Rikolto (International)

SMEs usually make up over 90% of businesses in the agri-food sector, create half the sector’s economic value, provide more than half its jobs, and handle more than half the food consumed. In Burkina Faso, Hado, a food entrepreneur with 40 years of experience running informal businesses joined an entrepreneurship programme funded by Enabel to professionalise her business idea. Learn about the beginning of her story in this article.

During three days, more than 40 producers, academics and government representatives from Peru and Ecuador gathered in Cajamarca (Perú), for an exchange of experiences and lessons on mitigating the carbon footprint of coffee production. It was the kick-off event of the project “More coffee and less CO2” project in Ecuador that aims to encouragee strategies and policies for high yields of carbon neutral coffee.

FAO and Rikolto are joining forces to set up two networks to increase policymakers’ awareness and capacity on urban food systems governance and to improve urban food markets so they can contribute to more sustainable food systems. Read more bout these 2 initiatives in this article.

Five years ago, we introduced you to Freddy Mairena, a Nicaraguan cocoa farmer. Freddy’s honest and friendly smile can be found today in the promotional images of the Boni "Nicaragua" chocolate in the Colruyt Group retail shops in Belgium. Here is Freddy’s story now: from producer to entrepreneur.

Rikolto joined forces with Colruyt Group, Entreprise Cooperative de Saint Paul (ECSP), Puratos, Access Agriculture, Agro Insight and Fairtrade Belgium to move towards a living income for cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast. One year after the start of the project, we take a look at the first results.

The agreement seeks to position and reinforce Peru's differentiation as an exporter of quality cocoa, with verified origin attributes and deforestation-free by 2025. Rikolto is joining 19 organisations from the cocoa value chain in the country to promote this important initiative, within the framework of the Coalition for Sustainable Production.