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The cultivation of cut flowers in Kenya and other East African countries has flourished since the turn of the century. Today, approximately 100,000 people are directly employed on flower farms in Kenya, with another 60,000 working in flower transport and other supporting activities. Dutch and African-owned businesses operate side by side, strengthening ties between Kenya and the Netherlands. This collaboration set the stage for the Floriculture Africa Executive Forum, an exclusive event organized by Rabobank for industry leaders and held in Amsterdam on November 3, 2025. This article provides an overview of the main highlights.
Here are five key insights from the Floriculture Africa Executive Forum:
The outlook for the global poultry industry remains strong for 2026, with another year of robust growth of around 2.5%, following three consecutive years of approximately 3% growth globally. Growth in poultry consumption is driven by factors such as limited cultural restrictions on poultry consumption compared to other proteins, stronger economic conditions in key growth markets such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America, competitive pricing – especially in the current period of low beef and egg supply, and consumer trends favoring convenience, variety, and health. The recent rapid increase in the use of GLP-1 drugs for weight reduction might also boost chicken consumption, as is it a part of recommended diets.
Poultry industries in most countries have experienced strong market conditions, and many countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia still have a good outlook. Optimistic production growth in Europe, and longer-term growth in the US, India, and China, highlights how quickly market conditions can change when the industry decides to expand production under bullish conditions. In these countries there is an increasing need to rebalance markets via slower production growth.
Operational excellence should again be a major focus area in 2026, particularly in a context where volatility remains a risk. The global feed price outlook is positive for poultry producers, with limited upside in prices. However, as we are still in the early season for Northern Hemisphere crop production, conditions could change. The main drivers of volatility will continue to be geopolitics and avian influenza. The current high-pressure avian influenza situation in the Northern Hemisphere should serve as a wake-up call for producers, as it could significantly impact local production and trade if the virus continues to spread during the winter season. Geopolitics is another major disruptive factor to watch, with potential impacts on markets similar to those seen last year – especially if new trade agreements are signed or there is a possible peace agreement in Ukraine which could lead to rebuilding local industries with better international market access. Other issues to monitor include labor availability, rapid adoption of smart technology (including artificial intelligence), and rising industry investments.
Global trade is expected to grow by 1.5%-2%, which is below overall poultry market growth. This reflects a continued shift towards food security-driven policies, with governments focusing more on local-to-local production and less on trade. Brazil and China are well positioned to gain further market share but should expect ongoing volatility driven by geopolitics and avian influenza. Potential disruptors include US trade agreements and an EU-Mercosur deal.
Chocolate begins with cocoa: the soul of every bar, the source of its taste, its origin story, and its emotional pull. But cocoa's future is under strain. Prices spiked to historic highs in recent years before correcting sharply. Climate volatility is reshaping growing regions, and deforestation regulations are tightening. These pressures are structural, not temporary making portfolio flexibility and innovation a strategic imperative. 2025 may have marked a turning point in chocolate as the industry shifts from tactical fixes toward deliberate diversification.
One response is cocoa-free innovation in chocolate. There are three distinct technological tracks companies are pursuing: lab-grown cocoa for long-term supply security and premium formats, fermentation-based solutions for near-term reformulation and scalable growth, and upcycled ingredient systems for cost-sensitive, high-volume applications and alignment with circularity goals. But technology readiness varies. At present, fermentation-based solutions are furthest along and already entering branded products, making it the most immediate route for adoption.
Today, cocoa-free volumes are negligible, but partnerships between startups and major food companies show that diversification is shifting from niche experiments to a more deliberate part of the innovation agenda. Core chocolate formats remain the hardest to replicate, so early adoption will concentrate on compound applications, such as coatings, fillings, and inclusions, and adjacent categories like bakery, snacks, and desserts, where reformulation is more practical.
Rather than replacing cocoa, early movers are shaping the next chapter of chocolate innovation by redefining where cocoa-like ingredients fit into the food landscape. While cocoa-free is niche today, its relevance may prove structural. Manufacturers that pair sustainable cocoa sourcing with selective investment in scalable cocoa-free technologies will gain resilience, cost stability, and sustainability leadership.
Domestic food price inflation remains moderately high. Information from August and November 2025 for which food price inflation data are available shows high inflation in many low- and middle-income countries, with inflation higher than 5% in 45% of low-income countries (10.6 percentage points lower than at the last update on October 31, 2025), 43.5% of lower-middle-income countries (7.6 percentage points lower), 41.9% of upper-middle-income countries (13.1 percentage points lower), and 9.1% of high-income countries (10.9 percentage points lower). In real terms, food price inflation exceeded overall inflation in 54% of the 166 countries where data is available.
Agricultural and cereal price indices have risen by 1 and 3 percent respectively since the previous update on October 31, while the export price index remained unchanged. Wheat, maize, and rice prices were 1, 4, and 5 percent higher. Year-on-year, maize prices are up 2 percent, wheat is down 3 percent, and rice is down 29 percent. According to the December 2025 AMIS report, global markets are well supplied, with wheat and rice prices falling, maize staying stable, soybean prices rising, and fertilizer costs easing slightly, although high input costs still limit demand in lower-margin systems.
FAO’s State of Food and Agriculture 2025 report highlights the immediate and long-term consequences of land degradation in agricultural productivity, food security, and ecosystem resilience. Agricultural expansion is responsible for nearly 90 percent of global deforestation, with cropland growth and pasture expansion infringing on forests.
According to the 2025 State of the World’s Children report, depending on where they live, more than 417 million children are severely deprived in at least two of the following basic needs: education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation and clean water. These conditions greatly limit households’ ability to provide children with adequate, nutritious diets, particularly during periods of economic stress. The burden is most acute in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, which together account for a large proportion of the children facing extreme poverty and nutrition-related deprivation.
- In Honduras, the Rural Competitiveness Project series (COMRURAL II and III) aims to generate entrepreneurship and employment opportunities while promoting a climate-conscious, nutrition-smart strategy in agri-food value chains. To date, the program is benefiting around 6,287 rural small-scale producers (of which 33% are women, 15% youth, and 11% indigenous) of coffee, vegetables, dairy, honey, and other commodities through enhanced market connections and adoption of improved agricultural technologies and has created 6,678 new jobs.
- In Honduras, the Corredor Seco Food Security Project (PROSASUR) strives to enhance food security for impoverished and vulnerable rural households in the country’s Dry Corridor. This project has supported 12,202 extremely vulnerable families through nutrition-smart agricultural subprojects, food security plans, community nutrition plans, and nutrition and hygiene education. Within the beneficiary population, 70% of children under the age of five and their mothers now have a dietary diversity score of at least 4 (i.e., consume at least four food groups).
- The $2.75 billion Food Systems Resilience Program for Eastern and Southern Africa, helps countries in Eastern and Southern Africa increase the resilience of the region’s food systems and ability to tackle growing food insecurity. Now in phase three, the program will enhance inter-agency food crisis response also boost medium- and long-term efforts for resilient agricultural production, sustainable development of natural resources, expanded market access, and a greater focus on food systems resilience in policymaking.
- A $95 million credit from IDA for the Malawi Agriculture Commercialization Project (AGCOM) to increase commercialization of select agriculture value chain products and to provide immediate and effective response to an eligible crisis or emergency.
- The $200 million IDA grant for Madagascar to strengthen decentralized service delivery, upgrade water supply, restore and protect landscapes, and strengthen the resilience of food and livelihood systems in the drought-prone ‘Grand Sud’.
World Farming Agriculture and Commodity news - Short update 22nd December 2025A $60 million credit for the Integrated Community Development Project that works with refugees and host communities in four northern provinces of Burundi to improve food and nutrition security, build socio-economic infrastructure, and support micro-enterprise development through a participatory approach.
- The $175 million Sahel Irrigation Initiative Regional Support Project is helping build resilience and boost productivity of agricultural and pastoral activities in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. More than 130,000 farmers and members of pastoral communities are benefiting from small and medium-sized irrigation initiatives. The project is building a portfolio of bankable irrigation investment projects of around 68,000 ha, particularly in medium and large-scale irrigation in the Sahel region.
- Through the $50 million Emergency Food Security Response project, 329,000 smallholder farmers in Central Africa Republic have received seeds, farming tools and training in agricultural and post-harvest techniques to boost crop production and become more resilient to climate and conflict risks.
- The $15 million Guinea Bissau Emergency Food Security Project is helping increase agriculture production and access to food to vulnerable families. Over 72,000 farmers have received drought-resistant and high-yielding seeds, fertilizers, agricultural equipment; and livestock vaccines for the country-wide vaccination program. In addition, 8,000 vulnerable households have received cash transfer to purchase food and tackle food insecurity.
- The $60 million Accelerating the Impact of CGIAR Research for Africa (AICCRA) project has reached nearly 3 million African farmers (39% women) with critical climate smart agriculture tools and information services in partnership with the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR). These tools and services are helping farmers to increase production and build resilience in the face of climate crisis. In Mali, studies showed that farmers using recommendations from the AICCRA-supported RiceAdvice had on average 0.9 ton per hectare higher yield and US$320 per hectare higher income.
- The $766 million West Africa Food Systems Resilience Program is working to increase preparedness against food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in West Africa. The program is increasing digital advisory services for agriculture and food crisis prevention and management, boosting adaption capacity of agriculture system actors, and investing in regional food market integration and trade to increase food security. An additional $345 million is currently under preparation for Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
- A $150 million grant for the second phase of the Yemen Food Security Response and Resilience Project, which will help address food insecurity, strengthen resilience and protect livelihoods.
- $50 million grant of additional financing for Tajikistan to mitigate food and nutrition insecurity impacts on households and enhance the overall resilience of the agriculture sector.
- A $125 million project in Jordan aims to strengthen the development the agriculture sector by enhancing its climate resilience, increasing competitiveness and inclusion, and ensuring medium- to long-term food security.
- A $300 million project in Bolivia that will contribute to increasing food security, market access and the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices.
- A $315 million loan to support Chad, Ghana and Sierra Leone to increase their preparedness against food insecurity and to improve the resilience of their food systems.
- A $500 million Emergency Food Security and Resilience Support Project to bolster Egypt's efforts to ensure that poor and vulnerable households have uninterrupted access to bread, help strengthen the country's resilience to food crises, and support to reforms that will help improve nutritional outcomes.
- A $130 million loan for Tunisia, seeking to lessen the impact of the Ukraine war by financing vital soft wheat imports and providing emergency support to cover barley imports for dairy production and seeds for smallholder farmers for the upcoming planting season.
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