Inka Sachse

The decision was the right one - even though I didn't initially see much value in stable construction, animal health and crop rotation planning for my future career. I also found soil science, with its division into physical, chemical and biological aspects, to be very dry. I was interested in the subject "Communication and Advice", which others dismissed as a "babble subject". Organic associations and consultants also presented their work there. A year of study in Perugia, including an internship at an organic farming association and training as an inspector in accordance with the EU regulation at the time, opened up further perspectives for me. It was only towards the end of my studies that the IFOAM General Assembly in Witzenhausen gave my professional vision new impetus. Enthusiastic about the idea of working in an association that bundles the movements of organic agriculture internationally, I left the academic world immediately after the Diploma I exam ("Here are the results, do what you want with them, I'm going to work now!") to work as an internal employee in the newly opened head office in Bonn. Since then, I have also been an annual visitor and mostly an exhibitor at the Biofach trade fair - for 16 years in a row to date. Through the trade fair, I was recruited as a sales representative, buyer, troubleshooter and product scout for the international organic trade agency artebio in Lüneburg. Here I was able to speak five languages every day and had to learn everything commercial "from the ground up". I traveled a lot in Western and Southern Europe and got to know business partners with whom I still work now. For me, the trade in organic products often has the bitter aftertaste that people often focus primarily on the price when buying (also because logistics are very expensive in some countries), so that other added values are perhaps expected but not rewarded. For this reason, after more than four years, I decided to undergo further training and switch to project management. One positive effect of this change was that I met my current husband during the training.

As a newly qualified project manager, I came on board at EkoConnect in 2010, an association in Dresden that was committed to the expansion and networking of organic farming in Central and Eastern Europe. So another move, learning Russian. Traveling to the Baltic States, Romania, Moldova, often to Poland, but also to Turkey. Within a very short time, I took on a lot of responsibility there and was able to expand my networking skills. I also enjoyed organizing and holding events, where I acted as a market and quality expert. However, the EU projects were often too far removed from agricultural reality for me and I had the vision that I absolutely had to do something for the soil - to protect and build up the mother of our food, so to speak.

That's why I joined Soil&More in Hamburg in 2014. Since then, I have not only covered my adventure needs for the next 20 years while making multiple rounds across four continents and at least three climate zones, but also finally found my way into soil fertility consulting via sustainability and social audits. In my consulting for import companies and their suppliers, I combine data analysis and "action on the ground", i.e. soil fertility and composting, with the common denominator of arming oneself against the rapidly advancing climate change. With "true cost accounting", i.e. the attempt to price in the environmental and social impact and added value of agriculture, we are also tackling the problem of "cheap food production" with banks and strategic buyers.

And all over the world, in the field and in companies, I meet Witzenhausen graduates of all generations who are now bringing concepts I heard during my studies to life and quantifying their environmental impact - and the breadth of the Witzenhausen network is always surprising ("How - you too?"). I wish the program another 25 years filled with knowledge and development and I am happy to have been a small part of it.