News & Insights

“We started one year ago with just 15 farmers, now we have over 200 members. The future looks bright, because now we are also starting negotiations with retailers like Nakumatt, Tusky’s, Shoprite, Urban Wholesalers,…", says Joseph Awala, chairman of the Kwapa Farmers Cooperative. “

240 delegates from 20 countries across Europe and worldwide, including the US, Japan, Libanon, Ghana, Colombia, … gathered in Bristol during the weekend of 3, 4 and 5 july to attend the 9th international FairtradeTowns conference.

Tegucigalpa and Comayalegua form the largest and most populated city in Honduras. The search for better life opportunities, remunerative jobs, education and public services, has generated an exodus of the rural population to this city, which has caused, among other effects, the lack of food producers, the aging of the productive population in rural areas and the dependence of other income sources.

My colleague Caroline and I set flight to Entebbe, the nearest airport to Eastern-Congo territory, for a two weeks fieldtrip through the amazingly green mountainsides of the Eastern-Congo region between Butembo and the Virunga National Park. The purpose of our trip: uncovering the relationships between the different actors of the coffee chain supported by VECO DR Congo through the Sensemaker methodology.

Monday April 13, 2015, 7:30 am. The sun is shining bright. On the site of APROCA, some farmers are making preparations for the processing of the cocoa. Others are still arriving. On motorcycle, in the back of a pickup truck, by bus or on foot. Everyone knows today's agenda: the first day of pruning in the cocoa farms.

I am strolling through an Intimex supermarket in Hanoi, Vietnam. If I don’t take a quick glance on the bill boards screaming out promotions in Vietnamese language, I could have imagined myself strolling to a Belgian supermarket. The same well known A-brands on the shelves as in my weekly visited supermarket in Belgium. The same green shining apples wrapped per four with plastic in a little isomo scale.

In the past year, Vredeseilanden engaged in a discussion with supermarkets, the food industry and farmers

Vredeseilanden wants to change the collective catering from a structural point of view, and give it a more sustainable character. In order to increase the number of entities who commit to sustainable nutrition, 6 years ago Vredeseilanden set up different pilot projects.

In Nicaragua cocoa is hot. Everybody is interested in it; everybody wants to invest in cocoa, from producers to development agencies, government and private sector actors. But how should these investments be oriented?

Monday march 9, Kampani has been launched officially with a reception at the Headquarters of the King Baudouin Foundation. In his opening address, the president of the Board of the Kampani Investment Fund, Steven Serneels, disclosed both the challenges and opportunities of this new investment fund. Here you can read the transcription of his speech.

Vredeseilanden gave a master class in Hasselt University about the future role of small holder farmers in the international food market. The strategic adviser of Vredeseilanden Chris Claes and the Programme coordinator of Veco East Africa Paul Mbuthia were invited lecturers in the North South course of Hasselt University.

Changing the Food Game is a recent book by Lucas Simons. It discloses the dynamics behind the unsustainable production and trading system of our food, but also shows a way forward. The book presents the tipping points to a sustainable market transformation that has the potential to change the current landscape of how we do business in the food sector. A recommended read - here’s why.

The food and agricultural sector have never faced such great challenges as they have today but, simultaneously, the viability of the agricultural sector has never been under such heavy pressure. The question on how to move towards sustainability standards for food production inspired Gert Engelen and Saartje Boutsen of Vredeseilanden to create the book ‘#SaveTheFoodture’.

The 12th high feast of African coffees ended on february 14. Every year the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) organizes a conference and exposition in the capital of one of its 11 member countries. Until recently it was an association of East African coffees, but because 90% of the African coffee comes from the East, they have opted for a continental profile. Thanks to the investments of CFC/ICO, Cordaid and DGD, the cooperatives supported by VECO managed to cause a stir on the exposition.

Vredeseilanden - VECO was present during the Salon du Chocolat celebrated in Brussels from the 6th to the 8th of February 2015.

The organizations Vredeseilanden/VECO, Alterfin, the King Baudouin Foundation, Louvain Cooperation au Développement, International Solidarity for Development and Investment (SIDI), Boerenbond and private investors jointly established Kampani, a new investment fund for producer organizations in the South.

"We have evolved from a small world on a large planet to a large world on a small planet.” says Carl Folke in a lecture he gave at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Leuven a few days ago. Mr. Folke is a renowned resilience thinker and founder of the the Stockholm Resilience Center. He gave his lecture during his visit to receive a well deserved honorary doctorate from the University of Leuven.

On the island of Flores in Indonesia, farmers have been producing coffee for export for generations. But as they live in Natural Reserve, they have become increasingly uncertain about where they are allowed to work.

Our colleague Steff Deprez will participate in a performance measurement community of practice facilitated by the Sustainable Food Lab at the Mars headquarters in McLean, Virginia. He will be presenting our experience on the use of Sensemaker®.

For some, the sloping beaches in Atacames are heaven amongst the hills and mountains that dominate the Ecuadorian landscape. But for Martin, heaven is the 10 hectares of cocoa garden behind his house. "Living here feels like being in heaven. Peaceful. I don't smoke or drink (alcohol). I've only been to a party once. And that was with my wife," Martin adds glancing at his wife, smiling.

It's no surprise that the internet and social media are not as widely used in Ecuador as they are in Indonesia. So, you can't talk about netizen communities or internet-based social networks like you can in Indonesia. Here – if I'm not mistaken – that is a long way off. Not at all like Indonesia. I hope that Ecuador will get more affordable and accessible mobile phone and internet services. So that Cinthya and Reynaldo can see more of the world again from their mobiles.

One week to go before the start of the International Rice Congress in Bangkok. 5 representatives of the West African regional rice producers platform CRCOPR and 2 staff from VECO West Africa and 1 from head office will attend the congress.

From 1 to 3 October the World Trade Organisation (WTO) organised its yearly Public Forum in the WTO headquarters in Geneva. The Forum wanted to tell the human story behind trade, 'the myriad connections between trade and people's daily lives and how trade improves the day-to-day lives of citizens around the globe'. Within the Forum Vredeseilanden/VECO was entitled to organize a workshop on Inclusive trading relationships, linking smallholders to modern markets: how to build bridges and create a win-win?

"I admit: I am not a committed consumer. So, there you have it. Even worse: I am a lazy consumer." Colleague Jelle reflects on his consumer behaviour and the impact of it.

A case study by VECO Indonesia on the collective marketing efforts of certified sustainable cocoa in Polewali Mandar.

The purpose of this case study is to describe the success story of a rice farmer group in Boyolali called Aliansi Petani Padi Boyolali (APPOLI) , which is gradually managing to switch to organic rice cultivation and make use of opportunities to supply global market demand.

In general, the target for organic products is better-off consumers, in the middle to high income bracket. This group is already health aware. But not many people in Mbay fall into this group. So, the Mbay farmers have expanded the marketing of their organic rice to neighbouring towns, such as Ende and Maumere.

The past four weeks we had a temporary colleague from Mars working at our headoffice. Mars Incorporated is one of world's leading food manufacturers known for its chocolates, candy and pet care products. VECO works together with Mars in a joint cocoa program in Indonesia.

On June 9th we left for Amsterdam to attend the World Cocoa Conference, a 4-day conference on the future and sustainability of the cocoa sector. More than 1400 participants attended, coming from 55 countries worldwide, representing all stakeholders in the value chain: governments of producing and consuming countries, cocoa processors (Mars, Cargill, Callebaut,….), traders (ADM, ECOM,…), cocoa farmers, chocolate makers, civil society actors, journalists …

Rice is a new crop for West-Africa. Twenty years ago rice was consumed only on Sunday and special occasions. Now rice is the most important cereal in the region, and the consumption is expected to double by the year 2050. This means a huge potential income for smallholder rice farmers who have the potential to produce these large quantities – even if there is a long way to go. Today 40% of rice consumption is imported – mainly from Asia.