
Solidaridad: 50 years
Solidaridad is proud to celebrate 50 years of making value chains more sustainable.
Read more about our rich history on this page.
Solidaridad is proud to celebrate 50 years of making value chains more sustainable.
Read more about our rich history on this page.
Learn how we work to bring about change that matters.
In everything we do, we are driven by our vision and mission. We seek partnerships with others, collaborate with industries and aspire to be a financially sustainable organization. We will always ensure that what we do contributes to our vision of a sustainable and inclusive economy that maximizes the benefit for all.
Solidaridad envisions a world in which all we produce, and all we consume, can sustain us while respecting the planet, each other and the next generations.
Today, the global economy is not organized in a sustainable way. Many of us now realize that an unsustainable way of life threatens food security, our planet and our businesses. With a world population projected to grow to 9 billion people by 2050, we can only be fed if the agricultural sector makes a transition to smart and sustainable land use. And, as fossil fuel use becomes increasingly problematic, a transition to a bio-based economy is needed. Farmers worldwide therefore have a bright future as providers of food and suppliers of renewable energy and raw materials. They link as never before the issues of food security for developing countries and prosperity for the world as a whole.
Many of us now realize that an unsustainable way of life threatens our food security, our planet and our businesses.
There is one agenda, one challenge: We have to produce more with less, and ensure that it is done in a way that sustains people and the environment. Optimizing land use is the first step towards a solution. Increased production must meet growing demand, but with fewer negative consequences for people and the environment. More efficient production must be coupled with less pollution. There must be greater precision in the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and a reduction in the use of water and energy. Waste then becomes a thing of the past. Losses in the supply chain are reduced. Forests are no longer cut down and additional land is no longer needed because existing agricultural land is being used more efficiently.
There is a single agenda and a single challenge: we must produce more with less and ensure that it's done in a way that sustains people and the environment.
An inclusive economy - one in which people can participate fully - is needed. It should start with the recognition of the potential of smallholder farmers and women, who are often the leading drivers of sustainable change. It must respect workers’ rights, provide a safe and healthy workplace, and support a living income for farmers and workers.
For children, school is the best place to work. Mining and industry need to switch to a responsible means of production. Workers' rights are respected and the environment is preserved for future generations, keeping its potential intact.
The change we seek is a market process driven by the private sector. However, civil society organizations and governments play an essential role in enabling and encouraging change. In this process, Solidaridad is a transition manager. We back farmers who are economically poor but have rich potential, entrepreneurial men and women, and workers who want to build their livelihoods on a fair income. Solidaridad partners with all parties in the supply chain, so that everyone can be involved in creating change that matters.
Our mission is to bring together supply chain players and engage them with innovative solutions to improve production, ensuring the transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy that maximizes the benefit for all.
Solidaridad is a network organization for international cooperation that draws inspiration from the vision, values and capacities of people all over the world.
Solidaridad is a transition manager, focusing on producer support and sustainable supply chain and market development. We partner with those who want to make a difference by changing business practices from being a part of the problem to being a part of the solution. Markets have to work for the poor, and companies are the key change makers.
From a shared vision to change that matters.
Our aim is to make an impact by being the best in building partnerships, in piloting and scaling up programmes, in learning and innovation.
Without a dream there is no first step. At the beginning there are no paved roads; simply by starting to walk, a path is created. Knowledge and values are needed. Skilled and motivated people are our capital. We are realists with a mission. We turn shared vision into meaningful impact in communities.
Fully realised in 2014, the new Solidaridad organizational structure has been designed to maximize international development cooperation, capacity, transparency, accountability, performance and impact.
This allows us to develop and implement international and regional policy and programmes in the most effective way possible. We operate under a common vision and mission, and are fully aligned around consistent and comprehensive international commodity strategies.
One of Solidaridad’s main challenges is to explore, test and prove new concepts to overcome barriers to sustainable development. To achieve this, Solidaridad focuses on five predetermined innovation areas. In partnership with private and public actors, we can identify barriers, develop approaches to scale up solutions, build alliances to finance the proofs of concept and find venues to communicate and disseminate the proven concepts.
This allows us to develop and implement international and regional policy and programmes in the most effective way possible. We operate under a common vision and mission, and are fully aligned around consistent and comprehensive international commodity strategies.
Developing mutually beneficial partnerships is perhaps the single most important aspect of our work in reconciling social and ecological responsibility with market and supply chain realities.
As such, we partner with hundreds of players of all shapes, forms, and sizes from across global supply chains — from local producers and associations, supply chain service and input providers, to governments, civil society, policy and decision-makers, CSR leaders, leading global brands, and consumers.