News

As of 30th September 2017, the first of several events worldwide took place to launch VECO’s new name: Rikolto. Rikolto is the Esperanto word for ‘harvest’. Rikolto wants farmers to have a brilliant harvest, and we want to especially harvest great new ideas and solutions to improve our food systems.  

Ivan Godfroid has dedicated the last 13 years of his career working for Rikolto to strengthen agricultural value chains in the beating heart of Africa: the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this interview, we will trace the development of the rice value chain in the DRC through his anecdotes, experiences and thoughts about the future.

What do sustainable food systems mean to us, here at Rikolto? Why did we decide to make it our overarching programmatic framework?

Intensive agriculture has spread to the Amazon highlands in Peru. Agroforestry systems in cocoa and coffee can regenerate these areas. Rikolto has been supporting the APROCAM cooperative since 2020 to roll out agroforestry systems, promoting the conservation of forest species such as capirona, oak, cedar and mahogany.

Developing recognition, respect and understanding of the socio-cultural differences of indigenous peoples is a necessary component of fulfilling the right to food for indigenous communities. This approach is known as 'cultural relevance' or ‘fit to culture'.

This is why, since 2023, a group of 15 public and private actors have been coordinating solutions in line with the community agreement and indigenous beliefs, as well as the Guatemalan Municipal Food and Nutrition Security Policy (SAN).

According to 2021 data, Vietnamese children are rapidly becoming overweight and obese due to unbalanced daily diets with too much processed food and too little fruit and vegetables. This global pattern has many consequences, including an increased risk of disease. To change this, Rikolto has embarked on a journey with two secondary schools in Hanoi. The aim is to make healthy and sustainable food the new normal for students. Read more about this approach to bringing good food to Hanoi schools.

FoodScienceClass, an EIT-funded project, provides students with the knowledge and tools they need to make healthy food choices. These ready-to-use tools have now been released for teachers to use in English, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, Finnish and Hebrew.

Gender inclusion is more than a global trend. Actions to "close the gap" have, in many companies, moved from being social responsibility campaigns to policies. In the cocoa world, women are already part of the business and different companies around the world are reviewing women’s contributions to the chain, investing progressively in programmes to help them develop their potential.