Who We Are
- EWS-KT is a non-profit corporate foundation with unique ties to East-West Seed Group.
- Our mission is to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in less developed areas of Africa and Asia. By creating opportunities for income development, our work catalyses the development of competitive agricultural-input markets and increases the availability of safe-to-eat and affordable vegetables in markets supplying lower-income consumers.
What We Do
We leverage a business-minded approach to sustainable development for farmers in less developed areas:
- We offer practical field demonstrations on home and market-driven production.
- We guide farmers to establish demonstration plots to showcase innovative techniques for growing vegetables.
- We provide field-level training and exposure on best practices for profitable and sustainable farming.
- We develop locally adapted extension materials and share information through digital media platforms.
How We Work
- We help develop competitive agricultural-input markets and position vegetable production as an attractive and viable livelihood for local communities.
- We build partnerships with other organizations that share our core values to promote a sustainable and profitable vegetable production system for low-income and rural communities.
Our Resources
We have high-quality training materials, on-the-ground teams, and a unique data system. All of our extension materials are available on the EWS-KT digital platform GrowHow, which offers a variety of learning materials, including crop guides available in 26 languages.
Invisible Roots
Watch EWS-KT staff share their unique stories of affecting the lives of people across the world.
Our Technical Expertise
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Vast expertise in vegetable farming techniques -
In-depth knowledge of local needs and tools to ensure farmer success
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Digital expertise and a data-driven approach
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Extensive skills in team management and farmer return on investment
Our Partners
We co-invest with organisations that share our social impact vision and market-based approaches.
Board of Trustees and Advisors
Rutger joined EWS-KT in 2017 as Board Chairman. Rutger is also a member of East-West Seed Group’s Supervisory Board and a member of the Netherlands-African Business Council.
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Joan has 40 years of experience in development cooperation, including with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Brigit has over 20 years of experience in development finance and private-sector development.
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Joost has served as a member of East-West Seed Group’s Supervisory Board since 2015 and is also the Chairman of East-West Seed Indonesia’s Supervisory Board.
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A senior Wageningen University & Research expert, Flip is a practical field agronomist and specialist in tropical vegetable production, with a background in farmer extension, agribusiness, and sector development.
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Our team
East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation has dedicated local field teams in each of the locations where we work. We currently employ more than 180 full-time staff.
