Daniël first volunteered for a conservation project in Nigeria at the age of seventeen. During his studies at Wageningen University (Natural Resources Management, 1998) he conducted ecological research in the Cameroonian savannah and worked for an agriculture project in Kazakhstan funded by the European Commission.

After his studies he worked with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Central-Africa (2006-2009), where he focussed on enterprise development for food security. He realized that the projects of the FAO and its partners were largely ineffective. “Food production is an economic affair. In order to achieve food security on the ground you need creative entrepreneurs who are thoroughly aware of the business context and consumers’ needs. And you need investors who understand how to develop businesses and value chains.”

Daniël put his money where his mouth is and built a cassava flour factory in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “As an entrepreneur I’m looking for efficient ways to solve the array of problems that inhibit agricultural development. In a country like the Congo, which has the potential to feed the entire African continent, we have a real choice: watch a growing rural population destroy remaining forests and biodiversity, or invest in inclusive, productive agricultural systems.”

Daniël strongly believes in the power of entrepreneurship. “In addressing poverty, we have too often relied on paradigms, planning and paperwork expertise. It is only by embracing risk, learning from failure and experimenting that that we will find great ideas that will change the world.” In the Congo he applies a learning-by-doing approach that connects farmers, knowledge, technology and markets in pursuit of profitable business ideas. Daniël is keen on sharing his experiences and to help others realize their ambitions.

Daniel Knoop from BKB on Vimeo.