News

Agriterra bids farewell to its founder and Director Kees Blokland

After almost 25 years, Agriterra is bidding farewell to its founder Kees Blokland who is retiring. On the afternoon of Thursday 7 October, a farewell reception for staff and invitees will be held in Musis in Arnhem, the place where the festive launch of Agriterra took place in 1998 and to which at least forty agricultural organisations were invited at the time.  

Harmonisation of potato extension materials in Rwanda

In Rwanda, various parties have been providing extension services to potato farmers especially in the Northern and Western provinces of the country, each with their own approach in a non-cooperative way. Most of these extension services are publicly funded, which means that they are funded by NGO’s or governments rather than by farmers. Even though pluralism within extension was considered healthy, there were some issues as presented by Agriterra Rwanda through its intern Sjoerd van Vilsteren (from Wageningen University) during his internship in Rwanda.

Alliance to improve market access for small producers

Agriterra and e-trade platform Producers Market signed a memorandum of understanding to improve market access and create new and better opportunities for small scale farmers worldwide.  

Youth’s own coffee brand in Rwanda

In Rwanda, the coffee sector shows a growing gap between ageing coffee farmers and the up-and-coming generation. There is a need to attract youths to join the coffee business, and more particularly the production. To tackle this challenge Agriterra is partnering with primary coffee processors, to attract young people to get involved along the entire value chain of coffee. Read below the success story of Abakundakawa cooperative.

Enhancing women participation in the affairs of their cooperatives

Combined approach shows its value

ETHIOPIA - In 2019 Agriterra started to support sixteen primary cooperatives (PC), all members of Damot FCU (Farmer Cooperative Unions), a client of Agriterra. With the help of Agriterra, Kuch PC managed to more than double its output marketing within a year.

Digital side event at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome

Cooperative Partnership for Climate Smart Food and Forestry host digital side event at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome

On Wednesday 28 July at 13:30-14:20 the Cooperative Partnership, which joins Agriterra and the Dutch, Danish and Finnish farmer’s, foresters and cooperative organisations LTO, NAJK, DAFC and MTK, will host a digital side event at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome. The session titled ‘Towards Global Partnerships for a Climate Smart and Efficient Food Future’ will focus on the need to mobilise more global climate finance for public-private partnerships to help cooperatives help their owners, the farmers, sequester carbon and mitigate agriculture emissions in developing countries. 

Agripoolers: Driving Results-focused Impact for Agricultural Cooperatives

By 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition. This highlights the increasing role of farmers and agricultural cooperatives to ensure food security and productivity. However, agricultural cooperatives face multiple challenges such as access to land, technology, and especially markets.