Grow your business 9 Dec 2025

A new ecosystem for food, finance and community growth

For business owners, growth is about more than just the bottom line. It’s also about building resilient communities and a sustainable economic landscape, but what happens when the very communities we serve feel left behind by the financial systems designed to support them?

This was the central question behind the United Nations (UN) SDG Challenge South Africa 2025 Edition. For the second consecutive year, Standard Bank partnered with the SDG Challenge South Africa, working with bright young minds from South African universities to explore how we can better support progress towards the Zero Hunger initiative (SDG 2). The challenge was to understand the barriers of trust, capabilities and readiness that prevent local communities from using financial solutions to achieve food security.

Understanding the trust deficit

The student team's research, conducted through direct engagement with community members, uncovered a powerful insight: that there is a significant trust gap. Barriers such as high banking fees, a perceived lack of engagement with low-income communities, and strict qualification criteria have left many excluded. As one community member put it, "Banks only help people with salaries. We are not seen as real customers."

This feedback is a reminder that for financial tools to be effective, they must be built on a foundation of trust and accessibility. It’s not enough to simply offer a solution; we must ensure that people feel seen, understood, and empowered to use the solution.

An integrated food and finance ecosystem

In response to these findings, the students developed an innovative framework designed to build trust, readiness, and capability all at once. Instead of tackling food security and developing financial inclusion solutions as separate issues, they created an integrated food and finance ecosystem where education, production, and technology work together.

The model stands on 4 key pillars:

Food and finance education: Practical training in financial literacy, agricultural skills, and entrepreneurship, that equips community members with the knowledge and confidence needed to engage with financial services.
Food and forest hubs: These community-based centres act as live production sites where participants can apply their new skills in climate smart agriculture and agroforestry, generating income and turning theory into practice.
AI integration: Smart technology is used to connect people with the right financial services, offer personalised guidance, and help them track their progress towards both their food security and economic goals.
Bootcamp: This is where readiness becomes real capability. Hands-on training in climate-smart agriculture and agritech gives participants immediate access to green credits, irrigation grants and agritech and micro-loans, directly linking skills to financial opportunity.

The power of collaborative innovation

This initiative is a powerful example of how collaboration can drive meaningful change. By bringing business expertise together with academic innovation, we can uncover practical, implementable solutions that go far beyond theory. As Dr Manessah Alagbaoso, head of Business Ecosystems and Sustainability at Standard Bank Group, noted, "The insights provided, and solutions developed by the University of the Witwatersrand students have provided us with a new perspective on how communities perceive and interact with financial services institutions.

Our commitment to growth that matters

As we approach the 2030 deadline for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), partnerships like these are more critical than ever. This challenge reinforces our commitment to responsible banking and our core belief that as Africa is our home, we drive her growth. By listening, learning, and co-creating solutions, we can better serve all communities on their journey towards economic empowerment.

For every business in South Africa, a thriving, inclusive economy is the ultimate goal. Initiatives like the SDG Challenge are not just about corporate responsibility, but also about building a stronger, more resilient future for everyone.