Innovation Forum podcast

Driving sustainable development and conservation through transformative partnerships: webinar audio recording

How can companies create value by aligning their business models with the well-being of partner communities? USAID and the private sector are collaborating through the initiative HEARTH to implement sustainable development activities that conserve biodiversity and improve the well-being of communities.

"People flourish in healthy landscapes; conservation succeeds when local people benefit." 

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Health, Ecosystems, and Agriculture for Resilient, Thriving Societies (HEARTH) program, a pioneering global public-private partnership initiative. HEARTH aligns with USAID’s strategic priorities in Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Change, Private Sector Engagement, Indigenous Peoples, Resilience, Food Security, and Global Health.

 HEARTH activities are currently operating in 12 countries: Angola, Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Zambia, leveraging over $85 million in support from private sector partners. Each project is tailored to specific goals, often involving at least two partners, such as private sector companies and non-governmental organisations, to collaboratively plan, manage, and track results. 

To explore the initiative and its success stories, Innovation Forum and USAID co-hosted a webinar. 

The panel included:

• Dina Esposito, the assistant to the administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security
• Imam Suharto, head of cocoa sustainability Indonesia, PT. Olam Indonesia
• Jean Luc Ramahavelo, monitoring and evaluation officer, Ocean Farmers
• Elizabeth Daut, natural resources specialist, USAID.

The webinar was moderated by Ian Welsh, publishing director at Innovation Forum.

Collaboration to drive progress on food value chain transformation: a how-to guide

Niklas Wallsargård, CEO of agri-sector business Improvin', talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about how agri-food companies can measure, report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity impact of their value chain. They discuss how to best engage with value chain players to go beyond pilot projects and ensure sustainability.

Monday briefing – Collaboration to meet scope 3 targets and supply chain compliance

This week: Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh and Hannah Oborne look forward to the scope 3 innovation forum, taking place in Washing DC on December 3rd and 4th. They discuss the confirmed agenda and new participants taking part. Click here for information on how to get involved.

 

Plus: Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop discusses with Ian what to expect at this week’s sustainable commodities and land use forum in Amsterdam. Registrations is still possible, click here for details.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Weekly podcast – Regenerative agriculture’s role for sustainable drinks brands

This week: Diageo’s head of sustainable procurement, Andy Griffiths, talks with Ian Welsh about the company's rolling out of regenerative agriculture in various supply chains, and the challenges of making packaging more sustainable.

 

Plus: Starbucks acquires more innovation farms to develop climate-resistant coffee; glass bottles will be excluded from the England's deposit return scheme; 225 NGOs urge the European parliament to reject the EUDR delay proposal; and, why natural carbon sinks are no longer effective, in the news digest, with Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

A circular solution for the future of feed

Alternative protein business InsectBiotech’s co-founder Ignacio Gavilan talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the company's approach to turning agricultural waste into protein and fertiliser using black soldier fly larvae. They discuss the potential of insect protein to reduce dependency on soy and fish meal in animal feed industries.

Monday briefing – Collaboration, environmental conservation and community well-being

This week: Elizabeth Daut, natural resources specialist at USAID, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ellen Atiyah about the HEARTH initiative and how it is driving sustainable development on the ground. To find out more, join the complimentary webinar on 16^th October at 2pm CET.

And, Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh and Hannah Oborne introduce the future of food and beverage forum, returning to Amsterdam on 13th and 14th May 2025. They discuss some of the new agenda points and confirmed speakers so far. Click here for information about how to get involved.

Host: Ian Welsh

Weekly podcast – Is business sustainability at a tipping point?

This week: The first in a new state-of-sustainability series, Brendan May, business expert and founder of Robertsbridge, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the apparent current crossroads for sustainable business and why some companies are scaling back on their ambitions. They discuss the political dynamics affecting sustainability efforts, the challenges of excessive reporting requirements, and the shifting roles of NGOs.

 

Plus: supermarkets' recycling schemes fail to deal with soft plastics; UK pledges £21.7bn for carbon capture initiatives; climate change impacts water availability and agriculture globally; and, EUDR enforcement delay remains likely, in the news digest, by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

How ofi is working to drive sustainable supply chains

Roel van Poppel and Christopher Stewart from global food ingredients supplier ofi talk with Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb about the company's Choices for Change strategy. They share insights on ofi’s ambitious 2030 targets for farmer prosperity, climate action and regenerative agriculture, emphasising how data-driven decisions and partnerships are key to transforming supply chains and creating positive impact.

Weekly briefing – How nature-based solutions can deliver real impact

This week: Innovation Forum’s Ellen Atiyah speaks with Andika Putraditama, director of the Rimba Collective at Lestari Capital, about how nature-based solutions can help deliver corporate sustainability commitments, ahead of a webinar on 17th October. They discuss the partnerships, challenges and opportunities driving nature-based solution models, and how corporates are linking commodity sourcing to ecosystem services and advancing sustainability efforts.  

Plus: ahead of the Sustainable Packaging Innovation Forum USA in Philadelphia on 29th and 30th October, another chance to hear Ian Welsh talking about prospects for a Global Plastics Pact with Llorenç Milà i Canals, head of secretariat of the Life Cycle Initiative at the UN Environment Programme at the 2023 conference in Amsterdam.

The hidden power of family forests

In this episode, host Ian Welsh speaks with Nathan Truitt, executive vice president for climate funding at the American Forest Foundation. They explore the vital role of family-owned forests in the U.S., which comprise nearly 40% of all forested land, and how empowering these individual landowners can lead to significant conservation outcomes, including enhanced carbon sequestration and improved biodiversity.