Agriculture and Rural Development

The global challenges of overcoming extreme poverty and feeding more than 9 billion people by 2050 will be high on the international development agenda for many years to come. Sustainably managing agricultural land, forests and other natural resources is an important element of addressing these challenges. The Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) Division enables us to provide our clients services with solutions across the entire landscape by building on our long-term experience in forestry, land use and climate change. ARD offers both analytical work and advisory services on the one hand and implementation of technical assistance and investment programs on the other. The division covers the following major topics:

sustainable intensification of agricultural production (including crop, livestock and integrated production systems);
development of inclusive and sustainable business models, innovation systems, and value chains;
climate smart land use including land-sparing and deforestation free commodity sourcing;
participatory and community based forest management;
community based development in rural areas; and
land use planning and regional rural development.

Our Services

Analytical and advisory work

Economic and financial analyses of agricultural investments and projects
Value chain analysis
Public expenditure reviews
Capacity development and technical assistance
Development of sustainable business models
Policy advice (national and international levels) and strategy development

Project cycle service

Feasibility studies and development of investment proposals
Development of project concepts and design
Monitoring, evaluation and impact assessments

Project implementation

Management of agriculture, forestry and rural development projects (for both technical and financial cooperation)
Provision of technical expertise (short and long term) during project implementation

Paul Borsy

Paul Borsy

MSc Forest Management

Senior Consultant in the Agriculture and Rural Development Division

Paul Borsy develops, evaluates and manages short and long term projects in the areas of resource management and biodiversity, climate change, agriculture and renewable energy. He has extensive expert knowledge in rural development project design, implementation and evaluation. Paul Borsy was responsible for the implementation of GIZ and KfW supported long-term projects and has spent more than 23 years in Africa, South America and Asia.

Tel. +49 761 208 534 30
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Simon Charré

Simon Charré

MSc Agricultural Development and Economic Policies

Project Leader Community-based walnut-fruit forests and pasture management in South Kyrgyzstan

Simon Charré has worked for more than five years in projects with a thematic focus on natural resources management, specifically on montane forests and pasture resources. He has broad experiences in the topics of strengthening the cooperation between public authorities, local NGOs and international organizations. Simon Charré was also involved in projects in cooperation with the Central Asia Regional Environmental Center (CAREC) and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). He has been working in Kyrgyzstan since 2010.

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Gero Pawlowski

Gero Pawlowski

MSc Tropical Forestry and Natural Resource Management

Senior Consultant in the Agriculture and Rural Development Division

Gero Pawlowski has worked in the context of international forestry and resource conservation projects for over 13 years. He is responsible for major project acquisitions for UNIQUE’s technical divisions and coordinates the activities of on-going projects. On behalf of GIZ, KfW, DED, AfDB and the EU, Gero Pawlowski spent six years abroad in Bolivia as a long-term expert.

Tel. +49 761 208 534 31
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Anke Reichhuber

Anke Reichhuber

Dr. sc. pol., Economist

Lead Agriculture Economist

Ms Reichhuber has been a technical manager in the "Agriculture and Rural Development" department since 2019 and is responsible for the development of the analytical portfolio. She worked as an Agriculture Economist at the World Bank for five years. Subsequently, she worked for five years as a freelancer for international organisations and German development cooperation.

Tel. +49 761 208534-49
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Renuka Srinivasan

Renuka Srinivasan

M.Sc. Environmental Governance

Consultant in the Agriculture and Rural Development Division

Renuka Srinivasan has a background in environmental governance and development economics. The technical focus of her work is on climate change adaptation across agricultural value chains. She has worked on various projects relating to MRV, REDD+, CRVA and VIA, in the context of promoting participatory methods, boosting private sector investments, and building local/regional development strategies. Ms Srinivasan is involved in projects across India, Southeast Asia and East Africa.

Tel. +49 761 208 534 32
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Jochen Statz

Jochen Statz

PhD and MSc Forest Management, MSc Development Cooperation

Division Manager of the Agriculture and Rural Development Division

Jochen Statz focuses on the topics of forest based regional development strategies, national/regional REDD+ readiness preparation and community based forest resource management. He has many years of experience in managing forestry development projects in cooperation with state and non-state actors. Jochen Statz works on projects worldwide. Previously, he was a long-term expert and team leader for the GIZ in Nepal and the KfW in India.

Tel. +49 761 208 534 19
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Suzanne van Dijk

Suzanne van Dijk

MSc Animal Sciences

Division Manager of the Agriculture and Rural Development Divison - on parental leave

Suzanne van Dijk has been working on innovation and sustainability in the agricultural sector for five years. She works on climate-smart agriculture, dairy production systems and smallholder inclusive value chain development. Furthermore, she studies the potential impact of climate change and develops practical solutions for farmers. Suzanne van Dijk has intensive experience in Europe, East Africa and Latin America.

Tel. +49 761 208 534 39
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Miriam Vorlaufer

Miriam Vorlaufer

PhD Agricultural Economics

Consultant in the Agriculture and Rural Development Division

Miriam Vorlaufer works at the interface between agriculture, ecosystem management and climate change. In her work, she focuses on the development of private and public investments in agriculture. She has practical experiences in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Tel. +49 761 208 534 52
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Johannes Wölcke

Johannes Wölcke

PhD Agricultural Economics

Director of the Business Development Division

Johannes Wölcke worked as senior economist for the World Bank for 10 years, as well as senior advisor and program manager with the GIZ for 2 years. The focal areas of his work are the development and implementation of complex and innovative investments, technical assistance programs, and analytical work related to agriculture, natural resource management and climate change. He has more than 15 years’ practical working experience in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Tel. +49 761 208 534 56
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