1. How does the network benefit your organisation?
The APF partnership helps us to build coalitions with like-minded institutes around specific topics we want to document knowledge on. The Agri-Hubs provide us with a network of development practitioners that provide us with feedback and ideas on the desired direction of our own work. Through the Agri-Hubs we have access to practical experiences we can learn from, and a network of practitioners to assist through insights obtained, which is our core mandate.

2. Please give an example of a joint action, in which the APF network played a visible role.
We have co-organised and co-funded write shops and launched a series of books on Value Chain Development and Access to Finance under the APF umbrella. In addition, we have jointly developed training activities in the Agri-Hubs.

3. If you were in charge, what should the APF network look like in 5 years’ time?
Agri-ProFocus would be the exchange and collaboration network for Dutch NGOs working on agriculture. With increasing competitive bidding and competition amongst organisations in the field of agricultural development, especially exchange of information and experiences in a network is of importance. The increased competition will make informal exchange and collaboration less likely. To assure that the member organisations innovate in their approaches, action-oriented collaboration is required, for which the APF network can form the umbrella. In the Agri-Hubs we would like to see interlinked national networks of local organisations in agricultural development. Autonomous networks, but with strong linkages to the APF Netherlands network. The main objective of these national networks is innovation in supporting agricultural entrepreneurship.

4. How will your organisation contribute to the APF network in the next 2 years?
KIT will contribute to the APF network by aligning its agricultural entrepreneurship related research activities with the needs in the Agri-Hubs. Furthermore KIT will support capacity building of country networks in this field. The country networks form a structure that will assist KIT in fulfilling its mission of documenting and communicating knowledge on business- based agricultural development.

Contact: Bertus Wennink

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