Blog

  • Payments for Environmental Services

    Payments for Environmental Services
  • Why we are reviving lowland rice production in Liberia – Silas Siakor

    Lofa, where we work in Foya, used to be regarded as the breadbasket for Liberia. They used to produce large volumes of rice, year in year out, and everybody knew them for the volume of rice coming out of that region. The lowlands were developed with canals, dams, everything needed to store water throughout the year. They were able to farm and harvest three times a year. However, after forty years of civil war, total disrepair and lack of maintenance, those dams could no longer function properly and the canals were all closing up.

    Why we are reviving lowland rice production in Liberia – Silas Siakor
  • Reducing the cattle deforestation risk in the Brazilian Amazon

    A couple of weeks ago my Brazilian colleague Daniella Mariuzzo ventured out to a supermarket for the first time in 18 months. With a mixture of trepidation and elation she left the safety of her family bubble to purchase one of the first packs of verified 100% deforestation-free Brazilian Beef from a Carrefour store in Sao Paulo. It was a big moment for both the Brazilian cattle sector and for all of us who want to stop illegal deforestation in the Amazon.

    Reducing the cattle deforestation risk in the Brazilian Amazon
  • Private sector priorities at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit

    At IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative, we bring all the parties in a value chain – public, private, but also civil society and knowledge institutions – to find the solutions together because we know that with incremental change we won’t get there.  

    Private sector priorities at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit
  • Merging the social and environmental agendas – Blog

    Recently, several court cases have kept a lot of minds in our sectors busy. They show how strongly society is involved in the transformation and the necessity of creating positive…

    Merging the social and environmental agendas – Blog
  • Artificial intelligence as an extension of farm intelligence

    Applications in smallholder farmer water management Promotional adverts about technology in agriculture depict AI as sci-fi made real – Drones target diseased crops for pesticide spraying…

    Artificial intelligence as an extension of farm intelligence
  • Why forest-based carbon trading is poised to go mainstream

    Ten years after it dropped off the sustainability radar, voluntary forest-based carbon trading is finally poised to get off the ground for real. We believe it can have a key role in safeguarding the future of our planet.

    Why forest-based carbon trading is poised to go mainstream
  • Reflections on the One Planet Summit: Encouraging commitments but investment gap persists

    This week lifted my spirit, in a show of commitment at the One Planet Summit from world leaders. But a serious investment gap persists for investment in nature.

    Reflections on the One Planet Summit: Encouraging commitments but investment gap persists
  • It is time to seal the marriage between carbon finance and forest protection

    All carbon pollution is equal: This is a founding assumption of the UN Climate Convention, because the atmospheric effect of a tonne of carbon dioxide emitted from a smoking tropical…

    It is time to seal the marriage between carbon finance and forest protection
  • Can land tenure security be the path to sustainable global commodity supply chains?

    Digital innovation and technologies, such as blockchain, can improve the sustainability of global supply chains. To successfully include smallholders in this, one of the key actions is to…

    Can land tenure security be the path to sustainable global commodity supply chains?
  • Transitioning to regenerative agriculture with smallholders

    This blog is part of a series where we will further explore the concept of regenerative agriculture and how it translates to smallholder realities. A paradigm shift from…

    Transitioning to regenerative agriculture with smallholders
  • Key trends and emerging opportunities in Digital Agriculture:  IDH Farmfit offers tools and resources to support your journey

    It is becoming crucial for food traders, processors and retailers to ‘know’ their farmers and their production practices. Especially as there is growing consumer concern around food safety, environment degradation…

    Key trends and emerging opportunities in Digital Agriculture:  IDH Farmfit offers tools and resources to support your journey
  • Letter from Joost Oorthuizen

    Dear colleagues and friends, I have enjoyed every minute of the last twelve years, but there is a time for everything, and now is the moment for me to move on. It…

    Letter from Joost Oorthuizen
  • Blog: Innovative Models for Market Transformation

    Lessons from IDH Farmfit Smallholder agriculture markets are typically beset by a series of challenges, many of which are systemic by nature – a situation that has only been exacerbated…

    Blog: Innovative Models for Market Transformation