Tag Archives: food security

Sweat Equity and Market Access in Nepal

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Al Doerksen

It was a warm day in October in the hills/mountains near Pokhara, Nepal.  I was sweating.  I wasn’t even doing much except standing there with my camera enjoying the scenery.  Then a woman came up the hill from the steep … Continue reading →

Posted in IDE | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

My Cow Wears a Necklace

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Al Doerksen

So I’m travelling in India, and thinking that this would be a good time to buy a gold necklace.  After all, there is probably no country in which there is as much investment in gold jewelry as in India.  But … Continue reading →

Posted in IDE, Personal | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The poor pay more for their food, and they work harder too…

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Al Doerksen

Hunger in Africa has been on my mind recently.  FAO has been reporting that food prices have spiked to record levels.  Worse, reports of famine in Somalia have been circulating – real true famine with people not just hungry, but … Continue reading →

Posted in IDE, Personal | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The girl with the dirty finger nails

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Al Doerksen

Don’t get me wrong. iDE has a careful hiring process.  We review resumés.  We do multiple interviews.  We check references.   Still, it’s often hard to spot the right candidate.  So when I saw the dirty fingernails, I knew we had found … Continue reading →

Posted in IDE, Personal | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A community of investors

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Al Doerksen

iDE has been going through a rebranding process.  This is not just about visual identity, but also in terms of how we think about ourselves, our work and the people we interact with.  Along the way, we have decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in IDE | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Water into wine

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Al Doerksen

Tuesday is World Water Day.  iDE is planning to launch a new program to turn water into wine; a replication of the famous miracle at the marriage celebration feast at Cana several centuries ago.  To explain how we will do … Continue reading →

Posted in IDE, Personal | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Billboards and food security

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Al Doerksen

  It might be the closet sociologist in me, but I have always enjoyed billboards.  I figure that you can learn a lot about a society’s values by what people post on billboards.  I still remember Coca Cola billboards from … Continue reading →

Posted in IDE, Personal | Tagged , , | Leave a comment