Our financing and expertise focuses on agri-food as a sector in which the Netherlands is well equipped to explore, co-design and enhance solutions that are transforming food systems and agricultural practices globally. Collaboration is required to ensure access to sufficient and healthy food for everyone in the world while restoring lost biodiversity.
People in the world without regular access to food
Hectares of healthy land that's degraded every year
Percentage of global fresh water consumed by agriculture
The agricultural value chain – which encompasses production, processing, storage, trading, distribution and consumption – needs new systems that improve output and prevent the destruction of its own ecological foundation. We focus on key transitions in this sector that impact the availability, quality and nutrition of food.
Developing alternative-protein products from plant and microbial sources (a.o.) to feed the growing population.
Aims to produce food in a way that returns and restores nutrients to the soil to improve biodiversity.
Growing crops in greenhouses, vertical farms and controlled aquaculture farms to reduce scarce inputs and increase yield and food quality.
Transitioning from fish and meat to alternative proteins enables the agri-food sector to have a positive impact on the UN’s goal to limit climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A balanced diet containing alternative proteins contributes to the UN’s goals of good health and well-being, responsible production and consumption.
Controlled environment agriculture, with its focus on efficient energy use, circularity and conserving water, also impacts strongly on the goal to limit climate change. Through producing better yields on smaller plots of land, this transition also impacts the Sustainable Development Goals to reduce hunger and improve food quality.
Regenerative agriculture focuses on soil health, carbon sequestration, biodiversity and ecosystem health, resilience to climate change, chemical input reduction and water management. Working with nature, this transition impacts UN goals for carbon emissions, soil health, and good health and well-being.
We have financing for businesses and projects that focus on transitions in agri-food and beyond. If you’re looking to grow your business abroad and can’t secure the funding you need. Find out how we can support you.
The world's population would need 1.7 Earths to support its demands on renewable natural resources. To help restore the planet's balance and combat climate change, Dutch start-up Kelp Blue has created a scalable, nature-based solution: developing, cultivating and processing the yields of giant kelp forests.
Pests, weeds, and diseases significantly affect African farm productivity, reducing yields by as much as 60%. Moreover, acute food insecurity was on track to reach a 10-year high in West and Central Africa by mid-2023. Iribov, a Dutch innovative partner for plant breeding and plant production companies, can help enhance the region's food security by producing disease-free vegetable plants. With our financing the company is scaling sustainable growth in Ghana.
Family owned UK-based business Naylor Nutrition will be upscaling cabbage trimmings surplus from coleslaw production from their cabbage farm into something truly valuable: sustainable protein. An eco-conscious factory is being built with extraction machinery developed by Dutch company Colubris. A major step towards reducing the amount of food wasted and creating a more sustainable, plant-based food system.
