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.
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
