MEDA Recommendations for the Future of Canada’s International Climate Finance

MEDA – Mennonite Economic Development Associates – is an international economic development organization that creates business solutions to poverty. MEDA believes that the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation can empower businesspeople of all income levels to act as leaders of environmentally responsible growth. We work with businesses and entrepreneurs, and local partners to promote the business case for good environmental management and addressing climate change.

Currently MEDA works in 76 countries with 26 active projects in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Most of MEDA’s clients are farmers, entrepreneurs and SMSE’s engaged within agricultural market systems and are experiencing the impacts of climate change firsthand. MEDA’s work brings a unique market systems approach to project design that integrates technical assistance and access to capital.

MEDA’s technical teams’ mainstream gender and social inclusion and environment and climate change within project design. This gives us valuable and up to date firsthand insight on the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on the lives of the clients we work with in the Global South. The following response is the product of this insight.