MOMBAK’s Post

🍄🌿 From Bush to Supper: The Mushroom Revolution Begins! 🌿🍄 Meet Mr. Rukero, a local farmer who has discovered the incredible benefits of growing mushrooms from encroacher bushes. His experience has been nothing short of transformative. "The mushrooms grew a lot, and the process was easy," Mr. Rukero shared, highlighting how simple it is to turn bush encroachment into a nutritious solution for the community. But it doesn’t stop at farming—his wife, Mrs. Rukero, has been experimenting in the kitchen. She cooked the mushrooms with meat one day, and on another, simply fried them with onions. “The whole family loved them!” she said, proving that these mushrooms not only nourish but also bring families together around the table. 🌱 Nutritional Powerhouse: Whether you're looking for an alternative to meat or a way to boost the flavour of your dishes, mushrooms have got you covered! 💰 Income Generation: You can sell your mushrooms in both informal and formal markets, including supermarkets. A fantastic opportunity to boost your income! 🌿 Sustainable Farming: Mushrooms are natural cyclers and recyclers. By cultivating them, you reduce waste and improve soil health—an eco-friendly solution for the environment. 💧 Low Resource Requirements: Mushroom cultivation requires less land, water, and resources compared to traditional crops or livestock, making it ideal for areas facing resource scarcity. And the best part? MUSHROOMS ARE DELICIOUS! 🍽️ Stay tuned as we continue to explore the many ways encroacher bushes are transforming lives—from feed, to fuel, to food! This project is proudly supported by the Mastercard Foundation through the RUFORUM Network, in collaboration with the University of Namibia, Okakarara Vocational Training Center, and the African Wild Dog Conservancy. #BushToSupper #AfricanWildDog #ValueChainRevolution #BushEncroachment #Mushrooms #Sustainability #FoodSecurity #Namibia https://lnkd.in/e-Xb27b7

I'll be honest - it was hard to keep this conversation with Katy Barfield OAM under an hour! We discussed her journey from bar owner to food waste innovator, why we need to tackle the problem of food rescue at a much bigger scale, and how Yume Food Australia is doing just that. Two of my biggest takeaways from our conversation were: ⭐ The importance of crafting the right message - Yume's shift from leading with a purely environmental message to leading with a message that demonstrates the upside to a company's bottom line has been critical in achieving resonance with their audience ⭐ There's more work to be done in bridging the gap between innovation and funding. Even more so for female founders who currently only get 4% of funding while delivering 2-3X the value of their male counterparts! Join Katy and I on the latest episode of Unconventional Business here: https://lnkd.in/g3HBrgJZ

Imagine it’s 2035, and we’ve redefined food systems for the better. What does that look like? 👀 ECOLISE invites you to a two-part Future of Food Visioning Workshop: 💡 Part 1: What Is? - 10 Feb, 16:30 CET 👉 Explore the current state of food systems: what works, what doesn’t, and what needs change. 🌟 Part 2: What If? - 17 Feb, 16:30 CET 👉 Envision transformative food systems that are just, sustainable, and within planetary boundaries. This is your chance to shape the conversation on food systems, whether you’re a grassroots activist, policymaker, NGO/CSO member, farmer, or academic. Let’s reimagine what’s possible together. 📅 Register here: https://lnkd.in/g5eJwzuT

We need a more collaborative and strategic approach to ensuring the future success of our food system. Is 'The Common Ground' a step in the right direction? --- Where we are now: ❗ We are facing increasingly complex challenges, evolving at an unprecedented pace. ❗Our export markets are increasingly crowded and competitive; it's harderer to stand out and capture value. ❗The status quo is a sector made up of many disjointed industry bodies operating in silos and duplicating work around key common issues. ❗We are operating without a cohesive, purposeful strategy for our local food system and export success. Without a total sector strategy, we are relinquishing agency and control over our future. --- Enter 'The Common Ground': "A collaboration platform, a place to solve food and fibre's wicked problems". A few things that really resonate with me: ✅ It suggests a home for the much needed national food strategy (something that Jenny Cameron has been heroically championing). I would argue that we also need an exports value strategy. ✅ It acknowledges a HUGE challenge that FORWARD Insight & Strategy exists to address - that our sector is currently focused on the farm gate, rather than our markets. Without looking 'outwards and up' we are not doing justice to the hard work and outstanding food that our farmers and growers produce. The devil is in the detail, and I'll be following closely to understand others' responses from across the sector, and how this could feasibly come to life. Great work from AGMARDT (The Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust), and the team at KPMG (Brigitte, Ian).

"Overthinking is ruminating on old ideas without a new lens. It narrows your focus and wears you out. Rethinking is revisiting the same issue from a different perspective. It broadens and sharpens your view". Adam Grant, organizational psychologist If you are involved in the New Zealand Food and Fibre sector, be it a farmer or grower, CEO or board director, or linked in anywhere in the value chain, then the post below is for you. It's about rethinking collaboration and leadership to build trust in a sector full of possibilities. Ultimately, its about how we might enhance opportunities and growth for NZ's Food and Fibre sector. That starts with curiosity, feedback, listening, and action. Click on the link in the post below where you can find the details and access to a detailed report. If reading a report isn't your gig, this idea has been broken down into bite sized chunks on the website. You can also listen to podcasts on the site too. AGMARDT (The Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust) Lee-Ann Marsh

Proforest is part of a coalition of organisations led by ISEAL which co-published a set of Core Criteria for Mature Landscape Initiatives in October this year. To meet these core criteria and to address the finance and investment gap the Blueprint for mature landscape initiatives has been developed. It has two components: 🔹 a framework that mirrors the Core Criteria with an additional component on Funding & Strategy, as we see that as an essential component for delivering sustained outcomes, and 🔹 a process to engage stakeholders in the landscape, to align individual actions and create a locally-led and adapted landscape initiative. Read more about the Blueprint and pilots in The Consumer Goods Forum Forest Positive Coalition's landscapes in Brazil and Indonesia: https://lnkd.in/ekeTj5Re

2 amazing new programs to support Indigenous food security in BC from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The Indigenous Food Pathways program offers funding to "create new projects, enhance existing programs, or improve group operations for Indigenous-led food systems and food security initiatives". The BC Indigenous Pathfinder service helps people to navigate available information, tools and funding.

In our latest Board Interview blog series, Lena Staafgard, COO of Better Cotton and long-time Cascale board member, shares her vision for driving global system transformation through cotton. From fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration to scaling sustainable practices, Lena discusses the challenges, lessons, and opportunities in creating real, lasting change. 📑 Read the blog → https://lnkd.in/dpFVzmDe 📹 Watch the interview → https://lnkd.in/dzb-N8hN

Ready for your farm’s big transition? 🌾🚜 Check out our latest article to ensure your suppliers, customers, and employees are on board for the ride! From clear communication to solid transition plans, we’ve got all the essential tips to make sure everyone’s prepared and excited for the changes ahead. Let’s keep your farm thriving and the team happy! 🌟👩🌾📝 Dive in and set the stage for a smooth, successful future! 📈✨ 🌐 Link in comments👇 #SuccessionPlanning #SuccessionReady #FarmTransition

🌱 Northland Inc Launches Pūtake Whakatupu to Unlock Land Use and Manufacturing Opportunities in Taitokerau Northland. Northland Inc announces the launch of Pūtake Whakatupu (Foundation for Growth), a transformative project aimed at identifying, supporting and developing land use and value-add manufacturing opportunities in Taitokerau Northland. As the inaugural project under the Tuputupu Grow Northland initiative, Pūtake Whakatupu is funded in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund and the Joint Regional Economic Development Committee. The initiative’s vision is to see Northland’s primary sector, people and environment thrive through adaptation and innovation, leading to new commercial opportunities and sustained and resilient economic growth. ▶️ READ THE FULL STORY: https://lnkd.in/gGjmkTuv