Lighthouse Farm Academy participant Monique van de Vijver

As an Associate Consultant at Solidaridad Asia, Monique van de Vijver develops sustainable agricultural models using medicinal and aromatic plants. Her search for alternatives to monoculture and chemical dependency led her to Lighthouse Farm Academy, enabling her to develop models that help farmers grow diverse crops and become less reliant on external inputs.

Agriculture is about restoring soils, biodiversity, and resilience. Without healthy farmland, water, and ecosystems, we undermine our very existence. This belief led me to the Lighthouse Farm Academy, where I learned that resilience is the new efficiency. The programme reinforced how industrial and economic agricultural paradigms must shift.

Working in India, I see how monoculture makes small-scale farmers vulnerable. Their reliance on a single crop and expensive inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides undermines their livelihoods and health. Diversity is the key to resilience.

During the programme in Spain, my focus on medicinal and aromatic plants deepened. Perennials like thyme and lavender enhance soil health, yield essential oils, and create economic opportunities—showing how agriculture can restore biodiversity and human health.

Lighthouse's common language connects science, practice, and farmers' expertise. Learning from the strengths and weaknesses of different sustainable farming approaches gave me a solution-driven perspective to support farmers worldwide.

This experience strengthened my vision for regenerative agriculture and medicinal plants. Collaborating with Indian and Western scientists and farmers offers enormous potential. Lighthouse affirmed my mission: putting farmers at the centre of agricultural transformation.