journalistiek over mondiale samenwerking

Vice Versa and Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences are organizing an event on international value chains at the beautiful Larenstein estate in Velp.

A world on your plate

Just one look at your plate – or your wardrobe – and you’ll see the world. A cup of coffee connects us with farmers in Ethiopia, the blueberries in our oatmeal with pickers in Chile, and soy milk with farmers in Brazil. The battery in your phone contains cobalt from Congo, and it’s likely that one of your clothing items comes from a factory in Bangladesh or India. 

Our daily products connect us with millions of farmers, workers, producers, and Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) around the world. But while these chains generate enormous value, that value is not always shared in ways that allow the system to truly thrive.

What if value chains actually worked for everyone? Even more today, where geopolitics, climate change, and exhaustion of natural resources are making our value chains extremely vulnerable.

Join the conversation and share your ideas 

That’s the question we will explore during this interactive event. The challenges in international value chains cannot be solved alone. It requires collaboration between policymakers in supplying and demanding countries, companies, workers, consumers, education/knowledge institutions, and NGOs. Together, we can strengthen and restore the value chains that shape our everyday lives.

Through keynote speeches, expert reactions, and collaborative sessions, we will explore how global value chains function today, where the hidden gaps are, and how greater equity could unlock stronger and more resilient systems. 

We are proud to organize this event together with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CBI, Mondiaal FNV, the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (Commissie mer), the Netherlands Food Partnership, and Woord en Daad.  And many more, including student associations at Van Hall Larenstein and other universities. 

When: Wednesday 27 May 2026, 10.30 AM – 05.00 PM

Where: Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences Larensteinselaan 26-A, Velp

We can’t wait to hear your ideas. Join us on 27 May. The full programme will follow soon. You can already register down below.

 

Programme:

10.30 – 11.00 Doors open

11.00 – 11.05 Welcome by Arno de Snoo, Programme manager International Development Studies of Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein 

11.05 – 11.15 Welcome by moderator Ama van Dantzig

Since value chains belong to all of us, the moderator will do the opening in a fun, interactive manner (quiz)

11.15 – 11.25 Keynote speaker: Wouter van Tongeren, public opinion maker and student at Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein 

What if value chains actually worked?

Value chains should reward the people who create value. But do they in reality? Wouter explains how the value chain system works and addresses the power relations within the system. Based on his analysis, Wouter will paint a picture of how it COULD be if there were true equality between the players within the production chain. 

11.25– 11.35 Value Chains from a policy perspective – by Bram Wits, Deputy Head Trade for Development at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

11.35 – 12.20 The Reality Check – four perspectives on the introductions, featuring: 

Frans Dekker – FNV
Edy Blom – Commissie mer
Linda Klunder – Kumasi Drinks
Claire van den Broek – True Price

Value chains are complex. With players and stakeholders in every step of the chain. After hearing the keynote introductions about more equality and what that would bring, we want to deepen the participants’ knowledge and awareness by bringing speakers on the stage who challenge and/or expand on the arguments of the keynote speaker.

The format will be a conversation. The moderator will interview the four expert panelists and make sure that they build on each other’s answers. The moderator will also include the keynote speakers and audience in the conversation.

12.20 – 12.30 Inspirational video CBI – introduced by Judith Arends, CBI Managing Director

12.30 – 12.40 Information about the Value Chain Labs and map – Ama van Dantzig

12.40 – 13.40 Lunch and visit the Value Chains Information Market and Expo

13.40 – 14.40 From ideas to action: Value Chain Labs – round 1

After hearing how value chains work and how more equity could make it work better, the participants will be invited to help shape the change. 

There will be six Labs to choose from in the first round. 

Lab 1: The Farmer In The International Value Chain – by Woord en Daad

Your Lab Host: Abram het Lam

A dignified place for farmers (families) and employees in the value chain, that is the mission of Woord en Daad. 

Based on our work in the cashew chain in Sierra Leone, we will take you through Sierra Leone’s position in the complex international chain and the interaction with the farmer.
In what reality does she or he live, what choices have to be made, what role does the farmers’ cooperative play in opportunities for development, and what is the impact of this on the farming family? 

Beyond simple contradictions and simple solutions, we embrace the complexity of working in value chains and are always looking for ways to make value chains work better for farmers. Join our session and share your ideas. Together we can discover new opportunities.

Lab 2: Can You Feel The Heat? Workers, Trade Unions, and Gender (In)Equality Across Value Chains – by Mondiaal FNV

Your Lab Host: Dimple Sokartara-Pamudji

Workers face harsh conditions—from extreme heat to spraying chemicals without protection. In the Textile, Garment, Shoes, and Leather (TGSL) sector, mostly women work in temperatures exceeding 45°C with little ventilation. As global warming intensifies, protecting occupational safety and health, especially from heat stress, is increasingly urgent. In palm oil production—used in many everyday products—women also often spray hazardous, sometimes EU-banned pesticides. Many of them report difficulty working in the full Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) that is available at the moment, suggesting it is not designed for them.

These examples highlight the need for inclusive Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and greater gender equality to ensure safe, decent work for all.

In the Lab session, you will take part in a ‘power walk’ exercise to experience this firsthand. Each participant will receive a role with a specific job, gender, and circumstances. As statements are read, the participants will step forward, backward, or stay still, revealing disparities in rights and opportunities. The exercise is followed by reflection and discussion.

Lab 3: From Transparency to Transformation: Using True Pricing to Improve International Value Chains – by True Price

Your Lab host: Claire van den Broek – Managing Director True Price

This Lab explores how true pricing can help make international value chains more sustainable, fair, and resilient. Participants will learn how hidden environmental and social costs — such as underpayment, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and climate impact — can be made visible and used to guide decision-making across supply chains. Using practical examples from banana value chains in Peru and the Dominican Republic, the session will demonstrate how true pricing can support concrete remediation strategies and collaboration between farmers, businesses, governments, and civil society.

The session will combine a short interactive introduction, practical case examples, and a facilitated group discussion. Participants will be invited to reflect on which externalities are most relevant within their own organizations and value chains, and what actions different actors can take to reduce these impacts.

Participants can expect an interactive and practical session with concrete examples, audience engagement, and actionable insights for their own work.

Lab 4: How To Balance National Interests In International Value Chains? – by the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (Commissie mer) 

Your Lab Host: Lineke Mook

Step into the shoes of a national government in a resource-rich, low-income country and experience how complex decision-making really is.

In this brief role-playing game, you will have to balance economic growth, social well-being, and environmental protection while negotiating the production and export of natural resources. All the participants will have different roles to represent competing interests and perspectives. With limited information and different expectations and requirements, you will work together to determine which priorities guide national decisions, and which are ultimately set aside.

Lab 5:

Growing green; towards a fair future for the avocado sector in Kenya – by Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein and HAS Green Academy

Explore the future of Kenya’s growing avocado sector in this interactive workshop. As avocado farming is increasingly promoted as a new economic opportunity, important questions emerge: How is the value chain developing, who benefits, and can growth be fair and sustainable? 

Through a cinematic experience and group discussion, participants will examine the governance, social, environmental, and economic dynamics shaping the sector today. Topics include farmers’ incomes, sustainability, gender equality, and inclusion within the avocado value chain. 

Bringing together students and development practitioners, the workshop encourages critical reflection on the opportunities and challenges of agricultural development in Kenya. Participants will look ahead and imagine what the avocado sector could become by 2040. How can it evolve into a system that is economically just, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive? 

Join us for an engaging discussion on the future of sustainable agriculture in Kenya.

Lab 6: Food for All: a serious game on the informal food economy  – by the Netherlands Food Partnership

Your Lab Hosts: John Belt (SNV) &  Monique Snijder (Moveer Learning Design)

Food for All is a serious game designed to spark meaningful conversation and cultivate empathy for formal and informal actors in the food economy. By stepping into their shoes, players confront realistic dilemmas that challenge their perspectives on informality. 

The Food for All game is played in about 40 minutes by 4 players. The session can entertain max 16 players with 4 board games. The remaining time in this session is to share reflections. 

The Netherlands Food Partnership and partners created this serious game as a workshop tool for inclusive programming. 

14.40 – 14.50 Break –  to move to the second Value Chain Lab round

14.50 – 15.50 Value Chain Labs – round 2

There will be six Labs to choose from in the second round. 

Lab 1: Beyond Coffee: SMEs & Sustainable Trade  – by CBI

Your Lab Hosts: Mylène Vermunt & Lisanne van Beek

Join our interactive lab that zooms in on the journey of coffee: what are the drivers of sustainability within coffee value chains, and who actually holds the power to change the system? 

You’ll explore the coffee value chain through the eyes of SMEs, farmers, service providers, Dutch companies, and consumers. Together, we are going to unpack the market dynamics and the impact of sustainability regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). 

During the lab, you will step into the shoes of different stakeholders in a power walk exercise where you will physically experience how access to information, influence, and responsibility differ across the chain. This hands-on format discusses real-world dilemmas and reveals the hidden inequalities and trade-offs behind sustainable trade. 

Lab 2: Bio‑Fertilizer Value Chain Lab – by the Netherlands Food Partnership

Your Lab hosts: Robin van Schie (Project Leader Agro‑ecology at Soil Valley) & Dr. Robert Baars (Lector of Climate Smart Dairy Value Chains at Van Hall Larenstein)

This interactive Lab gives participants a hands-on opportunity to explore how to promote and scale bio‑inputs in West African horticulture. The session blends short expert insights with collaborative group work to examine the practical realities of bio‑fertilizers, biopesticides, and biostimulants across the horticultural value chain.

After brief, focused inputs from invited experts, participants form mixed groups to build a complete value‑chain map covering production, formulation, distribution, advisory services, and farmer adoption. Using this structure, each group identifies the most critical bottlenecks limiting the uptake of bio‑inputs and the most promising opportunities for expanding their use in vegetable production systems.

The Lab concludes with group pitches, live voting, and a short Q&A circle. Participants can expect an energetic, practice‑oriented session that delivers clear insights and concrete next steps for strengthening bio‑input adoption and scaling efforts.

Lab 3: hosted by True Price 

TBA

Lab 4:

Entrepreneurial ideas for a sustainable impact – by Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein and HAS Green Academy

This interactive workshop brings together aspiring student entrepreneurs and development practitioners to explore how social enterprises can create inclusive and sustainable value chains. Students will pitch their business ideas to experts working in the development sector, researchers, and fellow students, in order to receive practical feedback on how to ensure sustainability and long-term impact. Through open discussion and real-world insights, participants will examine how innovations can improve resilience, equity, and shared value for producers, businesses, and communities alike. The workshop offers a unique opportunity to test ideas, gain expert perspectives, and rethink how value chains can be designed to work for everyone. 

Do you have an idea yourself? Feel free to join the stage and pitch your idea!

Lab 5: The Farmer In The International Value Chain – by Woord en Daad 

Your Lab Host: Abram het Lam

A dignified place for farmers (families) and employees in the value chain is the mission of Woord en Daad.

Based on our work in the cashew chain in Sierra Leone, we will take you through Sierra Leone’s position in the complex international chain and the interaction with the farmer.
In what reality does she or he live, what choices have to be made, what role does the farmers’ cooperative play in opportunities for development, and what is the impact of this on the farming family?

Beyond simple contradictions and simple solutions, we embrace the complexity of working in value chains and are always looking for ways to make value chains work better for farmers. Join our session and share your ideas. Together we can discover new opportunities

Lab 6: Buying Better: How Responsible Purchasing Practices Shape the Value Chain – by Fair Wear Foundation

Lab facilitator:
Fair Wear Foundation, Hendrine Stelwagen

In this lab, Fair Wear draws on 25+ years of experience working with brands and suppliers to examine how responsible purchasing practices (RPP) can become a lever for real change. We will look at the link between buying behaviour and working conditions, and explore what it takes for brands to align their commercial decisions with their human rights commitments.

Through short case examples and group discussion, participants will work through concrete dilemmas: What happens when a buyer demands a lower price from a supplier already operating on thin margins? Who absorbs the cost of last-minute changes? And how can brands use their purchasing power not just to avoid harm, but to actively drive better outcomes for workers?

15.50 – 16.00 Break – to move to plenary room for wrap up

16.00 – 16.30 Where do we go from here? – Plenary conclusions

16.30 – 17.00 Drinks and opportunity to visit the Information Market and Expo