About
Eric Smaling

Eric enjoys the water in Kilifi coast, Kenya.

A Lifelong Commitment to Sustainable Development and Empowering Communities.

Early Life
And Education

Born in Amsterdam in 1957,

Eric developed an early interest in agriculture after attending a horse-riding holiday camp that also operated as a dairy farm. His student years at Wageningen University, in the scenic town of Wageningen, included an internship in Kilifi, Kenya—a country that would soon become his second home. Between earning his MSc in 1982 and completing his PhD in 1993, Eric spent most of his time in Kenya, specializing in soil fertility management.

Eric as a child with his step dad and mother

Eric next to a horse at his favorite farm as a child

Eric fetches water in a well in his early years in Kilifi

Professor Mitiku Haile

Research
And Teaching

Eric spent most of his career engaged in research and development in soil science and sustainable agriculture. From 1997 to 2012, he served as a Full Professor at Wageningen University and later at the University of Twente (ITC). During this period, he supervised PhD students and led research and development projects across West and East Africa as well as Asia.

Politics

Between 2007 and 2017, Eric served as a Senator and later as a Member of the Dutch House of Representatives for the Socialist Party, where he contributed to policy discussions on international development, agriculture, and environmental sustainability.

Eric with a group of his Ethiopian friends in the Netherlands

Skills program beneficiaries at the workshop learning

First meeting between Eric and the sponsored girls

Social
Development

Since 2017, Eric has been supporting a group of refugees in Amsterdam, helping them navigate their new environment and build a future in the Netherlands. His efforts focus on empowering them to become self-sufficient, confident, and prepared for the job market.
Since 2022, Eric has also served as chairman of the Rare Vrienden Foundation in Kilifi, Kenya, which is dedicated to improving the livelihoods of girls and women in the region.

When Eric
Isn't working or Sleeping.

It may seem like Eric is always working, but that’s far from the truth. He’s an avid chess player, a passionate football fan (especially of Ajax! ), and has a deep love for soul and Lingala music. He enjoys long bicycle rides through the Dutch countryside and cherishes time spent socializing with friends. Eric also volunteers to help refugees in Amsterdam find their footing in a new country. He shares his home just outside Amsterdam with his partner, children’s book author Rindert Kromhout

(far right).

Family Corner

Debbie

Floris

Sanne

Beyond the academic and philanthropic world, Eric’s personal history is defined by an extraordinary journey of reconnection. Having grown up in a close-knit household with his mother and father, it was only at the age of 52 that Eric discovered his place within a larger, vibrant family legacy as the eldest of four siblings. After fifty years of living parallel lives—attending neighboring schools and walking the same streets in Amsterdam—Eric was reunited with his brother and sisters, all sharing the heritage of the late writer and shepherd, Eelke de Jong.

Today, this family celebrates a shared bond with him that bridges diverse worlds: his sister Debbie de Jong, the creative force behind the boutique Spanish retreat Can Portell ; his brother Floris, who channels his vision into his own B&B Mas Feliu ; and their younger sister Sanne, a dedicated psychotherapist. Together, they prove that it is never too late to expand one's roots and that the most meaningful discoveries often happen close to home.