Voices of the Community
asUgoVoicesoftheCommunity:MixedImpact
Periodically, asUgo gives the floor to social profit organisations it is working with An open exchange on their reality, and their (motivating) road to impact Today, inspiring sharings with Nina Pattyn from Rikolto
What does your organisation do?
Rikolto is an international NGO with more than 50 years’ experience in partnering with farmer organisations and food chain stakeholders across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America Our focus is on sustainable income for farmers, and nutritious, affordable food for everyone
collaboration with other organisations
Over time, our approach evolved towards a value chain perspective, as farmers don’t work in isolation. We looked at the relationship between farmers, their counterparts and the final consumer Connecting actors across the food system is really a key part of our work
Since a few years, we are focusing on food systems, taking into account challenges like for instance the access to healthy and sustainable food in cities We are also gaining more and more n the interactions between cross sectors, (trade, nutrition, urban ent)
What do you like most in your organisation?
The focus on people, and the systemic approach to change Rikolto is an organisation with a strong focus on a changing world We really try to look and act from different perspectives Along the years, Rikolto’s strategy and mission evolved along the reality on the field Before, the focus was on agricultural production (working with farmers, increasing their production) and the
component has become very We try to integrate it as much in our programs Equality and are key, especially towards es whose voices are frequently silenced, like women, young people, socially challenged groups,
Similarly, all pieces need to fit in an economic context Every player in the system needs an income.
The fact that Rikolto blends economic, social and ecological dimensions is really stimulating.
You also mentioned the focus on people?
Yes! One of our values is Our People We invest a lot of time and attention to it
This is very tangible in the organisation, even for people that do internships
There is a very warm spirit A lot of attention goes to the implementation of these values in our way of working
In our internal communication, for example, we try to reinforce this drive through webinars, internal newsletters and more Connecting people is really important, within each Rikolto office ánd across our network organization. Everyone is consulted
This is enabled through a very clear organizational focus Within this framework, there is a lot of room for participative input That’s very motivating
Where does the passion of people in your organisation come from?
I assume that it is because of a mix of all of the above: our mission, our focus on people, and the fact that there is a lot of room for personal impact
Contrary to many organisations, our organisation becomes younger and younger Interestingly enough, our new
colleagues share the same spirit as colleagues that have been present since a longer time This is noticeable in our different offices, as well as amongst our volunteers
They like the vision Rikolto doesn’t build upon the traditional charity message Rather, Rikolto goes for creating change for things we are all impacted by
What gives most satisfaction?
Everything we already talked about (smiles).
A lot of small things, really I am proud when listening to the achievements of my colleagues They always come with very innovative activities and campaigns! Ideas are diverse
There is a spirit of continuous reinvention and continuous innovation and results follow
We don’t focus on short term results We see results on the medium- and long term, and even on governmental policy (eg healthy food in schools), be it in Belgium or in the other countries where Rikolto and its partners have been active
Any learnings from exchanges with other organisations?
At Rikolto, we have always positioned ourselves more as a facilitator Our work is not about Rikolto, but about connecting farmers, organisations, governments - and finding solutions together So there are de facto a lot of learnings
We help a lot in the background. Setting up an inclusive business model, for example, is not about ourselves, but about the systemic impact
For certain topics, we have become specialists as facilitators, like inclusive landscape models, regenerative farming practices or others The goal is to be able to work evidence based, so that we can apply results and models in other locations, and sparking scaling by other actors
If you would have a dream, what would it be?
Some might dream about growth Personally, I would love that the things that we work on are embraced by even more players It would be amazing if these models create more and more impact, at different locations in the world, thanks to others
Nina Pattyn International Fundraising Advisor
For more information on Rikolto visit: https://www rikolto org/
