News & Insights

On the first day of the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 in Paris, Belgium has been awarded the prize “Fossil of the Day” from environmental organizations. Because there was no agreement yet among the Flemish, Walloon and Brussels government on a common climate policy, the Belgium government failed to come up with a joint position at the start of COP 21. As an organization that supports small farmers in developing countries, VECO argues that COP21 is an opportunity to the country and all parties to join the effort to tackle climate change.

Since 2013 IKEA Food and Vredeseilanden act in close cooperation to make the food supply in IKEA’s branches more sustainable. The introduction of vegetarian balls, the supply of certified fish and shellfish, the reduction of food waste, a better cooperation with producers and providers… Those are only a few of the initiatives IKEA took to offer more sustainable food products.

Trac Van, 22 October 2015, 4:45 pm. It’s very busy on the field of the Trac Van Organic Vegetable Collaborative Group. The twenty women and one man who are part of the group are working the last hours of their day. I visited this same group exactly one year ago – and look at the difference.

From 26 to 27 October 2015, VECO organised a workshop with a dozen practitioners from development organisations, private companies and finance institutions from all over the world that have tested SenseMaker in the agricultural sector. They gathered at The Institute for Ireland in Europe in Leuven, Belgium.

On 25 and 26 September I had the unaccustomed honour of giving a presentation at the annual conference of APEN, the Association of Nicaraguan Exporters and Producers, on what we at Vredeseilanden/VECO mean by the phrase ‘inclusive business’. Why do we think it is so important for food companies to ensure that their business model includes small-scale or family farmers?

Humans make use of nature, and the earth provides free of charge. How can we help to reward our earth, which is inhabited by billions of people? By protecting it! For Bagus Sudibya and Gede Ngurah Wididana, the key to the continuity of their businesses is protecting the natural resources around them.

As you have already noticed we recently launched our new website. Why? Well time flies on the internet, new technologies come and go, and particularly the growing use of mobile devices created a need for this change.

The origin of the African Rice Exchange (ARE) dates back to 2014. In October, 4 farmer leaders of West Africa and 3 staff members of VECO participated in the International Rice Conference held in Bangkok and broadly exchanged with rice producers and actors in Thailand. This was such a fruitful experience that the return of the team gave birth to the idea of organizing an exchange visit at the level of Africa with this main thread: business models for rice processing and commercialization.

The City of Ghent partnered with 12 European cities in the Food Smart Cities for Development project, financed by the European Union. The project aims at fostering the role of cities in changing urban food production and consumption patterns by promoting inclusive, resilient and fair local food systems. The cities involved work on the further development of local food strategies. They are also drivers of a global Urban Food Policy Pact that will be signed in October 2015 by the major cities of the world.

In the week of October 8, 2015, VECO Indonesia organized several feedback moments to discuss the results of the story collection using SenseMaker technology in Polman district on Sulawesi island, Indonesia.

“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.