Using Microfinance to Ensure Food Security, While Mitigating Climate Change

1 DRAFT FOR COMMENT Using Microfinance to Ensure Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and Food Security While Mitigating Climate Change – PART II: CLIMATE CHANGE. By Alex Counts, President, Grameen Foundation Summary/Abstract Three interlocking and indeed... More

1 DRAFT FOR COMMENT Using Microfinance to Ensure Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and Food Security While Mitigating Climate Change – PART II: CLIMATE CHANGE. By Alex Counts, President, Grameen Foundation Summary/Abstract Three interlocking and indeed reinforcing crises facing the world’s poor, and to some degree all of humanity, call out for urgent action. Specifically, this paper is going to explore the issues of • energy poverty – the lack of access to affordable, healthful, and productive electricity and cooking fuel among the poor, • climate change, and • the inability of many of today’s approaches to microfinance to (a) have a significant positive impact on poverty and (b) sustain the high levels of support amongst the media, policy-makers and the general public that are necessary to continue to grow and innovate. A comprehensive response should involve wide application of a series of related solutions based on successful pilot efforts in countries as diverse as Bangladesh, India Less