Our work
As a flagship programme of Rabobank, Acorn’s mission is twofold: improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers while simultaneously combating climate change through agroforestry. Agroforestry is a practice of land management which encourages the cultivation of trees along with agriculture crops. Over time, this practice can improve the quality of the soil as well as the […]
Groundtruth data collection at scale with Rabobank’s AcornWater Footprint Implementation provides insights and solutions to organisations and government agencies that want to reduce their water footprints. We partnered with WFI to co-design a Water Footprint Compensation Platform that will allow organisations to compensate their water footprints by supporting water projects around the world. Above: Photo by frimufilm on freepik.
Designing a Water Footprint Compensation PlatformThe PMERSA project aimed to strengthen food security in the Maradi region of Niger by sustainably increasing agricultural output and productivity through the mobilisation of surface and ground water resources. Funded by the African Development Bank and in partnership with Blackshore, we mapped the impact of the project using innovative space technology and gamification techniques. […]
Innovative impact mapping using space technologyThe Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) is a non-profit organisation that works to improve the sustainability of the tea industry. ETP works with tea producers, retailers, and NGOs to improve working conditions, increase productivity, and promote sustainability in the tea sector. To achieve this goal, ETP has developed an impact framework to measure and track progress […]
Conducting a data maturity assessment for the Ethical Tea PartnershipInvest International is a financing institution that invests in Dutch solutions for global challenges. Their investments and project development activities contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the Dutch economy. Akvo supported them by developing an organisational Theory of Change to map how the institution’s strategies contribute to impact in these two areas. […]
Creating an organisational Theory of Change for impact investingCarble helps coffee brands reduce their carbon footprint by rewarding coffee farmers for the carbon they store in forest canopies. In order to monitor carbon storage, as well as how farmer livelihoods are impacted by these carbon-payments, Carble needs reliable data on carbon storage, income, and the living income gap. Together with Carble, Akvo piloted […]
Establishing a living income baseline for coffee farmersNestlé, JDE Peet’s, and the USAID Green Invest Asia project have recently launched a joint carbon footprint initiative for two important global Robusta origins in Vietnam and Indonesia. This is part of an unprecedented partnership between the two biggest coffee buyers in the world and ten of their supply chain partners. The carbon assessment is […]
Assessing the carbon footprint of coffee production in IndonesiaThe WASH SDG programme is a consortium of Dutch NGOs dedicated to sustainably improving water, sanitation, and hygiene services for more than two million people in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Its three-pronged approach consisted of increasing demand for improved WASH services, improving the quality of service provision, and improving governance of […]
Custom WASH Management Information System for subnational water officesNiamey is the capital of Niger, located on the Niger River in the far west of the country. It had 1,802,910 inhabitants in 2018, making it the most populous city in Niger. The city has five communes and is constituted as an urban community called the Communauté Urbaine de Niamey (CUN). With a view to […]
City mapping for sustainable urbanisation in NiameyThe Neer Tamba project aims to improve the living conditions and incomes of almost 200,000 rural households that are among the poorest in Burkina Faso, enabling them to increase their autonomy and expand their role in building economic and social sustainability. The project focuses on: Strengthening resilience to climate change at the household, farm and village levels through […]
Resource management and rural development in Burkina FasoThe Niger Basin Authority (NBA) is an intergovernmental organisation that promotes cooperation between member states (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad) and contributes to the improvement of living conditions in the basin through the sustainable management of water resources and associated ecosystems. Together with partners, Akvo is looking into […]
Predicting floods and drought in the Niger river basinIn the Netherlands, 60% of the population is raised in an urban environment, detached from nature. The IVN Tiny Forest programme aims to reconnect city people with nature. Tiny forests are densely vegetated indigenous forests, the size of a tennis court, in urban areas. Such forests attract insects, birds and small mammals, while children from […]
Large benefits from tiny forests: a Theory of Change in nature educationThrough the FSM Immunisation Programme, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Government is targeting 70% of the population to be vaccinated in order to boost public health and open up borders. One of the target groups for vaccination is adolescents in schools. The FSM is one of the first countries in the world to receive […]
Fast tracking Covid-19 vaccinations for adolescents in MicronesiaFairtrade International is a global organisation working towards fairer trade for farmers and workers in developing countries. Partnering with more than 1.8 million farmers globally, the Fairtrade strategy and monitoring system needs to be plausible, relevant, and co-owned by working groups and producer networks. Akvo supported Fairtrade with the review and development of the organisational […]
Impact strategy facilitation with Fairtrade InternationalThe government of Kenya needs a way to effectively monitor sanitation and hygiene facilities nationwide. Akvo is developing an integrated Real Time Management Information System (RTMIS) to collect, analyse and visualise all sanitation and hygiene data in both rural and urban Kenya, allowing the Ministry of Health to improve sanitation and hygiene for citizens nationwide. […]
Building a real-time monitoring platform for sanitation and hygiene across KenyaThe Adaptation Fund awarded the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) a five year grant to address pressing water security and coastal resilience concerns across the four states and six offshore islands of Micronesia. The most important initiatives include legislative and policy reforms, the implementation of water harvesting and storage systems in the states of Yap, […]
Tracking climate resilience in the Federated States of MicronesiaSmallholder farmers currently face a funding gap of around USD $170 billion, which has huge implications for the sustainability of global food chains as well as the environment. IDH Farmfit is a private-public initiative to break the cycle of rural poverty by giving smallholder farmers better access to markets. By supporting companies and banks that work […]
Data collection at scale with IDHBurkina Faso is undergoing a major crisis due to the intensification of armed groups’ activities, inter-community tensions, food and nutrition insecurity, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The security crisis has led to the displacement of more than one million people since 2017, with more than two million people becoming increasingly dependent on humanitarian assistance. Together with […]
Remote data collection in conflict locationsA coalition of European country partners are working towards sourcing only certified and sustainable cocoa for the European market, as well as reducing deforestation, stimulating education for future generations, and providing a living income for cocoa growers. Akvo has developed a common reporting tool for the platform members and an IT-solution to help them assess progress towards their goals.
Custom online reporting for the European platforms for sustainable cocoaBurkina Faso is undergoing an extreme socioeconomic crisis due to armed conflicts. Attacks by extremists and a patchwork of other armed groups have now uprooted one million people, displacing farmers from their land and leaving crops rotting in fields and granaries. These internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in close quarters and have weakened immunity due […]
Mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 for internally displaced persons in Burkina FasoNKG Bloom is a global programme of the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) and The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH). It was developed to improve smallholder coffee farmer’s livelihoods by providing access to finance, technology, inputs, and capacity training – all needed to optimise and sustain coffee production in the coming years. In order to measure the […]
Remote data collection with smallholder farmers in MexicoBuilding a custom monitoring and evaluation (M&E) portal for 2SCALE 2SCALE is the largest incubator for agribusiness in Africa. Working with a range of companies and farmer groups, 2SCALE enables farmers to increase their income while reducing harm to the environment. In order to streamline 2SCALE’s monitoring and evaluation efforts, Akvo built an M&E portal […]
Building a custom monitoring and evaluation (M&E) portal for 2SCALESolomon Islands is a nation of 900 mountainous and volcanic islands. Of the 600 inhabited islands, only 345 have health care facilities (HCFs). In total, 355 HCFs serve the country’s population of 620,000. In 2019, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) teamed up with UNICEF, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill […]
Establishing a WASH and water quality monitoring system in Solomon Islands with UNICEFIn Mali, SOMAGEP (SOciété MAlienne de GEstion de l’Eau Potable), World Waternet and Akvo teamed up to digitise water quality testing and improve the management of drinking water distribution systems.
Digitising water quality testing and monitoring in Mali with SOMAGEPWatershed (2016 – 2020) is a strategic partnership under the dialogue and dissent programme of the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs (DGIS), in which four Dutch NGOs work together with civil society organisations (CSOs) in six countries: Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, Ghana, and Mali. In Uganda, the Watershed programme has been working to improve […]
Gathering evidence for advocacy in Uganda with WatershedAccess to safe sanitation is a major challenge in Mauritania. According to JMP 2019, only 22 percent of the rural population and 67 percent of the urban population had access to an improved sanitation facility in 2015…
Setting up a community-led total sanitation (CLTS) monitoring system in MauritaniaIn 2018, together with the Ministry of Water Resources in Sierra Leone and UNICEF, we set out to implement a country-wide water quality testing system to identify the levels and root causes of water contamination, implement strategies to treat the cause, and monitor the success of the programme at large.
Setting up a country-wide water quality testing system in Sierra Leone with UNICEF and the Ministry of Water ResourcesSince 2015, UNICEF Pacific and Akvo have supported the government of Solomon Islands in conducting multiple national baselines relating to different aspects of WASH coverage.
Tracking WASH infrastructure in the schools of Solomon Islands with UNICEFTogether with UNICEF Pacific and the World Health Organisation (WHO), Akvo is supporting the government of Fiji to streamline their data processes and ensure targeted programmes and policies for the areas that need support so that they can achieve SDG 6.
Monitoring sustainable development goal 6 in Fiji with UNICEFIn Puruna Chhatrapur, Watershed supports rural communities in generating evidence about the status of WASH services so that they can advocate for better representation of their needs in village planning.
Generating evidence for community driven advocacy in India with WatershedA community based monitoring system has been established in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve in order to protect the ecosystem, preserve traditional cultivation methods, and improve the living conditions of the local citizens.
Community based monitoring of the Kafa Biosphere Reserve in Ethiopia with NABUIn Kenya, Akvo is involved in piloting a citizen science approach to water quality. Using Akvo’s data platform, citizens are monitoring the health of Nairobi’s rivers in order to gather critical information for evidence-based advocacy.
Using citizen science to monitor the health of Nairobi’s rivers with GIZIn collaboration with national governments and international NGOs, Akvo has mapped water points across West Africa and contributed to the creation of open data portals where this information is openly shared.
Designing a water quality monitoring system in Sierra Leone with UNICEFIndonesia’s government are aiming for food self-sufficiency by improving farm techniques, promoting climate-smart agriculture, improving efficient use of inputs, and increasing the knowledge of farmers on Good Agriculture Practices.
Increasing the yield of smallholder farmers in Indonesia with SMARTseedsUniversal access to safe and affordable drinking water is still a challenge. In remote areas of Bali, E. coli is a common contaminant, and timely, accurate and reliable water quality data is hard to come by.
Innovating Bali’s water quality testing systems with KopernikAcacia is a groundwater consultancy firm with a mission to improve the access to clean and safe water worldwide using smart, sustainable and practical solutions. With projects around the globe, Acacia puts the owners and users of water, from governments and citizens to villagers and village elders, at the forefront.
Monitoring the salinity of surface water in the Netherlands with AcaciaICCO cooperation is a global non-governmental organisation that provides financial support and advice to local organisations that work for better access to basic facilities, sustainable development, and peace and democracy.
Sustainable solutions through data science with ICCOUTZ work to create a world in which sustainable farming is the norm. In an effort to make the hazelnut sector sustainable, UTZ and Akvo teamed up to digitise the survey for hazelnut certification and set up a data collection process to monitor compliance.
Working towards sustainable hazelnut production in Turkey with UTZLaunched in November 2015, the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) is an emergency fund set up by the European Union to address destabilisation, forced displacement and irregular migration in three regions of Africa: Sahel and Lake Chad, Horn of Africa and North of Africa.
A quick path to more transparency and visibility with the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF)In collaboration with national governments and international NGOs, Akvo has mapped water points across West Africa and contributed to the creation of open data portals where this information is openly shared.
Creating national water atlases with five West African governmentsWatershed is a strategic partnership under the dialogue and dissent programme of the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs (DGIS), in which four Dutch NGOs work together with civil society organisations (CSOs) in six countries: Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, Ghana, and Mali.
Strengthening the voice of civil society with WatershedWatershed is a strategic partnership under the Dialogue and Dissent programme of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which four Dutch non-governmental organisations work together with civil society organisations in six countries: Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, Ghana and Mali.
Creating Theories of Change (ToC) with WatershedThe 9 country programme is part of the current regional programme with the UNICEF Western and Central Africa Regional Office. The programme aims to accelerate national and subnational WASH monitoring for the improved management and delivery of water and sanitation services in nine West and Central African countries.
Accelerating sanitation and water for all in West and Central Africa with UNICEF, IRC and national governmentsSNV Netherlands Development Organisation initiates programmes to alleviate poverty across the globe. Their smart water for agriculture (SWA) programme aims to save water and energy in farming practices across selected counties in Kenya.
Increasing the profitability of farmers in Kenya with SNVTiipaalga, meaning ‘new tree’ in the local Moore language, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Burkina Faso. Tiipaalga works with families in the arid Sahel region to improve their living conditions sustainably and independently, while promoting reforestation.
Monitoring the use of eco-friendly cook stoves in the Sahel region with TiipaalgaSince 2014, the International Water Stewardship Programme, implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit on behalf of the UK’s Department for International Development and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development…
Addressing shared water risk in Tanzania with IWaSPEnabel, formerly BTC, is the Belgian development agency. Implementing the development cooperation programmes of the Belgian government, they support development projects around the globe to eradicate poverty.
Increasing access to drinking water in Mozambique with EnabelFunded by USAID, AECOM recently implemented a Livestock for Growth project, with the aim of increasing inclusive livestock sector growth by improving animal health and weight, expanding market access and including historically marginalised groups in value chain development.
Developing the livestock value chain in Mali with AECOMDuring the prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa, in early 2017, Akvo and IRC were contracted by UNICEF Ethiopia to collect water point functionality data in the Somali region of Ethiopia.
Water point mapping in Ethiopia with IRC and UnicefThe 2015 earthquake dealt a devastating blow to Nepal. Its rugged terrain made the relief and recovery work extremely challenging for the government and humanitarian sector.
Accelerating early earthquake recovery in Nepal with ACT AllianceThe Pani programme, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is aimed at addressing the adverse effects of climate change and population growth in three river basins and 25 watersheds in Nepal.
Conserving freshwater biodiversity in Nepal with the Pani programmeThe World Bank has contributed to the water and sanitation sector in India since 1991. It has also partnered with the government in order to ensure better delivery of water, sanitation and health (WASH) services to citizens.
Water quality monitoring in India with the World Bank and the government of PunjabThe government of India embarked on an ambitious programme in 2014 with the goal of making India open defecation free by 2019. The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), part of a prominent development network in India, initiated an ambitious sanitation programme in order to contribute to the overall efforts of this mission.
Implementing a comprehensive sanitation initiative in India with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI), founded by Azim Premji, focuses on improving local governance by strengthening community and civil society groups to implement holistic development plans.
Strengthening local democracy in India with Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI)The World Vegetable Center is an international nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development. This project sets out to reduce malnutrition in the target provinces in Cambodia, in particular of women and children.
Reducing malnutrition in women and children in Cambodia with the World Vegetable CenterThe World Vegetable Center is an international nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development. This project sets out to reduce malnutrition in the target provinces in Cambodia, in particular of women and children.
Empowering market vendors with UN Women in the PacificThe Empower Youth for Work programme, initiated by Oxfam, aims to reduce poverty in rural coastal areas by empowering youth, especially young women, to seek and obtain decent work.
Monitoring youth empowerment and employability in Indonesia with OxfamGREENCoffee is a public private partnership of ten partners from the Netherlands and Vietnam, all working to ensure a sustainable future for coffee farmers in Vietnam.
Creating a sustainable information service for coffee farmers in Vietnam with GREENCoffeeSustainable Harvest International (SHI) mitigates environmental degradation and rural poverty by encouraging the adoption of regenerative farming practices.
Planting systems of change in Honduras, Belize and Panama with Sustainable Harvest InternationalThe Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) is a multi-stakeholder platform established in 2011 to promote resource efficiency and sustainability in trade flows, production and consumption operations, and supply chains in the global rice sector.
Sustainable rice certification in Pakistan, India and Cambodia with Mars Food
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