\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

At the WEF Climate Hub Davos, Biovision brought together experts from development cooperation, impact investing and philanthropy. The panel discussion took up a central question: How can project-funded agroecological enterprises grow into self-sustaining, viable and investment\u2011ready business models?<\/p>

Foundations of agroecology and entrepreneurship<\/h2>
Piera Waibel, Head of International Partnerships at Biovision, opened the session by positioning agroecology as a comprehensive approach: \u201cAgroecology is a science, a practice and a movement that promotes the transformation of our food systems from farm to fork.\u201d<\/p>
Agroecological enterprises are market\u2011oriented entities. \u201cThey must have commercial activities and embody the principles of agroecology \u2013 they are not NGOs or foundations,\u201d Waibel emphasized. Local food systems, food sovereignty and food security are also central considerations. Enterprises relying on monocultures, pure export models or the destruction of local seed systems don\u2019t qualify.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t $\"\"$ \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
With the Neycha Accelerator & Fund, Biovision has created an integrated, innovative approach: a workshop with agroecology entrepreneurs in Uganda.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
From idea to investment readiness<\/h2>
Fabio Leippert, Co\u2011Head of Policy & Advocacy at Biovision, expanded on why many agroecological enterprises fail to progress beyond early development stages despite<\/p>
their great potential: \u201cCapital is crucial, but alone is not enough \u201d he said. Many enterprises are too complex, too slow\u2011growing or too risky from an investor perspective. At the same time, adequate entrepreneurial support or an enabling political environment is often missing.<\/p>
With the Neycha Accelerator & Fund, Biovision has created an integrated, innovative approach \u2014 a financing instrument that specifically addresses this funding gap in Kenya and Uganda. More than 4 million Swiss francs have been invested to systematically provide capital, entrepreneurial support and networking. The goal is to prepare agroecological enterprises for investment and create access to repayable capital.<\/p>
Income for farmers<\/h2>
Before the panel discussion began, a video input brought in the practitioner\u2019s perspective. Joachim Ewechu from Shona, a co-implementer of Neycha alongside Biovision, stressed the central role of agroecological enterprises play in systems change: \u201cAgroecological enterprises are the economic engine required for the growth and maintenance of this transformation.\u201d They provide farmers with income, market access and incentives for agroecological production.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t $\"\"$ \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\u201cStable, predictable cash flows and revenues \u2014 not just funding \u2014 make a company investment\u2011worthy.\u201d The panel with Stefanie Pondini, Tanja Havemann, Patrick Elmer, Stefan Kappeler and Fabio Leippert (from left).<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
What is needed for growth?<\/h2>
The panel explored what bridges are required to move agroecological enterprises from dependency on grants to sustainable growth. Tanja Havemann, Co\u2011Founder and CEO of Clarmondial, made it clear: \u201cStable, predictable cash flows and revenues \u2013 not only grants \u2013 make enterprises investable.\u201d Trust, long\u2011term customer relationships and functioning value chains are essential prerequisites for financing.<\/p>
Patrick Elmer, founder and CEO of iGravity, shifted the focus to the entrepreneurs themselves: \u201cThe most important lever is the mindset of the entrepreneur: the shift from a project\u2011based approach to an entrepreneurial mindset that focuses on customers who are willing to pay.\u201d Along with capital, patience and high-quality support are needed.<\/p>
Stefan Kappeler, partner and COO of the Elea Foundation, emphasized that money alone is not enough: \u201cCapital is needed of course, but know\u2011how is just as crucial.\u201d Many agroecological transitions require time \u2014 for instance for soils to recover \u2014 and therefore long\u2011term, \u201cpatient\u201d capital is key.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t $\"\u00abIch$ \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\u201cI am a big fan of agroecology. It is one of the answers for sustainable food systems,\u201d said Christian Frutiger, deputy director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Joachim Ewechu summed it up: \u201cWhen policy, consumption and markets, capital and entrepreneurial engagement are aligned, agroecological enterprises will flourish and agroecology will become the norm.\u201d What matters is not a single tool, but the interplay of capital, policy frameworks, market incentives and entrepreneur support \u2014 exactly the interplay strengthened by programs like the Neycha Accelerator & Fund.<\/p>
Public\u2011sector perspective and policy framework<\/h2>
Finally, Christian Frutiger, Deputy Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), added the public\u2011sector viewpoint. In times of shrinking public funding, international cooperation must be rethought: \u201cInternational cooperation must act as a catalyst for systemic change.\u201d He also stated clearly: \u201cI am a big fan of agroecology. It is one of the answers for sustainable food systems.\u201d<\/p>
No silver bullet, but shared responsibility<\/h2>
The panel concluded that there is no one\u2011size\u2011fits\u2011all solution. Scaling of agroecological enterprises requires partnerships, willingness to learn and courage to rethink existing financing and support systems. As Stefanie Pondini, Co\u2011Head of Policy & Advocacy at Biovision, summarized: \u201cThere is no single solution, but there is shared responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At this year\u2019s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Biovision convened a panel discussion to explore how agroecological enterprises can succeed and grow. A high\u2011profile guest even declared himself a fan of agroecology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":74720,"template":"","exclude-from-search":[],"newsletter":[],"region":[228,227],"projektthema":[548],"themen":[645],"class_list":["post-74785","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","region-sub-saharan-africa","region-switzerland","projektthema-finanzierung-von-agraroekologie-en","themen-markets"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-12 05:19:33","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"newsletter","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/74785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/story"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/74785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74797,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/74785\/revisions\/74797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"exclude-from-search","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exclude-from-search?post=74785"},{"taxonomy":"newsletter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter?post=74785"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=74785"},{"taxonomy":"projektthema","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projektthema?post=74785"},{"taxonomy":"themen","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/themen?post=74785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}