Netherlands Agricultural Network in Ghana and Nigeria

Topsectoren Agri & Food en Tuinbouw & Uitgangsmaterialen hebben een gezamenlijke oproep geopend voor projecten binnen de Kennis- en Innovatieagenda Landbouw, Water, Voedsel. Heb jij een goed idee dat bijdraagt aan een toekomstbestendige landbouw en voedselketen voor Ghana of Nigeria? Ga aan de slag en dien een voorstel in! 🌱🌻 Je kunt indienen binnen een van de volgende prioriteiten: programmatische aanpak Weerbaar Telen in de tuinbouw, circulaire ketens en biogrondstoffen, voedselinnovatie en een duurzame en gezonde samenleving, kennis en innovatie. https://lnkd.in/eR892bVP

Yesterday, 21 May, a practical vegetable field training session was organized by IWAD Ghana Ltd. and Bakker Brothers under the Ghana Seed Partnership at the Dipale site in Northern Ghana. 🌱 Fifteen students from Damongo College of Agriculture and Allied Sciences, participating in the ACHI program, joined an interactive session with vegetable experts Gerrie Reitsma and Sualihu Sulemana. 🤝This was a great example of collaboration between companies and initiatives, exactly what we aim to achieve within the Ghana Seed Partnership. Together, we are working to improve the performance, sustainability, and resilience of Ghana’s horticulture farming system for the future. Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, Netherlands Agricultural Network, Ghana Netherlands Business & Culture Council (GNBCC), SeedNL, Advance Consulting, Inge Tenniglo, Rens Twijnstra, Anne-Katrien Denissen, Anja De Feijter, Tom Durang, Helen Gyasi, Marian Armoo, Arno Rohde

How can we transform an agricultural system, ensure food security, and drive economic growth? It all begins with one essential input: strong, innovative, high-quality, and competitive seeds. This was the central topic during the two-day National Seed System Reset under the theme: “Building Ghana’s Seed Delivery System – A National Policy and Execution Convening.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eKXU-D_i MOFA GHANA, 24-Hour Economy & Accelerated Export Development, Wageningen Social & Economic Research, West Africa Horticulture Innovation Hub, West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, SeedNL, Ghana Netherlands Business & Culture Council (GNBCC), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) | Partner in Sustainable Development Netherlands Agricultural Network, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, Defarmercist Limited

Don’t miss this! 🤤🌾 WHAT THE F#NIO! Super easy, delicious, healthy, and cultivated for centuries in northern Ghana! Do you already know this supergrain from West Africa?

One step further! Yesterday, we held the validation workshop for the National Horticulture Seed Roadmap, where we discussed ten strategic pathways to increase farmers’ access to and use of quality vegetable seed. With strong participation and valuable expertise from all stakeholders, we had good discussions on the dots on the i’s and crossing the t’s to finalize the roadmap by the end of June. Thank you all for your active participation, insights, and commitment! And stay tuned for the final document... MOFA GHANA, 24-Hour Economy & Accelerated Export Development, Wageningen Social & Economic Research, West Africa Horticulture Innovation Hub, West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, SeedNL, Ghana Netherlands Business & Culture Council (GNBCC), Netherlands Agricultural Network, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana

In Nigeria, we saw that successful horticulture partnerships grow from trust and a shared vision. And yes, FUN and FRIENDSHIP turned out to be just as essential! 🌿   Read more in the latest article on the horticulture trade mission at: https://lnkd.in/eNRxvtb2   Netherlands in Nigeria, Netherlands Agricultural Network, AFE Advanced Food Equipment, LLC, Agrico, Agriterra, Bakker Brothers, Commercium Africa, Control Union, Delphy Africa, Enza Zaden, East-West Seed, East-West Trade & consulting, Growpact Global, GrowSolutions, Holland Greentech, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), Manter International BV, Rijk Zwaan, Solana Holland B.V., Solynta | true potato seeds, Solidaridad Network, TGS Agribusiness solutions, Afri Agri Products Ltd., Vegtech Netafim

🤝 What makes a successful strategic partnership? Last week we had the privilege of welcoming a high-level delegation from Ghana to the Netherlands, led by Deputy Minister Hon. John Dumelo, MOFA GHANA. The visit focused on strengthening cooperation in horticulture, and importantly, gaining a deeper understanding of each other's needs.   A strong partnership goes beyond agreements on paper. It requires investing time to understand each other and to find the right fit, helping to avoid hurdles down the road.   For us, this means: 1. Open, honest and continuous communication, from high-level discussions with Minister Silvio Erkens, to informal conversations in the busses 🚌, and practical exchanges with innovative farmers like Ron Bastiaansen. There we shared how we do things in the Netherlands, including the mistakes we have made along the way. 2. Creating space to share perspectives and openly discuss challenges, as we did during our sessions at Delft University of Technology and Rijk Zwaan 🌱, building mutual understanding. 3. Translating conversations into action by working towards a join plan with clear, shared goals. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to making this visit a success. From organizers Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) | Partner in Sustainable Development, to the partners and participants who shared their time, insights, and openness. Netherlands Agricultural Network, Ministerie van Landbouw, Visserij, Voedselzekerheid en Natuur, Holland Greentech, The Green Village, Den Ouden Groep, Soil Valley, Royal Eijkelkamp, World Horti Center, Van Gelder groente & fruit, Vervelde Dubbeldam BV, Inge Tenniglo, Anne-Katrien Denissen, Arno Rohde, Helen Gyasi, Charlotte Bazuin, Marianne van Male, Rens Twijnstra, Marian Armoo

Great farmers, great nation 👩🏾🌾 💪🏾 For the second part of the mission, we travelled to the middle belt of Nigeria on the invitation of the Governor of Plateau State Caleb Mutfwang. At the Horticulture Festival, we met farmers growing everything from potatoes and vegetables to roses and strawberries.. yes, in Nigeria! A reminder of the region’s potential. Thanks to Commissioner Samson Ishaku Bugama bringing stakeholders together, the conversation quickly turned to unlocking potential and growing the sector. And of course, we went to the field because that is where it really starts. Seeing, feeling, and understanding the soil and the farming behind it all. 🇳🇬 The potential is there! Netherlands in Nigeria, LVVN Attaché Netwerk, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) | Partner in Sustainable Development, AFE Advanced Food Equipment, LLC, Agrico, Agriterra, Bakker Brothers, Commercium Africa, Control Union, Delphy, Enza Zaden, East-West Seed, East-West Trade & consulting, Growpact Global, GrowSolutions, Holland Greentech, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), Manter, Rijk Zwaan, Solana Holland B.V., Solidaridad Network, Solynta | true potato seeds, TGS Agribusiness solutions, Afri Agri Products Ltd., Vegtech Netafim

🌱 Looking back at a great first part of the Horticulture Trade Mission Nigeria. This year, we had the honour of being the Guest of Honour at the Agrofood Fair with fairtrade Messe in Lagos. Together with 20 companies and organisations from the vegetable and potato sector we shared our ideas, connected with people and did business. But that was not all we did in Lagos we also took time to learn. We visited Skyway Aviation handling company Plc (SAHCO) to better understand what it takes to ship products by air to Nigeria, and how temperature control is managed throughout the process. We also brought chefs together over dinner, which led to the realisation that we are not collaboration enough, while that is exactly what is needed to connect market demand with farmers. And of course, like very year, we celebrated our agropreneur of the year 🥳 Congratulations Oluwaseun Obadan, founder of Arso farms ltd! Very well deserved and we are excited to work with you this year. Netherlands in Nigeria, Netherlands Agricultural Network, AFE Advanced Food Equipment, LLC, Agrico, Agriterra, Bakker Brothers, Commercium Africa, Control Union, Delphy, Enza Zaden, East-West Seed, East-West Trade & consulting, Growpact Global, GrowSolutions, Holland Greentech, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), Manter International BV, Rijk Zwaan, Den Hartigh, Solidaridad Network, TGS Agribusiness solutions, Afri Agri Products Ltd., Vegtech Netafim