sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the competition uncovered 455 ideas from around the globe. The judges have settled on ten finalists and now it is up to you and the Changemakers community to vote to select three winners. But hurry: the voting closes on July 8th.

Here are the finalists:

Demonstrating technologies that work in transforming rural agriculture for sustainable development	Uganda Rural development and Training Programme, URDT	Uganda
Social Security for Rural populations through sustainable and interdependent livelihoods	Organisation for Awareness of Integrated Social Security (OASiS)	India
Building the movement for women’s land rights	SRREOSHI	India
Integrated Pest Management Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM CRSP)	IPM CRSP(Integrated Pest Management Collaborative Research Support Program)	Bangladesh
Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO): promoting rural livelihoods around a business partnership to achieve conservation	Wildlife Conservation Society	Zambia
Ensuring Food Security to small farmers through their own agri business company RUDI	SEWA Gram Mahila Haat	India
FONDO DE APOYO ALIMENTARIO	ECOSTA YUTU CUII	Mexico
Weaving Sustainability - Tramando sustentabilidade	Cooperativa central justa trama	Brazil
Mandalla’s Integrated Production System	Agência Mandalla DHSA	Brazil
Business School for Rural Women	The Mann Deshi Foundation	India

Vote here: Changemakers Cultivating Innovation (Note: you must join the Changemakers community to vote.)

Changemakers is a community of action where participants helped develop and refine and select solutions through a collaborative competition model.

(Disclosure: The author was part of the team that developed the partnership between Ashoka and the Gates Foundation for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa and India.)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Changemakers Launches Competition for Agricultural Innovations (greenskeptic.blogspot.com)
• SMART Aid helps harness Africa's agricultural potential (one.org)
• Grant Could Boost Incomes for African Farmers (one.org)
• Will the "Green Revolution" Ever Hit Africa? (freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Indian farmers to insure themselves against climate change crop failure (guardian.co.uk)
• Want $5000 For Your Great System-Changing Rural Agriculture Idea? Check Out Ashoka's Changemakers New Online Competition (treehugger.com)
• Global Search for Innovation in Farming & Rural Communities (howtomakeadifferencenow.blogspot.com)

July 3rd's Tip

July 4th: The 4th of July is tomorrow, and I know a lot of people will probably be celebrating all weekend. If you're going to make last minute plans, try a "staycation," rather ... [visit site to read more]

---

© Focus Organic for 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Subscribe via Email

I’m actually out of town on a family “rescue mission,” but I’ll be returning shortly. In the meantime, please enjoy the following solar video by GreenInsights

Read the rest on my blog.