News & Blog

When I was in Nairobi a few weeks ago, our team at SEED brought together more than 500 people at our 2015 SEED Africa Symposium to discuss the latest developments in social and environmental entrepreneurship. Read more

"Then the refugees came and started to cut down trees and soon there was no forest left, (..) The locals also chopped trees and made charcoal to sell to the refugees."  (UNHCR, 1996) Read more

Coffee has been the backbone of the agriculture-based economy of Tanzania for the last 100 years providing employment for an estimated 2 million people directly or indirectly, according to the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI). However, low productivity is making it difficult for farmers to retain their livelihoods. Read more

A few weeks ago I was in Nairobi where we (SEED) held our annual SEED Africa Symposium. The event was the biggest one yet, with over 500 representatives from government agencies, the private sector, civil society organisations and academic institutions from 34 countries; all gathering to build bridges for impact. Read more

Small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) contribute an estimated 12 per cent towards Namibia’s gross domestic product and employ about 20 per cent of the country’s workforce. Read more

Three SEED Winners from Uganda joined the discussions at the “1st Practitioners’ Dialogue on Climate Investments in cooperation with the 3rd Sustainable Business Dialogue” on 7-9 October 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Read more

"Where many conventional start-up enterprises fail after only two years, more than three out of four SEED Winners have not, that is the major outcome of this flagship report“, Ibrahim Thiaw, UNEP Deputy Executive Director and UN Assistant-Secretary-General. Read more

Chosen in an online vote with more than 5,500 participants 2013 SEED Low Carbon Winner Tambul Leaf Plates from India was chosen as the winner of the SEED Special Recognition Award. Read more

27 eco-inclusive enterprises are recognized at the 2015 SEED Africa Symposium. Read more

How can people living at the base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) be integrated into global value chains and improve their livelihood on a long-term perspective? One answer clearly is: by fostering Inclusive Business Models (IBM). Read more

The growth and success of green and inclusive business models with high impact potential is central to the challenges many emerging economies are facing. Read more

Access to water is not only about meeting basic human needs; it is critical to sustainable development, too. Read more

“It’s in your hands now”: with this sentence, Nelson Mandela passed on his legacy to make a difference in the world to a new generation at his 90th birthday. Read more

Today, the 30th June, is a significant date: it is exactly 8 years since I left the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to join the SEED Initiative, and it now marks a transition from my role as Executive Director of SEED, to Chairman. Read more

Nairobi, 30 June 2015 - After 8 years at the helm of the SEED, Helen Maquard finished her mission as the programme's Executive Director today. Under her leadership, SEED has evolved from a biennial awards scheme into a multi-component programme for action on sustainable development and the green economy. Read more

A recent large-scale survey published by Zeppelin University and Siemens Stiftung generally support the idea that social enterprises can have a positive impact on poverty reduction. However, it also reveals some caveats, which have led us to derive concrete recommendations for action. Read more

The Millennium Development Goals have shaped development cooperation in the last 15 years, and there has been progress towards eliminating poverty worldwide. Nevertheless, much remains to be done. Read more

The event aimed to provide a platform for national and international experts to exchange lessons learned from existing processes and their various perspectives on possible elements of a mutual state-led review process against the background of recent and forthcoming rounds of intergovernmental negotiations on the Post-2015 Agenda. Read more

Today, Friday 5 June, is the World Environment Day (WED); the United Nations flagship day to encourage worldwide awareness and action for the environment. Read more

While it may have gone unnoticed to many, the 28th of May was the International Menstrual Hygiene Day; a day initiated by WASH United to create awareness around the right of women and girls to hygienically manage their menstruation – in privacy, safety and with dignity – where ever they are. Read more

At the SEED South Africa Symposium 2015, SEED announced the Accelerator recipients. Read more

SEED is launching a new interactive multimedia feature which will enable you to look into all aspects of SEED’s activities: the Virtual Exhibition, as well as new in-depth Case Studies that have emerged from the latest SEED research.  Read more

How can local communities help to save the environment and better their lives? To answer this question the Observer Tech Monthly of the Guardian spoke with Helen Marquard, Executive Director of SEED. Read more