René van Veenhuizen

René van Veenhuizen is Senior Project Manager with Hivos.  René has worked with RUAF for the last 25 years – starting at ETC, then with RUAF Foundation, and from 2018-2023 with Hivos as coordinator the RUAF Partnership Secretariat. René graduated in Land and Water Management from Wageningen University, the Netherlands. He has over 35 years’ professional experience, working with universities, the UN, and various NGOs. As Senior Project Manager with Hivos, he currently coordinates the EU-funded AfriFoodLinks project, and is Advisor to the Urban Futures programme (funded by Fondation Botnar) and the EU-funded HealthyFoodAfrica project. He has been the editor of the Urban Agriculture Magazine for 20 years, is co-author of several publications on sustainable food systems and urban agriculture, and is a speaker at local and international workshops and public engagements. He has extensive advisory and consultative experience, advising on sustainable agricultural development, urban agriculture and food systems.