Netherlands, World Bank Group Partner to Transform the Agricultural Sector: New partnership to mobilize knowledge and innovation

The Netherlands and the World Bank Group today signed a “Food for All” partnership agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) to increase knowledge, support job creation, and secure the long-term sustainability of agriculture in developing countries. “Food for All’’ will bring together the World Bank Group and civil society, academia, government, private sector, and other stakeholders from the Netherlands.

“Working in partnerships is critical in the multi-stakeholder context of food and agriculture,” said Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Netherlands. “This partnership between the World Bank and the Netherlands will provoke inclusive, innovative and knowledge-intensive forms of cooperation. Together we address the needs of malnourished people and effectively contribute to a zero hunger world.”

The agreement focuses on strengthening collaboration in key strategic areas such as food, nutrition and health; inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth with a focus on pro-poor value chains and market transformations that better link farmers to markets and ecologically sustainable food systems for climate-smart, resilient agriculture.

The aim is to match cutting-edge Dutch technical expertise and private sector innovation with programs and investments by the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries. This collaboration will seek to balance commercial success with the interest and improved welfare of small holder farmers and underscore the prominent role that farmers’ organizations play in strengthening the position of farmers in the value chain.

“Agriculture has a significant role in the World Bank Group’s efforts to end extreme poverty and extend the benefits of growth to more people, given that three-quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas and in low-income countries,” said Nena Stoiljkovic, World Bank Group Vice President, Global Practices and IFC Global Partnerships. “Agriculture also accounts for as much as 80 percent of total employment in low-income countries.”

The agreement was signed in Rotterdam on the margins of the 2015 Development Finance Forum—a gathering of public and private sector representatives to identify ways to significantly scale up finance for sustainable development through 2030.