Working together to accelerate agroecological development

By

Biovision

Biovision has invited its partner organisations to a two-day workshop in Mbita, Kenya, to promote synergies and cooperation.

The response of the more than 50 participants after the partner meeting were equally positive: “very valuable”, “truly informative” and “absolutely motivating” were the most frequently mentioned attributes with which they described the two days. Especially the varied, deliberately informal supporting programme and the opportunity for personal exchange in working groups or during breaks and in the evening were most appreciated. The central theme of the event was the question “How can ecological development approaches be disseminated more strongly and more quickly?” In his keynote, Hans Herren, President of Biovision Foundation, stressed the importance of close cooperation and sharing experiences in order to be better prepared for future challenges and to be able to act more successfully.

Gruppenfoto Partnermeeting
Networking among the participants, exchanging experiences and learning from each other were the focus of the partner meeting.

All pictures of the Biovision partner meeting can be found in this picture gallery.

Over the two days, participants were able to get to know the projects of other Biovision partner organisations and exchange their experiences. Organisations from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Switzerland were represented. By establishing these networks at the partner meeting, Biovision hopes to be able to initiate new innovative projects for agro-ecological solutions on site. The meeting took place at the Thomas Odhiambo Campus (ITOC) of the International Center for Insect Physiology & Ecology (icpe) in Mbita Point on the shores of Lake Victoria in western Kenya.

A building in honour of Hans Herren

A special surprise at the partner meeting was the unannounced appreciation of Hans Herren by Dr. Segenet Kelemu, Director General and CEO of icpe. icipe dedicated a building on the campus in Mbita Point to him for his extraordinary achievements and his continuing commitment to supporting the mission of the research centre. icipe particularly underlined Hans Herren’s vision of a scientifically guided development for a sustainable change for the elimination of poverty and hunger on the African continent.

Hans Herren headed the icipe for 10 years from 1994 to 2005, during a critical transition period marked by a significant decline in donations and the resignation of the founding director of the centre, he bravely saw these challenges as an opportunity and reinvented the icipe, uniting a new generation of young scientists from Africa and around the world at the icipe and revitalising the centre, creating a valuable creative space for researchers who, in addition to the numerous practical successes, have developed.

Web article about Hans Herren’s tribute on the icipe Website.

The Biovision Partner Meeting 2018 was attended by representatives of the following partner organisations:

  • Bioversity International / Kenya Web
  • BVAT Biovision Africa Trust Web
  • FiBL (Langzeitstudie) Web
  •  Institute for Culture and Ecology (ICE) Web
  • icipe International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology Web
  • KEMRI Wellcome Trust (Stopp Malaria) Web
  • Makerere University, Uganda Web
  • Meki / ECC-SDCOM: Ethiopian Catholic Church – Social Development Coordinating Office Projektseite
  • Prometra Uganda Web
  • Sustainable Agricutlure Tanzania SAT Web
  • VSF Veterinaires Sans Frontieres Suisse Web

Stories

Politics

Climate Summit COP26 in Glasgow: Biovision’s role

At the end of October, Biovision’s Policy and Advocacy team travelled to Glasgow to represent Biovision’s position at the United Nations Climate Summit (COP26). They brought along the latest insights into agroecology and climate plus the goal of making sustainable, agroecological agriculture part of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Politics

Agroecology comes into focus at the UN Food Systems Summit

Sustainably transforming food systems through agroecology is at the heart of Biovision’s efforts to fight hunger and poverty. At the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit, agroecology was officially recognized by key actors as one of the game changing solutions.
Politics

“Switzerland buys itself good sustainability scores at the expense of other countries”

Carole Küng, co-director of the Biovision-affiliated Sustainable Development Solution Network Switzerland (SDSN), calls for increased Swiss commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The federal council’s formulated strategy is inadequate, she says.
Politics

Global sustainable development goals: Is Switzerland on track?

Any answer must consider the disproportionate influence of Switzerland’s imports and investments on achieving the UN sustainable development goals worldwide. When we talk about Switzerland’s sustainability, we need to draw upon a global perspective.