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Consultation

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The consultation on Dutch food security policy was originally opened on July 01, 2014 by the Food & Business Knowledge Platform. The purpose of the consultation was to ensure that the newest topics and debates on food security are included in the food security policy paper, which the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economic Affairs will send to the Dutch Parliament at the end of 2014. A variety of professionals participated in the online consultation with constructive, critical and inspirational contributions, including evidence on or experience with the success of the proposed intervention strategies.

The consultation was closed on September 15, 2014 and the Food & Business Knowledge Platform has published a final report (PDF) on September 30, 2014, which has been sent to both ministries. All contributions posted during the consultation remain available online and can be downloaded in a document (PDF) with an easy search tool.

We thank all contributors for sharing their knowledge and experiences!

Five international targets

Because most of the topics can be linked to the Post-2015 Development Agenda discussions and the UN Secretary General’s Zero Hunger Challenge, the consultation aimed to focus on how the objectives and targets discussed internationally could possibly help to guide the Netherlands’ new food security policy. All contributions were valuable to improve understanding on how these international objectives and targets could be translated into Dutch policy.

The five international targets of the Zero Hunger Challenge for 2030, which served as an entry point for the open online consultation, are:

Target 1 – 100% access to adequate food all year round
Target 2 – Zero stunted children less than 2 years
Target 3 – All food systems are sustainable
Target 4 – 100% increase in smallholder productivity and income
Target 5 – Zero loss or waste of food

Key dates for the consultation

  • Submissions welcome from 1 July – 14 September 2014
  • Summary of contributions available: End of September 2014
  • Policy letter by Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economic Affairs: Before end 2014

Current Dutch food security policy

The coming joint policy paper by the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economic Affairs builds on the current policy framework, whichis based on several letters to Parliament:

In 2011, food security was selected as one of four priority themes for Dutch international development cooperation, building upon existing Dutch expertise and knowledge. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economic Affairs subsequently published the joint policy on food security: ‘Uitwerking Voedselzekerheidsbeleid’ (PDF) (Beleid ten aanzien van ontwikkelingssamenwerking. Parliamentary Papers 32605, no. 54, in Dutch). The policy targets four areas: extending sustainable food production, improved access to qualitative food, more efficient markets, and an improved business climate for the private sector to contribute to food security.

In April 2013, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the policy paper ‘A World to Gain. A New Agenda forAid, Trade and Investment’ (PDF). This new agenda is based on three important ambitions: eradicating extreme poverty in a single generation, sustainable and inclusive growth all over the world, and successes for Dutch companies abroad.

Recently, the Ministry of Economic Affairs presented its international agricultural policy (Internationaal landbouwbeleid, March 2014, in Dutch, PDF). The Netherlands has a strong agricultural sector and the private sector and knowledge institutions can contribute significantly to a sustainable increase in global food production.

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Consultation contributions

Enabling all people to access the food they need at all times through nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems, marketing, decent and productive employment, a social protection floor, targeted safety nets and food assistance; boosting food supply from local producers; through open, fair and well-functioning markets and trade policies at local, regional and international level, preventing excessive food price volatility. »

  1. Frank Nagel & Hans Bogaard
    Director Advisory Services; Head Agri Business - Rabobank Development
    Development of the Agri-Food sector requires a strong local financial sector
    Rabo Development supports financial inclusion in developing markets by providing advisory services (via RIAS) to banks, multilateral institutions and agribusiness… Read more »
  2. Rian Fokker
    Director Heifer, Netherlands
    "Unlocking the potential of small-scale farming"
    It has been said several times before on this forum: food insecurity is a multi-faceted problem that needs integral solutions… Read more »

Ensuring universal access to nutritious food in the 1000-day window of opportunity between the start of pregnancy and a child’s second birthday, supported by nutrition-sensitive health care, water, sanitation, education and specific nutrition interventions, coupled with initiatives that enable empowerment of women, as encouraged within the Movement for Scaling Up Nutrition. »

  1. Lalita Bhattacharjee
    Nutritionist, FAO of the United Nations, Bangladesh
    "Prioritizing a target of zero stunted children less than 2 years (examples from Bangladesh)"
    The goal of a National Food Security Policy is to ensure dependable food security for all people of the country… Read more »
  2. Wim Hiemstra and Joanne Harnmeijer
    Agronomist / nutritionist and medical doctor at ETC Foundation, Netherlands
    "Dietary diversity in relation to diverse agriculture"
    Dietary diversity in relation to diverse agriculture. Dutch food security policy has added nutrition as a new angle since 2011.… Read more »

Ensuring that all farmers, agribusinesses, cooperatives, governments, unions and civil society establish standards for sustainability; verifying their observance and being accountable for them; encouraging and rewarding universal adoption of sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture practices; pursuing cross-sectoral policy coherence (encompassing energy, land use, water and climate); implementing responsible governance of land, fisheries and forests. »

  1. Wim Hiemstra and Joanne Harnmeijer
    Agronomist / nutritionist and medical doctor at ETC Foundation, Netherlands
    "Business as usual versus sense of urgency"
    After participating in the expert meeting of 12 September 2014, we would like to bring the following three key points… Read more »
  2. Oxfam Novib
    Oxfam Novib, Netherlands
    "Resilience of small holder farmers and large companies: different responsibilities"
    For Oxfam the link between climate change and food security is clear. We witness how many farmers in developing countries… Read more »

Reducing rural poverty and improving wellbeing through encouraging decent work, and increasing smallholders’ income; empowering women, small farmers, fishers, pastoralists, young people, farmer organizations, indigenous people and their communities; supporting agricultural research and innovation; improving land tenure, access to assets and to natural resources, making sure that all investments in agriculture and value chains are responsible and accountable; developing multidimensional indicators for people’s resilience and wellbeing. »

  1. Oxfam Novib
    Oxfam Novib, Netherlands
    "Investing in smallholders and the four pronged approach"
    In order to understand how small and large farming can contribute to achieving a sustainable global food system, we should… Read more »
  2. Greet Goverde
    Secr. Platfrom Aarde Boer Consument, Netherlands
    "Governments in the South should be encouraged to (re)invest in agro-ecological local production"
    The developing countries in the ‘60s and ‘70s invested in producing commodities for export, at the behest of the international… Read more »

Minimizing food losses during storage and transport, and waste of food by retailers and consumers; empowering consumer choice through appropriate labeling; commitments by producers, retailers and consumers within all nations; achieving progress through financial incentives, collective pledges, locally-relevant technologies and changed behavior. »

  1. Greet Goverde
    Secr. Platfrom Aarde Boer Consument, Netherlands
    "Democratisation of the food system from the local level upwards"
    Vandana Shiva: ‘The centralisation of production and with that the centralisation of distribution by its very necessity means waste. There… Read more »
  2. Anneke Sipkens/ Clementine O'Connor
    Director Sustainability, Deloitte - Netherlands/France
    "Measuring food waste"
    “The Netherlands was a forerunner in introducing landfill bans on biodegradable waste in 1995. Other EU Member States could benefit… Read more »

The consultation on Dutch food security policy was closed on September 15, 2014. The consultation was originally opened by the Food & Business Knowledge Platform on July 01, 2014. The purpose of the consultation was to ensure that the newest topics and debates on food security are included in the food security policy paper, which »

  1. Wim Hiemstra and Joanne Harnmeijer
    Agronomist / nutritionist and medical doctor at ETC Foundation, Netherlands
    "Gender-inclusive green agriculture business models"
    Gender-inclusive green agriculture business models.There is a need for more attention and support to green agriculture business models. That is:… Read more »
  2. Paul Engel
    Director ECDPM, Netherlands
    "Why a new Dutch Food and Nutrition Security Policy should invest more in improving governance"
    Why a new Dutch Food and Nutrition Security Policy should invest more in improving governance It is great to see… Read more »