Resilient Island

Growing a fruitfull future

FR&SH CONCEPT

FR&SH aims to make tropical islands and isolated areas independent for, currently still imported, fruit and vegetables. This consists of an off-grid and high-end horticultural solution with a high sustainability ambition. FR&SH connects local initiators with the right knowledge partners to jointly realize an integrated food security solution to create food resiliency.

THE FIRST PROJECT:

OUR OFFICIAL PARTNERS

About Resilient Island

We are Resilient Island. Nature and People are our most important stakeholders. Our dream is to push the boundaries of possibility in finding new solutions with societal and local impact. We thrive by maintaining a close relationship with our projects, seeing them grow, and creating space when project maturity is reached. We work with and for local communities and nature. This requires an intimate and creative approach for every project. We believe that this is the way to enable accessible and responsible food production globally. It means creating places where we and others can feel at home years later.

Resilient Island’s mission is to realize localized food production which is embedded in and embraced by local communities and achieves long-term success, resilience, and self-sufficiency for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Our ambition is to do this together with local partners and communities. This means respecting local values and traditions and building a community for a long sustainable future. This way, our projects are tailored to local circumstances and values, establishing shared responsibility and ownership.

By continuously reinvesting our profits in a better future and challenging our concepts we improve circularity and reduce our own social and environmental food footprint.

 

 

nice to meet you!

Melchior Bos

Co-founder / Legal and Finance

Sebastiaan Brouwer

Co-founder / Chairman and External Affairs

Stan van Stralen

Co-founder / Technical Parties

Aernout Ackerman

Strategy 

Trang Phan

Co-founder 

advisory board

Aishath Azfa

Sustainable Development Consultant

Amit Parulekar

Former Global Head of Finance at ABN AMRO Bank N.V.

Rob Baan

Owner and CEO Koppert Cress

Remco Beekman

(Corporate) Lawyer

Raymond Pijpers

Managing Director Accenture

ongoing research

Cultivation Lab
Pilot Project

The Cultivation Lab is Resilient Islands’ pilot project. This simulation of the semi-closed greenhouse will cultivate lettuce and tomatoes, where many different types are recorded under the controlled climate environment. This lab makes it possible for local farmers and students to start their training in this horticultural techniques.

Tewaii Valhu
Water Research

Freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce, especially in decentralized regions, such as the Island States. Therefore, Resilient Island has joined hands with Tewaii, a water research team from the Netherlands. Surrounded by the ocean, islands’ groundwater is prone to saline intrusion. Add leaking sanitation systems, tourism, sea-level rise and you can imagine how the delicate balance of their natural water cycle can be disrupted. In project Valhu, Tewaii is engaged in analyzing the island’s (horticultural) water resources from a cross-disciplinary perspective.

Baa Atoll Transfer Station
Waste Management

An additional project on the waste management issue in the Maldives. The development of a waste transfer station on the Baa Atoll as the solution.

frequently asked questions

We’re always on the lookout for people with expertise suitable for realizing this project and people or parties eager to collaborate with us. Do you have expertise and/or financial funds to get us through the first stage; and are willing to help the world? Contact us! Towards anyone else: spread the word!

As people with a background in architectural engineering we have always learned to tackle complex problems in an creative and solution-driven approach. After actually visiting the Maldives during a research trip, we couldn’t possibly ignore the affection towards these problems.
The solution-driven approach is something we were educated in. This we put into practice by tackling issues at their core, not just fighting their symptoms.
We strive towards a direct effect. What distinguishes us from conventional companies and organisations is that we’re unbound and therefore have a fresh and different approach. We strive towards a better world.

We think both ways are crucial for the project.
Bottom up: Social implementation, endorsement and willingness from the local communities are crucial. Their wishes and demands are essential part of the project.
Top down: Secondly we also work with the (national) government and further stakeholders in the Maldives and abroad. Top parties like these are also needed to realise such a project. Participation and partnership with stakeholders on all levels are what make an integrated solution like this possible.

Greenhouses exist in all types of climate: From the cold Russian climate to Australian deserts. The greenhouse is a means to create a (climate) controlled environment, suited for the crops being grown. Since the Maldives does not have a climate suited for the crops that being consumed, we aim to create that condition: a greenhouse.

Warm weather, flooding and storms are part of the context in which the greenhouse is designed. Obviously this influences the decision making for the location, building-materials and design. With a background in Architecture (architectural engineering) this is exactly what our team is trained for. Together with technical parties and local parties we’re working hard on this challenge. To be honest: that’s part of what makes this project fun.

The current rich tourism industry holds a consistent import of food, thus why they don’t see an urgent demand. However, we believe that this can happen more sustainable, healthier and cheaper.

No! With our greenhouse we will grow fruits and vegetables of high quality that they cannot grow with the current climate. So instead of importing these fruits and vegetables we will grow them locally.

The Maldivian community has been involved in the project from the very beginning, on all levels: Island councils, national government, local stakeholders, job-creators and island communities. Their wishes are represented and are considered as a crucial part of the project. The Maldives Matter Project makes direct impact by creating many jobs, mostly directly related to work in, and around the greenhouse. Proliferating in other sectors such as transport and managerial jobs. It’s the local communities that will benefit from created jobs, enhancing SDG 1 and SDG 8. Generating new jobs, and improving existing jobs is part of creating a fruitful future for the Maldives and other Small Island Developing States.

Maldivian landscape is ever changing. Sea-level rise is something the Maldives are familiar with. Luckily, the government is investing in safe-islands and other measures. If it’s up to us, in 50 years the country has its own sustainable food production, catering to the always important tourism sector. Al the while managing and processing its solid waste sustainably: from waste to wealth. Being inhabited by its people, protected and living in climate-resilient communities.The Maldives will be the ultimate showcase in regards of circular economy, sustainable food production and a closed solid waste management loop for all island states: a resilient island

We worked on an investment proposal and currently we’re looking for investors who are interested in our investment plan. 

Don't hesitate, contact us!

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