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From special beans to major programme
As part of a strategy to promote women in the coffee sector, Colombia’s biggest brand, Juan Valdez, launched a special ‘Female Coffee Growers’ edition. Now served in 221 stores in the South American country, it is evolving into a gender equality programme.
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Drafting China’s sustainable soy guidelines
New guidelines for sustainable soy in China are designed to make the industry greener while promoting food security. More than 40 representatives of the government, global industry, financial institutions and academia gathered on 1 November to discuss the draft guidelines.
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Solidaridad, Olam, Jacobs Douwe Egberts and smallholder farmers launch circular coffee project in Peru and the Netherlands
Solidaridad, Jacobs Douwe Egberts BV, Olam Peru, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Cuencas del Huallaga and National Forestry Division SERFOR had their first partner meeting on 29 October regarding a new circular coffee project in Peru. This project introduces circularity principles in the coffee value chain from Peru to the Netherlands.
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Five ways to spot impact investment opportunities in agrifood
Agrifood service providers can help lift smallholder farmers out of poverty, increasing incomes and benefitting the whole supply chain. To maximize their impact, service providers need funding, but they can seem a high-risk proposition. Below we share five crucial factors to assess their investability.
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Dutch Royals impressed by Indian leather project
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima recently praised a Solidaridad-led initiative to reduce tannery pollution in the Ganges River. The royal couple was attending a tech summit in Delhi during their visit to India in October 2019.
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WINCC showcases successful examples of women’s impact in cocoa value chain
On the eve of the World Cocoa Foundation partnership meeting in Berlin, Solidaridad hosted another successful event with the Women in Cocoa and Chocolate Network (WINCC). It was a fruitful evening showcasing successful examples of women empowerment in the cocoa sector.
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Impact investing in frontier markets
Capital provision is crucial to address global challenges related to the UN SDGs, including sustainable agriculture, energy and water systems. Professor Glenn Yago of the Milken Innovation Center recently led a workshop in South Africa to explore the potential of impact investing in this scenario.
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Blog: Disrupting our thinking on palm oil
During a recent trip to Asia, Solidaridad’s honorary president Nico Roozen was struck by a meeting with a farmer whose thoughts contradicted the current dominant narrative of palm oil as the main driver of deforestation. Could palm oil, in fact, be our saviour? Read Nico’s views on this topic in his latest article.
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South-South cooperation to make small palm oil producers more sustainable
María Goretti Esquivel, Manager of Solidaridad’s palm oil programme in Colombia, went to Medan, Indonesia to share experiences and exchange best practices for smallholders in the controversial sector. She was there for the first training session by the RSPO Smallholder Academy, ahead of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil meeting this November.
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Ugandan tea processor secures USD 3.15 million investment
Kayonza Tea Factory in Uganda has secured a USD 3.15 million long-term loan from social impact investor Oikocredit. The investment means Kayonza can build a second factory to process soaring yields, improving the livelihoods of the 7,500 smallholder farmers who own it. It is the first UNDP Equator Prize winner and the first project in Solidaridad’s impact investment pipeline to win financing.