SOLIDARIDAD ASIA: AN INCREDIBLE POWER OF INNOVATIONS AT SCALE

In the first week of April, it was my privilege to visit the Solidaridad team in India. The rapid growth of programmes required a bigger space for the regional office in New Delhi, offering a working place to a growing number of staff. The inauguration of the office was an exciting event with vibrant exchanges between staff, partners, and stakeholders. 

In Bhopal in central India, I was invited to the inauguration of the ’Nico Roozen International Centre of Excellence for Regenerative Agriculture’. Regenagri is a promising concept of adding value for farmers and society.  I am humbled that this new initiative of Solidaridad will carry my name.  

It was great to be in the global South again after COVID times and I like to share some impressions with you from this energizing week. 

VISIT MINISTER MARK HARBERS

Coincidentally, the Dutch minister for Infrastructure and Water Management, Mark Harbers, was still in Delhi during the first day of my stay. Solidaridad Asia was invited for a formal interaction with the minister which I could join. At the meeting, eight selected Dutch partners, Solidaridad being one of them, presented their programmes of Indian-Dutch cooperation.  

In India, the Solidaridad-led consortium implements the project of clean tanneries and water management that makes a real contribution to the “Clean Ganga” project. The project brings together Dutch and Indian Government agencies on the one end and Dutch and Indian private sector parties on the other end in a double-engine cooperation. The overall objective of the project is to reduce the amount of effluent water discharged by at least 40% and introduce alternative technologies and processes at tanneries with a reduced environmental impact. 

in different meetings local stakeholders explicitly referred to the Solidaridad programmes as ‘one par excellence best practice’ - Mark Harbers, Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management.

It was remarkable that the Minister shared his observation that in different meetings local stakeholders explicitly referred to the Solidaridad programmes as ‘one par excellence best practice’.

NEW SOLIDARIDAD ASIA OFFICE IN DELHI

The Solidaridad programmes in Asia are showing remarkable growth and impact covering eight countries, twelve commodities, and four coherent intervention strategies. At the opening ceremony of the office, I expressed my hope that this new working place will be a safe place for women and men and a knowledge hub full of inspiration and innovation. 

The Solidaridad programmes in Asia are covering eight countries, twelve commodities, and four coherent intervention strategies (see also: www.solidaridadnetwork.org/asia). 

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, BHOPAL

In the presence of 350 farmers, among them many female farmers, the Centre of Regenerative Agriculture, which carries my name, was festively opened. The Centre is offering training facilities for farmers who are ambitious enough to produce under the RegenAgri standard, converting their cropland into a carbon sink. 

Restoring the quality of soils, water, and air is at the core of the regenerative strategies. This starts from the understanding that we urgently need to replenish and regenerate the resources required to grow our food. Regenerative agriculture practices such as crop rotation, tree planting, reduced tillage, mulching, and water conservation techniques restore degraded soil and spur benefits for both agribusinesses and society. These techniques also improve yields via increased soil nutrients and organic content, reduced soil erosion, and improved water retention.

Broader environmental benefits emerge through these practices, including more resilient ecosystems, carbon sequestration, improved water management and stronger biodiversity. Reduced use of agrochemicals will produce a more healthy environment and clean air to breathe. Most importantly, this approach can generate additional income and a significant new revenue source for farmers from the rapidly expanding voluntary carbon credit markets. Moreover, regenerative certification has started to fetch price premiums in the market by up to 10%. 

The more we treat farming as a business the better valuable societal contributions are delivered. 

New earning models are crucial to create an entrepreneurial income for farming. Covering living income standards while adding investment capacity to it is crucial to make farmers bankable, increasing their capacity to invest in future-proof agriculture. Agriculture is not a social activity but a business. The more we treat farming as a business the better valuable societal contributions are delivered.