CSR Updates

In late 2020, Guatemala was hit by two hurricanes and the associated heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding. Many water supply pipelines and reservoirs suffered severe damage and some areas of the country have become almost inaccessible. Health authorities are particularly concerned about the welfare of young children, because the shortage of clean drinking water is increasing the risk of infection and diarrhoea.

SEVIA was a public-private partnership (PPP) aimed at contributing to food security in Tanzania by professionalising vegetable production. As a vegetable breeding company, Rijk Zwaan was involved right from the start. Over the course of seven years, SEVIA and its partners hosted more than 1,150 demonstrations, trained 1,435 sector professionals and reached over 48,000 farmers.

The world population is increasing rapidly, which is also notable in the Middle East and North Africa, regions visited by Gert-Jan Krook, Area Manager at Rijk Zwaan, on a regular basis. As a result, the demand for fresh vegetables in densely populated cities like Cairo, Bagdad, Riyad and Dubai goes up as well. In the meantime, fresh water is increasingly scarce. How to grow more vegetables while using less water?

For more than twenty years, the Committee for Development Cooperation of Rijk Zwaan has been supporting projects in developing countries. Financially, but also – and especially – by transferring knowledge on vegetable cultivation to growers. The Committee, or COS, lately published its COS magazine, in which several projects are highlighted.

One is never too old to learn, an old saying goes. Joska Dekker, Advisor Learning & Development at Rijk Zwaan, couldn’t agree more. She is involved in the RZ Academy, an internal academy offering courses, training and daily inspiration. Her colleague William Brombai Peres, Managing Director at Rijk Zwaan Brasil, gives a unique twist to that by organising a monthly TED-breakfast.