The Future Is Green: Juan Pablo Solís Víquez Of Fairtrade International On Their Top Strategies for a Cleaner Planet
An Interview With Wanda Malhotra
Don’t be afraid to use technology to be informed and to make decisions, but be mindful of the fact that as there are many options out there, there can also be misleading information.
As we face an unprecedented environmental crisis, the need for sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. This series seeks to spotlight the innovative minds and passionate advocates who are leading the charge in environmental conservation and sustainable practices. We aim to explore the most effective strategies, breakthrough technologies, and transformative policies that are shaping a more sustainable future for our planet. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Juan Pablo Solís Víquez.
Fairtrade International’s Senior Adviser for Climate and Environment, Juan Pablo Solís Víquez, has more than 18 years of experience in sustainability having worked and lived in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, in roles that have included efforts like raising awareness for the need to build sustainable sourcing models and promoting greener food systems. His role with Fairtrade positions him at the forefront of driving change in sustainable agriculture and conservation as he works to support Fairtrade farmers in implementing agricultural policies that reduce impact to the planet and increase their resilience to climate change.
Thank you so much for joining us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
Thank you — I’m very humbled to be part of this interview series! I was born in Costa Rica in the eighties, and, at that time, although my hometown was part of the “central valley” (the Capital of Costa Rica, San Jose, is surrounded by smaller cities that together form a wider urban area inside a valley), the city where my parents met and where our house was located, was considered rural. I remember being a kid playing around “cafetales” (coffee plantations), eating fruits directly from the trees and running away from geese and chickens. If you go to this town today, you will find a very different setting. It is now more urbanized — like a suburb — and although there are still parts of plants with coffee, most of the land is used for housing.
Costa Rica in the eighties and nineties was a very peaceful place to live. The stability of its democracy and the government’s decision to invest in education instead of an army was, in retrospect, completely different from other Central American neighbors. I think this is important to share as the turning point in my career was when I confronted myself with alternate realities and experienced life from new shoes.
I studied economics at the National University of Costa Rica, and then earned a Masters in economic policies, with particular attention to ecological economics and sustainable development. After graduation, I considered pursuing a PhD, but decided that I wanted to work and get experience on the ground instead. That was roughly 18 years ago and since then, I developed a career path in development cooperation, working on a very wide variety of topics, from culture and arts to gender rights, although most of my work was returning to smallholder livelihoods and sustainable agriculture.
I spent 15 years working for Hivos, a Dutch-based development organization, before joining Fairtrade in 2021. At Fairtrade, I have the honor of translating these years of experience into advising the system on strategies to tackle one of the most severe challenges in a producer’s reality: climate change.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
There are many stories from the past 18 years, but if I have to choose one, it would be in Peru around 2013. At that time, I was working on the topic of payment for environmental services in agricultural landscapes. As part of that, we co-organized a workshop in Tarapoto, Peru, for participants from various countries in South America. I was living in Bolivia at the time, and one of the projects I was responsible for was with the indigenous Chiquitano authorities of Lomerio and Monte Verde in the Chiquitano forest. One of the local leaders, Juan Soquere, attended the workshop in Peru, and it was his first time traveling by air and outside Bolivia, a landlocked country. We attended the workshop and it was a great success. At the end, Juan Soquere and I flew together to La Paz, but we had to spend a night in Lima. We took a taxi from El Callao (airport) to Lima, and on our way there Juan Soquere asked me: “Mr. Juan Pablo, is that the ocean?” His question took me by surprise, and made me realize that, in all his lifetime, Juan Soquere had never witnessed the sea, something that I, as a Costa Rican, took for granted. For all of us, our versions of reality are very personal and shaped by experiences and social backgrounds. My version of reality that day was very different from Juan Soquere’s, and my takeaway from this was that as you grow as a leader, the moment you can disconnect yourself from your preconceived ideas and immerse into other people’s realities, you’ll be able to see life from where they stand. Our flight back was scheduled for midday, so as I walked with Juan Soquere to the beach that morning, he played with his feet in the water while I received a dose of humility and empathy.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The first is to observe and try to understand the changes around you, as well as the rationale behind them. As mentioned before, our versions of reality are personal, but the more social interactions we have, the more we see that there is a constant, which is that everything is always changing, adjusting the interpretation of “our’’ reality. That said, the first trait is the pursuit of the scientist inside us — to observe, understand and learn to evolve.
The second is the ability to listen. Listening to what others have to tell you as well as what your inner self is trying to communicate is key — your sixth sense if you like. Be humble to accept opinions from others, embrace them and compare them with your instincts.
Thirdly and most important, is empathy. Especially when you are navigating new territories, you have to open yourself to new cultures and new ways of working — therefore, be empathic and recognize that your decisions may affect them differently from how they affect you. The best decision is one that generates global well-being (win-win scenarios).
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that might help people?
There is one project that currently occupies most of my attention, and it is aimed at ensuring that Fairtrade coffee and cocoa are produced free of deforestation. Land use change, mainly deforestation, is responsible for one third of global GreenHouse Gas emissions, therefore, preventing deforestation in agricultural sectors is a must. At Fairtrade, we welcome the European Union’s decision to regulate deforestation-free commodities, however, regulation alone will not be enough to restore the ecological degradation observed in most of our tropical rainforest. We must support farmers with the tools and resources needed to invest in a healthy environment. In 2019, the Fairtrade Standards set criteria to prevent deforestation from occurring in agricultural production, and over the last year, we have reinforced criteria for coffee and cocoa to monitor risks associated with forest loss and generate alerts in the case that deforestation is identified. Thanks to a partnership with Satelligence, a trusted leader in using remote sensing technology, our deforestation alert system builds upon machine learning, remote sensing and satellite image technologies. We are very excited about how things are progressing, and we hope that this type of technology-based alert system can support farmers to improve farm practices and invest in forest restoration soon.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. What pivotal moment led you to dedicate your career to sustainability, and how has that shaped your approach to environmental challenges?
As mentioned before, I grew up in a place that was transitioning from a rural to urban/suburban setting. During my studies, I was curious to understand why my surroundings were changing, why the streets were not capable of coping with the intense rainfall and why the environment around me was turning into cement. Then I discovered environmental economics, which helped me comprehend the changes that I was observing. Studying environmental economics taught me to experience life from other lenses, such as that of indigenous people and biologists, and, the more I advanced and gained experiences, from the lens of farmers. The moment I allowed myself to embrace the importance of nature for people living close to it, I realized that the discomfort I experienced as an adolescent was due to the negative alteration to the ecosystem that I enjoyed as a child.
Could you describe a groundbreaking project or initiative you’ve been involved in that significantly contributed to sustainability?
Although I’m not an agronomist, I have been working with projects that have, in one way or another, embraced the principles of agroecology for most of my career. One thing that I take pride in is seeing producers and leaders that I partnered with 10 or 15 years ago thriving and acting vibrantly in the markets, promoting the same principles of social and environmental justice as when I first met them. In that sense, I can’t pinpoint just one groundbreaking project, but a series of them that have the aim to strengthen organizational capacities based on these principles of fairness, and I’m proud to see how Fairtrade has made the bold decision to adopt the principles of agroecology as its path for the future.
How do you navigate the balance between economic growth and environmental preservation in your sustainability strategies?
At Fairtrade, we have the motto “it is not aid, it is trade”. As an economist, I’m very aware that the number one priority of any household is income. A family that is not able to generate sufficient income to satisfy their needs is less likely to dedicate energy or resources to other aspects around them, like corruption, biodiversity loss or climate change. From my view, a living income for the household is a precondition to enable environmental preservation, and without that, any environmental intervention will only be a good intention.
What emerging technologies or innovations do you believe hold the most promise for advancing sustainability and why?
I can’t say it is an emerging technology, but in agriculture, the use of remote sensing and satellite images has become more and more common, especially with the topic of deforestation. A combination of data science and remote sensing can enable us to make faster and more accurate decisions. The danger lies in focusing only on the technology and not on the people. To use an analogy, the technological innovations are the hardware, the social connections are the software, and one is useless without the other. Any technology, whether that is machine learning, AI or another, can’t promise advances in sustainability if it doesn’t empower the people who use it.
Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “5 Top Strategies for a Cleaner Planet”?
1 . Be mindful of your food habits and the repercussions of your food intake for your health, and the well-being of those working to provide your access to food.
2 . Don’t be afraid to use technology to be informed and to make decisions, but be mindful of the fact that as there are many options out there, there can also be misleading information.
3 . Plant trees. I know this might sound cheesy and will not solve all our environmental problems, but it does help to reduce GHG emissions as it generates oxygen, and, you can’t deny that a landscape full of trees is a beautiful view.
4 . Soils, soils and more soils. Take care of soils, and look for alternatives to ensure soils that are healthy and rich in nutrients. Soils are the base of our food chain. A farmer in Zambia once told me that although they had land, maize and cattle, their soil was poor and dry, therefore not helping to improve their living.
5 . Buying more from ethical certifications like Fairtrade. Yes, it is cliche that I, a guy working for a voluntary sustainability standard would suggest this, but it is also true that with third party certifications with high standards like Fairtrade, there is an immense amount of work done behind the scenes to promote fair incomes, empower communities and build a fairer and greener world for all.
In your view, what are the key steps individuals, communities, and governments need to take to achieve a more sustainable future?
The most important step, by far, is to build trust, but trust must be earned. My vision of a sustainable future is one where we as a society prefer collective well-being over individual gains. Being individualistic and only caring about our own lives is part of the reasons why we see so much disparity, inequality and unfairness. Individuals, communities and governments must work in tandem for a social good by promoting real partnerships, community engagement, associativity and, most importantly, trust.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
A passion of mine is the combination of food and culture. Those who know me, are witnesses to my fascination with coffee, especially for the traditions in coffee communities, such as the ceremonial treatment that coffee has in many cultures. If I were to start a movement, it would focus on reconnecting our society with the pleasures of eating and embracing the culture and sense of community that comes with it under the principles of fairness for the people and the planet, of course.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Most of what I do can be seen on our website www.fairtrade.net. On the website, you can see a section dedicated to climate and environment, as well as publications and Fairtrade position papers on related topics. You can also follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpsolisv/) and X (https://twitter.com/jpsolisv)
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com.
