Farmer Kees Huizinga has been awarded the GFN Kleckner Global Farm Leader Award. The Drenthe farmer who owns a large farm under Kiev in Ukraine is praised for his relentless efforts to inform the world about what is happening in Ukraine and how the war is affecting food security in the world.
The Global Farmer Network (GFN) is an international interest group that strengthens farmers’ voices in promoting trade, technology, food security and sustainable agriculture, among other things. According to the network, this year Huizinga told the real story about the grim realities of war, the looming food crisis and farming in a war zone.
Huizinga has been active in Ukraine for twenty years. On his farm he grows onions, carrots, wheat, barley, rapeseed, sugar beet, maize, sunflowers and beans. He also has livestock. According to the GFN, during that period he always shared his work experiences in the country with visitors and farmers from Ukraine and abroad. But since the invasion, he has become best known for his updates on the situation in the country.
The GFN Kleckner Global Farm Leader Award has been in existence since 2007. The award is presented annually to farmers who are committed to improving the quality, quantity and availability of agricultural products around the world.