News
Our stories ... ...
12 April 2022 the Netherlands
Smallholders should be compensated for their role in protecting the environment, says Pablo Pacheco, WWF’s global forests lead scientist. Here he talks with Koen Kusters about the role of smallholders in tropical forest frontier areas, and the options to improve their livelihoods while maintaining ecological diversity in climate-smart landscapes.
06 April 2022 the Netherlands
Smallholders are increasingly losing ground. They are being pushed aside by large-scale companies, nature conservation initiatives and urban expansion, says Annelies Zoomers, professor of International Development Studies at Utrecht University. Here she talks with Koen Kusters about the future of smallholders in tropical forested landscapes, and the need to turn away from investment-driven development.
31 March 2022 the Netherlands
Environmentally friendly smallholder farming can contribute to biodiversity conservation in tropical forested landscapes. But the question is whether such farming systems can be successful business models, says Mark van Oorschot. Van Oorschot is senior researcher on international biodiversity policies at the Department of Nature and Rural Areas of PBL— the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. Here he talks with Koen Kusters about the role of smallholders in the context of global conservation objectives.
29 March 2022 General
Men and women smallholders play important parts in efforts to combat poverty, food insecurity, deforestation, land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change. But, there appears to be no consensus about the ways in which they could better address these global challenges and to help co-create climate-smart landscapes. During the seminar “The role of smallholders in forested landscapes – what did we learn?” on Thursday 24 March these issues were addressed by looking at three different narratives - are smallholders at the heart of the solution, just a part of the solution, or obstacle to development?
28 March 2022 the Netherlands
Tropenbos International is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Joost van Montfort as its new director. Joost will succeed René Boot, who retires by the end of March 2022. He will take up his position in June 2022.
28 March 2022 the Netherlands
The European Commission's proposed EU Regulation on deforestation-free products is a welcome step towards a higher ambition to tackle global deforestation, and forest degradation and to level the playing field for companies. Smallholders (and especially women) are some of the most marginalised actors in global supply chains. They produce a third of the world’s food supply and represent a large share of the producers in sectors included in the scope of the proposal (such as coffee, cocoa and palm oil). They often depend on large operators to buy their product and to decide the price.