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Posts by Development Impact

Woodblocks with the number 2023
Adaptation, Financial Inclusion, Gender, Sustainability, and the Digital Gap: A Recap of 2023

The year concludes with significant challenges, demanding flexible and creative solutions. Fortunately, the private sector is increasingly showing interest in issues aimed at promoting a fairer and more sustainable world. Here's a snapshot of the topics that garnered the most attention in IDB Invest’s corporate blog, Negocios Sostenibles, over the past twelve months.

Una joven en su tienda de comestibles
New Data Shows What Drives Business Growth in Colombia

Only about a quarter of Colombian companies created in 2017 were still operating in 2022, of which only 6% (4,600) grew. What are the drivers behind businesses that not only survive but thrive? Our new report with Confecámaras starts digging into the data, focusing on growth factors, job creation, and gender gaps.

Un agricultor utiliza una aplicación para controlar sus cultivos
Cutting-edge Data for  Agricultural Resilience: Introducing AGRIADAPT

How can agribusinesses proactively navigate the effects of climate change and become more resilient? By unlocking the potential of data.  IDB Invest has created AGRIADAPT, a tool based on cutting-edge agricultural and climate data that provides customized climate vulnerability analysis and adaptation recommendations.

Un apicultir pesando un panal.
Equipment, Training and Queens: Helping Beekeepers in Mexico  Boost Climate Resilience 

How can we help small beekeepers in Latin America and the Caribbean strengthen productivity and climate resilience? According to a recent IDB Invest evaluation of a pilot program in Mexico, by providing them with a combination of basic inputs and training. But most importantly, queen bees. Through this approach, producers managed to increase honey production, yields, and the number of hives in their colonies and adopted best practices in hive management, boosting resilience to future climate events.

Imagen de una mujer caribeña de pie en un taller de costura.
Innovation Boosts Productivity, Wages, and Sales in the Caribbean

A recent study by IDB Invest and FinDev Canada analyzes survey data from over 1,000 firms across seven Caribbean countries in 2020, finding that investing in new or improved products, services, processes, methods, or distribution channels drives productivity and financial performance and can also make companies more resilient in the face of crisis. 

Image of ships at a trade port
How Trade Finance Boosts Access to Credit for Smaller Businesses and Food Security

Most of the world’s commerce depends on trade finance. However, the global trade finance gap surged to an estimated $2.5 trillion in 2022, widened by the pandemic and ongoing economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Narrowing this gap can have a positive impact on two pressing challenges facing the region: limited access to finance for SMEs and mounting food insecurity.