After completing his masters in plant breeding, Walter de Boef obtained his PhD on research in the field of communications and innovations in Wageningen. He has worked on the development of agriculture in over forty countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia for three decades. ‘I come from a family of horticulturists, so agriculture, the seed sector and entrepreneurship were my focus. After graduating, I planned to focus on the Dutch agricultural sector. But I abhor inequality, and thus, I wanted to work for farmers less fortunate than those in the Netherlands. I worked for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the United States, a university in Brazil and an Indian development organisation. In India, I was involved in an extensive project with low-income women who are now able to produce seeds and are no longer dependent on the government or traders. I started working for WCDI in April 2020. We discussed how we could help our partners and got to work immediately.’
Since the corona outbreak, many day labourers in developing countries have lost their employment and, as a result, income. At the same time, the food supply is faltering, and prices are on the rise. Wageningen researchers, governments and development organisations are seeking solutions, such as corona-proofing markets and food transportation….