Jeroen's Breakfast Brief

a very special episode of Jeroen's Douglas' breakfast brief. Jeroen is leaving Solidaridad and while we will certainly be back with you with another podcast at some point in time, this is the finale of this specific series. A final episode with reversed roles! This time, Jeroen can explain us what his breakfast looks like. But there is more to discover: why is Jeroen leaving? And what does he see as Solidaridad's biggest failure?  Join us as we sit down with Jeroen, ​o​ur visionary leader, and a rebel with a cause, who has spent 30 years at the forefront of global change. In this episode, we delve into his transformative journey, from idealistic beginnings to the complex realities of today. Discover the insights, the wisdom, and the unwavering determination of a man who still believes in making a difference every day. I​ promise you a conversation that will ignite your own sense of purpose and leave you inspired to take on the world. 

In our Breakfast Brief today, Jeroen takes us on a journey through the world of the Small Farmer Atlas. Picture this: Over 10,000 small-scale farmers, sharing their thoughts on sustainability, and it's anything but your run-of-the-mill reportJoin us as Shatadru Chattopadhayay and Nitin Rao, leading voices from our Indian office, unravel what makes this Atlas so refreshingly different. Instead of seeking a one-size-fits-all narrative from small farmers, they encourage us to savor the rich tapestry of their diverse opinions and unyielding resilience.So, grab your coffee, pop in those earbuds, and discover the hidden treasures of wisdom that small-scale farmers from every corner of the globe have to offer. It's a buffet of insights you won't want to miss!

I had an interesting conversation with Patrick Schein. Patrick is French entrepreneur in the precious metals world since 35 years. Patrick Schein is specialised in the trading and refining of gold and I spoke with him about the artisanal gold mining sub-sector. He revealed to me the three big lies of the sector. Listen to this podcast below, or on your favorite podcast channel (search for: Jeroen's Breakfast Brief).

This time, as an exception a breakfast brief in Spanish. FM7, or Fabiola Muñoz, is a breaker of glass ceilings and a uniter of opposite views. Listen to this voice of modern Peruvian leadership, speaking about development and the need to build trust. 

How much incentive does a smallholder need in order NOT to knock down a  tree? And, what will be the role of businesses and governments to make sustainable palm oil the norm? Listen to Darrel Webber, a native from Malaysian Borneo, and ex-RSPO Secretary General. But also a smallholder himself.  In this podcast, he shines his precision light from all these perspectives on the sustainability challenges around one of the world's most (im)popular crops.

Meet Shungu Kanyemba, an unstoppable pioneer for the digital inclusion of smallholders in Africa, with or without a phone. A lively discussion about data as the new commodity and how this can become a new fair trade product. But also a quest for the balance between privacy and ensuring farmers have access and benefit from sharing their data. What kind of digital world do you want? 

No collateral and zero interest. How can that ever become a shining business case for investors? Meet Musa Kiggundu Muwanga and Lars van Doremalen, telling us how the world of finance is changing and how investing in local entrepreneurship will generate impact. Knowing the business makes all the difference and this is where PlusPlus sets the example. Would you dare to become an investor this way?

Joel Brounen is Solidaridad Network's country manager in #colombia and a passionate innovator who paves new roads for #farming communities in Colombia. In this episode, I talk with him about the post-pandemic shifts in market- and trade relations and how this can be an opportunity for an improved inclusion of #smallholders. Joel is one of the initiators of an initiative to provide financial incentives for farmers to adopt climate-smart practices and switch their farms to #agroforestry systems. We had a good debate on whether the #carbonmarkets can be a truly ethical business case. More advanced technology in recent years has allowed performing verification processes at reduced costs, creating a breakthrough for farmers to enter the international carbon market. But isn't this just an easy way for polluting companies to pay off their responsibilities? Listen to my podcast here to find out more while also learning about his secret Japanese recipe for building and retaining a thriving team full of talent.

Is it possible to make a password-free internet for one dollar owned by data smallholders?  How to overcome the digital divide and reclaim the internet from big tech?  Listen to Weynand Kuijpers from ThreeFold Tech: a voice from outer space that is building a new internet highway for and by the people. A discussion of being inclusive by making it simple.

Marlies Stappers is an activist and - through the organization Impunity Watch - a true voice amplifier of victims of injustice. But the conversation also moves to a deeper and broader level: what are the basics of a fair society? Should we rethink the rule of law? And what can we learn from indigenous peoples in this respect?

It's time for the good revolution! That's what Marcello Brito - a former leader of many big agribusinesses in Brazil - tells us in this Breakfeast brief. Marcello is keen on gender issues and building a more sustainable world. Listen to the insights of Marcello Brito on the development of Brazilian agriculture, on the Amazon rainforest and on the 100 billion dollar pledge. For europe,  it is about food sustainability, but for China it is food security that comes first. Is it just Marcello or is agro-business really adopting the NGO agenda? 

Jeroen met Rory Peter back in 2009 when he was working as a consultant with Advance. Now, he is the Executive Director of the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Beef. And that allows for an interesting discussion on the sustainability challenges of animal proteins. Halving the livestock in the Netherlands, the permafrost in Siberia or lab-meat as a potential alternative to animal protein, everything is up for debate in this podcast. 

Security reasons impeded publishing our podcast with Sebastian Taylor on the situation in Myanmar recorded in early March. Today Sebastian looks back on what happened and where to go from here. Does a boycott make any chance, and is there something like an Asian version of human rights? Listen and find out how a major shift in life happens with a click of your fingers. 

Mandla Nkomo is Chief Growth Officer at CGIAR. For Jeroen he is the king of relentless innovation for the benefit of small holder farmers. Mandla is convinced that we can make business work for smallholders. His four components for the future of farming are worth listening to. 

Today, Jeroen has a breakfast Brief with Neha on the future of farming in Asia and the changing role women will play in it. What role do they play in access to land or in the digital divide? Should we go for major farms or stay with the household as production units? Listen to a modern Asian view on women empowerment and identity-building on the continent that is leading change today.   

With more than 50 years in the game, Roberto Codas knows a thing or two about the sustained and creative energy needed to push for sustainability in Latin America. Through experiences as a journalist, businessman, farmer, and policymaker, Roberto shares his stories and shows that influencers are of all times.

Sam Ogallah gives us a pan-African view on the food security conundrum and the consequences of climate change for the continent. Listen and feel how personal experience shapes the passion of a lifetime and know more about Sam's positivist outlook on the dynamics of a continent. 

Victoria is Solidaridad's global lead on monitoring and evaluation. She is a world citizen, collecting "aha" moments to find the true story behind data. Listen to how a single observation can change a concept and how data can fuel change in the lives of both farmers and society. Join this discovery of complementing intuition, honest attribution, and finding the evidence that sustainability pays off. And you thought that M&E would be boring? Listen to this Breakfast Brief with Victoria Graham

Joyce is Solidaridad's Amazon expert. Since 2013, she has seen the rise and unfortunate fall of the fight against deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Reason for the curve? Politics.I admire Joyce for her in-depth expertise on Brazilian land-use change patterns and the desire to translate theory into practice. 

Prashant's coming of age was on the banks of the Ganga river in his city of birth in Kanpur, the largest metropolis in Uttar Pradesh, India. As a teenager, he witnessed the rapid transition from the old India to the new India. From the old industrial pollution, to the new urban pollution also. Cars, industry, population growth. Ganga, the most sacred of rivers worshipped by Hindus is named after the goddess of purification and forgiveness.Thirty odd years later, Prashant explains to me how his professional life is connected to the very meaning of the Ganga - cleaning up the lifeline of over 400 million people. 

Carlos Perez works for over two decades on building sustainable landscapes in Central America. Nicaraguan by birth, he takes pride that also smaller countries can develop innovative solutions to inspire the world. In this breakfast brief, Carlos tells us about the secret sauce to repair a landscape damaged by destructive interventions. To lift the veil a little: you can organize payments for ecosystem services!

Edith Wairimu, who identifies herself as a young black African woman, meets at this Breakfast Brief with a 1964 born white Dutchman. And that leads to an interesting conversation…. About black lives matter for example, and how that resonates in Kenya. And Edith - who joined Solidaridad only a few months ago - is not afraid to speak truthfully on the matter. 

How to find the sweet spot between preserving nature and the need for agriculture to meet our demands for forestry, pharmacy, food, feed, fiber and even fuel? Kulbir Mehta, Solidaridad's country manager for Indonesia, has an interesting perspective on this. Listen to his story on farmer motivations in Indonesia against the backdrop of climate change and geographical shifts.