Vote for the Agrofood Broker of the Year 2017!
This year the Food & Business Knowledge Platform (F&BKP) will for the first time award the Agrofood Broker of the Year Award. The prize will be awarded to a professional in the field of Food and Nutrition Security (FNS), who has undertaken significant brokering activities in 2016/2017. The jury, consisting of members of the F&BKP network, has selected three final candidates from the 17 nominees.1 Starting today, you can vote for your favourite knowledge broker through an online poll.
The poll has been closed on Thursday 23 November at 12:00. Thank you all for voting for the #Agrofoodbroker of the Year 2017! We received over 2000 votes and will announce the winner of this award during the Research & Policy Conference on December 1, 2017 in The Hague.
The winner will be announced during the conference Research & Policy: two peas in a pod? A dialogue for food security impact on December 1, 2017 in The Hague. Apart from winning the award and being honored for his/her work, the winner will receive a small financial contribution to conduct a knowledge activity with the F&BKP. The following three candidates were selected for their significant knowledge brokering skills in often challenging circumstances:
Addis Teshome
“Addis has been extremely instrumental in building the 2SCALE portfolio of agribusiness PPPs in Ethiopia, by bringing key actors together to discuss how to move the development of critical value chains forward. Under difficult circumstances, Addis has forged partnerships through inventive collaborative agreements.”
Addis Teshome joined IFDC in 2013 as the National Cluster Advisor for the 2SCALE project in Ethiopia. The portfolio of public-private partnerships in Ethiopia was developed under his leadership. He employed innovative ways to encourage the participation of women in farmer groups, clusters, and SMEs.
He feels that knowledge brokering “helps in securing continuity of development progress by reducing the occurrences for reinvention the wheel and duplicated efforts”. He believes in empowering people and helping them make positive and recognizable contributions in their work. According to him, the starting point to ensure more people attain knowledge brokering skills, is to ensure “people understand and believe in the importance of knowledge sharing not merely as an end by itself, but as a catalyst for change and development. It is important to help people see the effect of knowledge brokering in developing new programs, projects and advancing towards desired results.”
Momo Kochen
“Momo developed a Tuna Think Tank, which brought together private, government and NGOs sectors to co-create and pitch innovative ideas for fisheries sustainability. This was ground breaking in terms of brokering linkages and creativity between groups of people that are not always willing or able to collaborate.”
Momo Kochen set up the NGO MDPI and is the Director of Programs and Science. She has been central to the development of private sector engagement in tuna sustainability, both related to on the ground implementation of these initiatives as well as to shaping national and provincial policy on tuna sustainability.
According to her, knowledge brokering is the approach which allows the story of the small scale fisher to reach the international market while also allowing them to understand how the market works and how to use it for their advantage. “The ability to connect these two worlds allows us to incentivize change in sustainable fisheries. Knowledge brokering makes my job possible!”. She feels that connecting personally with people is really important. She believes knowledge brokering comes with experience and with a network. “People need to be confident in their knowledge and in what they are brokering; creating links and possibilities for this to happen can support knowledge brokering.”
Norbert van der Straaten
“Norbert contributes to linking Dutch horticultural input suppliers to East-African farmers through Holland Greentech,. By being an extremely enthusiastic and optimistic personality he convinces both suppliers and farmers to work on the next step of Horticulture in East-Africa.”
In 2012 Norbert van der Straaten founded VDS ACAMPO with a local office in Rwanda called Holland Greentech. He increased knowledge at distributor level and farmers level through development of local personnel and farmers via training in a commercial, sustainable, business model as an input and service distributor.
For him “creating jobs in East Africa is so motivating and of course challenging. By developing a diverse team and sharing knowledge we are managing our risks.” He takes time to meet and listen to other actors, understand how others want to contribute to development of horticulture in East Africa. “We stimulate our team members to go out, to meet farmers, policy makers, universities, NGOs, competitors, etc. Having one good meeting a day with related follow-up, is often more effective and motivating than sending more than 100 emails.” To ensure that more people attain knowledge brokering skills, he feels young experts have to experience that they can realize more by working together in diverse team.
I vote Addis Teshome for his playing role in food security, especially to Ethiopia!
Food Security is a serious in Africa. The young skilled leaders like Addis Teshome should be encourage and be at front to manage the millions survival issues. When we
vote Addis mean we remembered the millions voiceless
I had been worked with Addis on 2Scale project before coupe of years in partnership with Guts-agro Industry. He is very friendly, cooperative, supportive, diligent, energetic, professional and knowledgeable. His marvelous strategic leadership, way of solving agribusiness problems, analysis of situations, team playing and coaching skill and knowledge application were among the skills Addis has that, I have observed and learned from him during my work tenure in Like Project.
I have worked with Addis in the EATA, actually while he was exiting for a better engagement. But the innovative works he had co-led are being used by thousands of farmers. He was a lead in realizing, a toll free mobile based IVR Extension system, strengthening Farmers training Centers by linking them to a development partner, a market linkage for small holder horticulture producers, and so many others. Give him some time and you will reap something to benefit small holders. I definitely vote for him and believe he wins.
If I think about millions not only going hungry but dying of hunger, thousands of children malnourished, we are talking about young energetic youth dying while attempting to cross to Europe in search of jobs, I have every right and reason to vote Nobert who is fighting all these problems.
I know Addis from our school days. He’s talented, ambitious and hardworking. He deserves this. The farmers he works with deserve this.
Addis is the one who has been working for Agri-business issues in Ethiopia from his bottom of the heart.
So; wish him to win 2017 Agrifood broker.
Addis deserves to win. Goodluch Addis and I hope this will not be your final goal. The country expects more from such talented youngsters as of you.
Bravo
Food Security is a serious in Africa. The young skilled leaders like Addis Teshome should be encourage and be at front to manage the millions survival issues. When w
e vote Addis mean we remembered the millions voiceless
Addis have done a lot, he should win; Addis deserves this award, he is way beyond
Addis is the one who has been working for Agri-business issues in Ethiopia from his bottom of the heart.
So; wish him to win 2017 Agrifood broker.
Agro food is one of the critical issues in Ethiopia. Agricultural commodity market and value chain still under developed, but the effort of Addis is the break through for most of young development practitioner particular working on Agricultural commodities. issues of PPPs is the missed link in the agricultural marketing, but Addis try to demonstrate some efforts that we can capitalize for our project or program development to address the bottle neck of our small holder farmers.
I vote Addis , He is a young talented man and walking extra miles in this subject.
I support this young ethiopan contributions for our country
His research so vital for our country !!
I appreciate people’s that working in adversity to over come severe problems that our country suffers in different government regimes because of lack of adequate policy strategies that really solve the poor majority peasants lives!! So people’s like Addis is admirable in two ways: one in penetrating bureaucracy of dictators and two working sound works that changes millions of people
Addis did a good job
He has also received recognition from the Ethiopian Government on his contribution to private-public development in the country. So; F&BKP decision to select Addis as one of final candidates is worthy.
Young man try to did Good job
Wish him all the best in his carrier
Addis has been extremely instrumental in building the 2SCALE portfolio of agribusiness PPPs in Ethiopia, by bringing key actors together to discuss how to move the development of critical value chains forward, under difficult circumstances.
Establishing a new system of health insurance for the informal sector of the country.
Food Security is a serious in Africa. The young skilled leaders like Addis Teshome should be encourage and be at front to manage the millions survival issues. When we vote Addis mean we remembered the millions voiceless people who are in need of food security leaders.
I am proud of you. keep in touch!
Food security is one of the serious concern not only for Ethiopia, but for east Africa in general.
Addis is the one who has been working for Agri-business issues in Ethiopia from his bottom of the heart.
So; wish him to win 2017 Agrifood broker.
I am so pleased that Norbert emphasises giving time
to listening to the people he is helping.
In my experience, what we learn bij listening gave the most clear direction to our project in South America,
Working with the indigenous people.
Thank you so much for such a platform. As young generation embrace the science and art of agribusiness, they face the major challenge of raising capital. Therefore, someone or some organization needs to come in their aid to finance them! Regards
He is a young talented man and walking extra miles in this subject. A heavy weight intellectual champion:)
Food security is one of the serious concern not only for Rwanda but for east Africa in general.
The increase of the refugees, the unfetilized soil and the climate changes are some of the serous challenges for the region. So every opportunity to produce in terms of food, I support it 100%. Cheers to Mr Norbert
Norbert is making a difference on the development of stevia
Nobert deserves this AWARD.. I am blessed that I have met this noble man, with his extra-ordinary passion to improve the horticultural sector around the East African Region which is far away from his country. For the 8 years I have been doing farming, he has inspired my efforts to believe in the potentialof our mother nature..Uganda the Pearl of Africa.
Addis diserves even better than this award. Wish him all the best in his carrier
Encouraging holland greentech to reach its objectif
PT. Blue Ocean Grace International receive fish from my city Nort Maluku..
We need a special concern to develop the system of fishery management and the society welfare in North Maluku (related district that have many potential of fish)
thank you.
Food security is always a challenge for undeveloped countries. When there is any proposal to overcome the food insecurity I don’t hesitate to support the idea. The horticulture is the one of measures that could contribute to food security because the high value of horticulture product. The income from horticulture could be used to enhance the power of poor people to get food on markets and overcome the food insecurity. Thank you!
Momo should win she has done amazing work in the region and globally
She’s a very good idea