This month, the well-known TV show The Apprentice returned to British television, and a motley crew of young men and women swaggered across our screens at the start of their competition to obtain start-up business financing from 'Suralan' Sugar.  The solipsistic self-promotion, and clear belief that the cut-throat pursuit of short-term profits is both desirable and also a guarantor of success in business, sets these... Read more

Oxfam has been involved in sustainable livelihoods and enterprise development since the 1960s, gaining practical experience in setting up businesses that deliver social as well as economic development. Since we believe that gender inequality is one of the greatest barriers to poverty eradication worldwide, over the last three years we have been piloting an innovative Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) - a unique initiative with an investment... Read more

A few months ago, on the happy concurrence of World Food Day and International Rural Women's Day, I blogged here on the important role women play in our food production and rural development, and I mentioned that we were working on a new publication: Gender Inequality: it's your Business. With consistent regard for important dates in the calendar, we are now publishing this new Briefing for Business in time for International... Read more

This weekend marks two days that - like it or not - should be of increasing relevance to us all: World Food Day, on Sunday 16 October, reminds us how upswings in food prices are hitting the poorest hardest. And Saturday, World Food Day's eve, is International Rural Women's Day.  The running together of these two days is no accident  - celebrating rural women before highlighting trends in world food production... Read more