Introduction
Our impact grows
We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2019. It’s remarkable proof of the success of our approach, but the milestones went well beyond it. We brought two million hectares of land under good management practices this year. That’s double the amount in 2018. We also worked with 700,000 smallholder farmers – helping them to build better livelihoods using climate-smart methods – surpassing our target of 670,000. Most gratifying of all, we saw our impact increase exponentially thanks to the mainstreaming of sustainability. As thought leaders, Solidaridad collaborated with governments around the world to regulate oversight of supply chains beyond voluntary certification schemes. That’s the way forward to ensure farmers and other workers get a fair share of the value of what they produce. And to feed the growing population while protecting the earth.
Highlights of 2019
Foreword

By Mariam Dao Gabala
Chair of the International Supervisory Board
I would like to begin by welcoming Jeroen Douglas, who was appointed Solidaridad’s executive director in May. Jeroen had already served Solidaridad for a quarter of a century. Among his achievements are helping to create our network of Regional Expertise Centres which ensure we have a truly global presence.
While he will ensure the continuity of Solidaridad’s successful approach, I know he also has some transformative ideas about the next steps for this organization. The International Supervisory Board and I very much look forward to working with him in his new capacity. In succeeding Nico Roozen, Jeroen has some remarkable shoes to fill.
Our heartfelt thanks to Nico for his 33 years at the head of Solidaridad. He made us a player on the global stage, and ensured Farmers First has become far more than just a motto. He has strived tirelessly to deliver a fairer deal for smallholders and other workers, while always upholding high sustainability standards.
He couldn’t have done it without the remarkable people that make up the Solidaridad team. Please know that I am deeply grateful to you all. It was wonderful to meet some more of you – and our beneficiaries – at the anniversary celebrations this year.
The focus in this annual report is, as ever, on the hundreds of remarkable programmes we run on five continents. Read on and discover more about them, as well as the strategy and innovative methods that underpin them. From optimized use of data, to prize-winning initiatives for more inclusive agriculture, our impact was greater than ever in 2019.
FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JEROEN DOUGLAS
The Solidaridad Network is registered as a foundation at the Chamber of Commerce in Utrecht, the Netherlands, under the number 51756811.
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