Re-imagining Global Agriculture and Food Systems

Indonesia has become my second home since I moved to its capital, Palu, in 2007 to lead a team of more than thirty people who form the heart of Olam Cocoa’s two-decade long operation in the country. I have witnessed the impact the 7.5-magnitude earthquake and tsunami have had on the country and its people, both in the immediate aftermath and up to the present day. The Indonesian government has indicated that the total confirmed number of casualties is 2,256 and have mainly occurred in Palu and the areas of Sigi and Donggala. Many more people have been reported missing and 235,000 have been evacuated from these areas since the disaster. In monetary terms, over USD$900 million worth of damage has been inflicted upon the country. I was one of the first to reach the disaster zone and although, thankfully, none of our employees were harmed, thousands of people were left without basic supplies. Within days, we were able to begin sending regular vehicles carrying items such as food, water,