The second day of our seminar in Switzerland came already to an end.

Our morning was opened by Vighnesha Adiga, who familiarized us with vertical farming thanks to his work for food and agribusiness at EY Switzerland. Next, Suki Dusanj gave us some very useful tips when going to India and cultural insights about the country. Denise Renckly and her colleagues from India from Exchange Together brought us closer to her work at the NGO in Rattachhattar. For the afternoon, we got the opportunity to get to know the gulf state culture by Mounir Khazoumi from the Swiss Arabic Network.

Our delegates actively worked in their groups after the presentations, to create value for our seminar in Switzerland. To end the day, we enjoyed a soothing and restorative yoga session with the wonderful instructor, Michelle Studer.

Vighnesha Adiga, EY – Vertical Farming

Vighnesha Adiga, EY

Vighnesha Adiga grew up on a rice farm and made his BSc and MSc in agriculture. Afterward, he went into the industry and lasted for about then years. At a later stage, he just went back and owns now a weekend farming.

His presentation was divided into three different parts. The first part was about agribusiness and the food value chain. One of the first things he did was ask an interesting question: “Can one of you guys give me an example of the value chain in farming?”. First, we have not been sure how to answer and then described the way from the farmer to the end consumer. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. That is also the reason why he asked us this question, as he wanted to point out how complex the whole procedures are.

Moreover, he explained the previous food value chain and the food value chain of tomorrow. Here is to mention that the different steps do much more interrelate with each other, this appears by digital transformation and the diversity and equity that is included. This leads then to a consumer-centric, efficient, and regenerative food system which would be driven by restructured supply chains with seamless connectivity and closer proximity between production and consumption will be primarily driven sustainability.

The next aware wave of agribusiness requires investment across the ecosystem with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and new business models. An example of a new business model is tractor-sharing. Not all farmers can afford their own tractors and therefore, it is a decent option for these people to rent a tractor. On the other hand, it is also lucrative for the rental parties since they can earn extra money.

Next, he talked about have been the Indian agriculture dynamics. He started with his personal experience: smallholding is great, however, mapping the needs and partnering to fast track product development needs agility.

He pointed also out that there is a real labor issue across Indian culture. “Easier” technologies penetrate faster (e.g., WhatsApp groups). Covid has changed purchasing habits of farmers and the feedback loop on product development still needs robustness.

During his speech e showed us a video of himself collecting Raagi (finger millet) and all the related steps. He tried to do the harvesting without any fertilizer or chemicals. It costs him around 300 Swiss francs and, in the end, he made minimal revenue. He said this is the case for the usual farmer in India.

To conclude the second part, he talked about four critical challenges affecting smallholder operations. The access to reliable markets, access to quality inputs, access to equitable financing, and access to technical skills are the current big problems. Interesting was also that he mentioned that technology accessibility is no more an issue today and that drawing people’s potential to improve skills is key to success.

The last part included vertical farming and beyond. We learned that vertical farms compared to conventional agriculture offer several benefits. Examples are reduced CO2 emissions 90% less water required, pesticide-free, and much more. These benefits are driving the market growth globally, focusing on vegetable and herbs portfolio. Further, are underlying technologies maturing, and several players are focusing to improve efficiencies like aquaponics, aeroponics, and hydroponics. However, technology is still not ready to solve all the global challenges. Cause high costs still pose a major problem.

– Written by Lea Baumberger

Suki Dusanj – Insights into Indian culture

According to Suki Dusanj, a visit to India is recommended and could be an overwhelming experience as there are high skyscrapers next to cows on the streets and poor people. India is a country of contradictions. To greet an Indian, you can put your hands together and say “namaste”. This is very formal and common, although in business situations it is also ok to shake hands. India is a country of believers. They believe in astrology, ceremonies, and symbols. As Suki puts it, the Indian ABC consists of astrology, Bollywood, and Cricket. To visit a cinema is a really nice experience as you never know what happens. The locals do really dig into the movie material and begin to dance to the music or even use fireworks indoors. Another thing to do while in India is to visit a Cricket game. But you don’t have to worry when you don’t understand the game yet. Indian culture is very open-minded and they like to explain those things to foreigners. But be careful if you recognize that the person does not know very well themselves, do not bother them with further questions as they could feel inferior.

There are several etiquettes to be followed in India:

  • Do ask questions if you don’t understand
  • It’s ok to be direct
  • Don’t eat or drink if you don’t want to or are worried about your tummy
  • Carry sanitizer and your own safe snacks – just in case
  • Be judgment-free and visit India with an open mind
  • The personal approach may be imposed, people get close
  • Do not expect punctuality
  • Do expect punctuality

As there are many more points, there is still one important left: dress appropriately, there are cultural sensitivities to be aware of. The culture of India and Switzerland differs in many ways. One of them is the dress code. As it is ok in Switzerland to show some skin or walk-through town in a bikini, in India it depends on the location and situation. To visit a temple, you need to also cover your arms.

A fun fact about India is that people love to stare. This first seems kind of weird as we are not used to it in our culture. But for India, this is perfectly normal. It is even ok for you to stare back, as Indians do not bother about it.

India is such a large country, that there are different languages spoken and written. People in the north don’t understand people from the south. It is very similar to Switzerland with German, French and Italian. If you are aware of all these cultural differences and open to new experiences, you will get a lot of pleasure from traveling around India and its beautiful landscapes and delicious food.

– Written by Tobias Zuber and Melissa Zürcher

Suki Dusanj

Denise Renckly – NGO Rattachhattar

Denise Renckly with the project team 2021/2022

ExChange together, Change the world is a Swiss non-governmental organisation (NGO) founded by Mister Singh. Mister Singh built the Socrates International School in Rattar Chhattar, a village in Dera Baba Nanak in the Gurdaspur district of the state Punjab in India. The village is located in the north of India, just three kilometers from the border to Pakistan. The Socrates International School registers around 30 teachers and 250 children aged from 3 to 15 years. The goals of the School are to help the development of the village of Rattar Chhattar and help more children get proper education there. Mister Singh founded the NGO after visiting the village with his son. His son asked why the children there did not have teachers nor school banks and why the rooms were dirty. Many children there could not receive proper education because of the lack of teachers and the lack of infrastructure. Mister Singh wanted to change something and driven by the words of his son, he decided to create ExChange together. Denise Renckly is appointed as the president of ExChange together. She works together with mister Singh and the employees in India travels there occasionally and manages the relations to Switzerland.

The NGO faces many different challenges. Since it is a charity, the financial resources are very limited. Mister Singh covers a big part of the costs by himself. Also, regulations are difficult in that part of the country and the NGO has to face administrative issues. Another challenge is building trust with the locals and the lack of manpower, which makes the progress slower. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the NGO faced even more challenges, since most children did not have the financial resources to buy electronic devices and a data connection for online lessons, the children could not get proper lessons for several months.

The main motivations of the NGO are to create the desire in the students to learn and to get them excited about what they do. They want to empower the children and women and want the staff to be independent. Education, equality and connectivity are key factors for Denise Renckly and Mister Singh. They want the children there to receive good education and to succeed in life. They implement Swiss elements in the education system and they try to promote technologies and show the children in Rattar Chattar that they will help them in life. Also, the school wants the children to receive practical experiences, applying what they learnt and learn from mistakes. The Greek Socrates was a big influence for the founder and this is the reason why the School is named Socrates International School. The school wants to teach in a wholistic way.

The school offers a variety of activities for the students. They play games with them like Jenga and they prepare festivals as well. They also do events about environmental awareness and promote sports. The NGO helps the village in many ways, improves the quality of life and the future perspectives of the children.

– Written by Alessandro Pace and Martin Pupic

Mounir Khazoumi, Swiss Arab Networks – Cultural session Gulf States

Mounir Khouzami president of the Swiss Arab Network and member of the prestigious circle ISLAMICA 500 presented in a very interactive and entertaining manner some cultural aspects and backgrounds of the Arabic countries, more precisely of the Gulf States. He would make us understand what coconut and peach have to do with characterizing your culture and how to deal with the different characteristics.

Politics and Economics in the Middle East

The Middle East has a long history of different intruders. It was longtime influenced by the Ottoman empire and after that for around 100 years under control of several European countries. But most of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has always been independent. The development of Gulf States also aligns with the development of the oil prices. With the founding of Gulf Corporation Countries (GCC) the power and control have shifted towards the countries of GCC. However, in recent years this power was under pressure.

GCC region

GCC is the heart of the Middle East and KSA is the biggest representative among these countries. UAE is much smaller than KSA but made itself a hub for companies that want to make business in this area. This explains the number of ex-pats in Dubai. That gave them competitive advantages even though they are much smaller than KSA. All countries from the GCC are heavily dependent on oil incomes. Dependencies are very tricky and diffuse in this region.

Cultural norms & Arab mentality

Nature and the environment influence the personality, cultural norms, and mentality very much. In Middle Eastern countries are a lot of deserts and so it is not surprising that a Bedouin culture established and shaped the mentality of these people. When they find a place to stay, they will gather in a circle, relax, and talk to each other. Suddenly something happens (e.g. Sandstorm arrives) and everybody gets hectic and rushes. That can also be seen in today’s mentality, usually, everything is easy and relaxed until a little before the deadline, and then it gets done in a fast manner. Another aspect of this background one finds is the hospitality of the Arabs. If you visit them, they want to know where you are coming from what you’ve experienced on your journey and they usually offer you firstly some water, secondly dates and thirdly some nuts. These offerings are very generous especially when you think that the most precious thing in a desert is water. In this example, you see how deep hospitality is anchored in their culture.

Surely the people have changed over time, but they still have life traditions and cultures, so the modern Arabic world is a mix between these traditions and the materialism of western countries. As a little hint if you have a problem solving a situation you can think of these natural and environmental aspects that the different people live in and try to find a solution with this knowledge.

There are four key values in the Arabic culture:

  • Pride: is a core value. With pride level, you manage the downside risks
  • Honor and integrity: A “No” is almost inexistent. The challenge is to find out whether a “Yes” is a “Yes” or not.
  • Hospitality and Generosity: Biggest influence you have on this aspect. E.G. always prepares dates and water if you host people of GCC countries.
  • (extended) Family

In the end, we tried to implement some of Mounirs inputs. Big learning was to always be aware of the cultural differences and ask if you are not sure how to behave or what to expect. Don’t let you irritate by appearance; Arabic people are very adaptable to situations and know how to handle other cultures.

– Written by Kishan Rajah and Elio Schmid

Mounir Khazoumi, Swiss Arab Networks