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Certifications as a Tool for Sustainable Sourcing in the Botanical Industry, Part 2
A Conversation with Elisa Aragon, Guatemala; Gero Diekmann, Namibia; Khilendra Gurung, Nepal; Shamiso Mungwashu, Zimbabwe; Nihal Singh, India;.
In Part 2 of this 2-part webinar series (see highlights from the first webinar here), SHP Director Ann Armbrecht will speak with producers from India, Guatemala, Namibia, Nepal, and Zimbabwe. It isn’t often that producers from different regions of the world can speak with each other about their experiences and we are thrilled to be joined by Deepika Agarwal, Elisa Aragon, Gero Diekmann, Khilendra Gurung, and Shamiso Mungwashu for this conversation.
Each of these individuals and companies is leading the way in implementing Fair for Life, FairWild, UEBT, organic, and Regenerative Organic Certifications in their networks for producers. We will talk about the value these certifications bring to their companies and communities and the challenges they encounter in meeting these requirements. Most importantly, we will talk about innovative solutions and potential areas of collaboration among companies working to address social and environmental issues in the communities from which they source.
Speakers:
- Elisa Aragon, Co-founder and CEO, Nelixia (Guatemala);
- Gero Diekmann, Managing Director, EcoSo Dynamics (Namibia);
- Khilendra Gurung, Manager, Himalayan Bio Trade (Nepal);
- Shamiso Mungwashu, Fairtrade Support Network (Zimbabwe);
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Nihal Singh, Manager Director, Pavitramenthe Fair Organic Pvt. Ltd. (India).
Date: Feb 23, 2023
Time: 10 am-11:30 am EST
Registration here
Speaker Bios
Nihal Singh, is a young Agripreneur and Managing Director of Pavitramenthe Fair Organic. With the vision of healing “the earth socially, economically and environmentally," in 2015 he began working with 300 smallholder farmers to produce organic products using regenerative organic farming practices. He started his own business, Creation Biotech, in Uttar Pradesh, India to export organic products internationally. In 2018 he founded Pavitramenthe Fair Organic with the same vision. Currently 3800 smallholder farmers work with him and practice regenerative organic farming in India. He motivates the farming community and creates awareness for adopting sustainable agricultural practices. He runs many Fair for Life projects for community welfare and has helped the community to become independent and uplift their living standard.
Co-founder and CEO of NELIXIA, Elisa Aragon has been devoting her energy since 2009 to the creation of a new standard in sustainable and ethical sourcing. Her company writes and implements its own certified sustainable methodology, and places social and environmental aspects at the heart of all operations. The company now has three production sites and has deployed its sustainable approach in six Latin American countries. With a scientific background, Elisa completed her studies in chemistry at the prestigious perfume school, ISIPCA in Versailles. She worked for two years at Firmenich, a world leader in perfumes. After a master's degree in entrepreneurship and innovation at ESCP in Paris, she founded NELIXIA.
Gero Diekmann, Managing Director of EcoSo Dynamics, Namibia since 2004, Sustainable sourcing of Devil's Claw and Fair for Life certified.
Khilendra Gurung has 23 years of experience in enterprise set up, technology transfer, quality management, and marketing of natural products. He has also designed and implemented several forest-based enterprise related projects successfully in various parts of Nepal. He has worked as a consultant for the Nepal government and various national and international agencies and corporates throughout Nepal focusing on assessment of non-timber forest products, medicinal and aromatic plants, botanical ingredients, and certifications (forest certification, FairWild certification, Fair for Life certification and organic certification). He has a MS in Botany from Tribhuvan University, Nepal and has conducted research on Himalayan herbs, essential oils, vegetable oils, botanical ingredients and orchids.
Shamiso Mungwashu is the Executive Director of Fairtrade Support Network Zimbabwe (FSNZ) that seeks to empower small holder farmers and collectors to access markets that offer fair prices as well as share the same values of sustainable use of natural resources. Her work with natural resources have seen her working with communities, companies as well as advocating work with government authorities towards the realisation of the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) legislation that is already in existence in Zimbabwe. To this end, she is working with companies involved in accessing marula, resurrection bush, and mongongo nuts and bringing awareness to the sustainable use of natural resources, the equitable sharing of benefits, and advocating on ABS compliance in the Zimbabwean context.
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