Author: Maren Peters

I am a MSc student of organic Agriculture at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. In the past I have been working for different consultancy companies. Amongst others, I have conducted participatory research on the economic performance of organic and Fairtrade certified cocoa farmers in Ghana, did a country assessment for endeva's and YEN's business booster project and researched market-driven strategies for rice value chain development in Sierra Leone for GIZ. These experiences allowed me to come across collaboration between the (international) private sector and small holder producers and the problems both sides faced. I am convinced that finding realistic and economically lucrative solutions to these problems, resulting in sustainable and profitable value chains, is one of the most effective steps towards both poverty reduction and sustainable solutions for the environment.