SeedNL

✏️ Register now for the SeedNL Annual Event! This year marks SeedNL's five-year anniversary - a milestone we'd like to celebrate with you! We therefore warmly invite you to our Annual Event, as a moment to reflect and celebrate together. The theme of this year's event will be "Seeds outside the Box: cross-pollinations and dilemmas in seed sector development". In panel discussions and break-out sessions, we'll explore what we have learned from five years of working in partnerships and how our efforts resonate across broader spheres of international development, beyond seed system transformation. 📆 Tuesday 24 June 2025 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e3xaHcwy The location and final programme will be communicated soon! Ninja Lacey Willem Schoustra Martijn van Dalen Marijke Zonnenberg Falaq Tidjani Gareth Borman Joep van den Broek Emily ter Steeg

🔎 New study alert: Understanding and Guiding Effective Seed Sector Platforms Across its portfolio of activities, SeedNL has been supporting the establishment of seed sector platforms. As part of wider sector development programmes, platforms have been instrumental to bring stakeholders together and contribute to building connection and achieving project and sector ambitions. SeedNL is also supporting the development of platforms outside of larger programmes, with the aim to lay a collaborative foundation for future seed sector development or transformation. But how can we learn from current platforms and ensure these and future platforms are effective in their performance? In this study by Wageningen Social & Economic Research, we outline key dynamics to consider when shaping a seed sector platform as well as evidence-based guidance for the effective initiation and facilitation of seed sector platforms. A big thank you to all interviewees for their contributions to this study and Marja Thijssen and James Mulkerrins for the great work! 📄 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eDRSQBnW Integrated Seed and Sector Development Uganda (ISSD Uganda) Stichting Wageningen Research NASC National Agricultural Seeds Council University of Juba

"Through public-private partnerships, via SeedNL, we also ensure that these seeds become available to farmers in low- and middle-income countries" - the Netherlands Minister for Fishery, Food Security, Horticulture and Nature Conservation Jean Rummenie in the below video describing his visit to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Spitsbergen conserves duplicates of over a million seed samples from almost every country to safeguard our future food supply. Jean Rummenie was joined by representatives from governments, UN institutions, World Food Prize winners, and more, for a high-level meeting centered around forging partnerships for the cause of crop diversity. This visit reiterates the importance the Netherlands puts on the conservation and use of plant genetic resources, as well as how public-private collaboration can contribute to this. As Jean Rummenie emphasises in his post, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a wonderful example of such collaboration. This exciting visit relates closely to our recently published 'Seven guiding principles for stronger public-private collaboration to conserve and use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture'. In this document, we underline the urgency to reverse the trend of rapidly disappearing agricultural biodiversity, which poses a serious threat to global food and nutrition security, and propose ways forward through public-private collaboration. We welcome the growing momentum for conserving and utilising plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and are thankful to Jean Rummenie and other high-level representatives for furthering the topic on international agendas. 🌱 Find the full document here: https://lnkd.in/e76qsc9r 📖 Read more about the visit to Svalbard, for example in this item from de Telegraaf: https://lnkd.in/dYUunhPF  Please reach out to info@seednl.nl if: 📚 you would like to know more 📣 you see opportunities to prioritise the topic of agricultural biodiversity conservation and use on organisations' and governments' agendas 💡 you see opportunities for practical collaboration between genebanks and breeders Ministerie van Landbouw, Visserij, Voedselzekerheid en Natuur Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken World Vegetable Center FAO International Plant Treaty CGIAR Centrum voor Genetische Bronnen Nederland (CGN) HZPC East-West Seed International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Kim Van Seeters Theo van Hintum Lana de Bruijn Ivo Gariboldi Orlando de Ponti Hugo Verkuijl Alberto Chassaigne Katherine Panergayo Kent Nnadozie Robert Graveland Coosje Hoogendoorn Johannes M.M. Engels Anneke Kamp, van de Michiel Klompenhouwer Livia Hendriks Jaspreet Stamm Joanna Purcell Judith Sluiter Ralf Van De Beek

Last year we launched two new initiatives in Bangladesh and India: the Bangladesh-Netherlands Seed Platform and the India-Netherlands Seed Secretariat. Both projects are on a pathway to become fully-fledged partnerships, with different activities and partners involved. Are you interested to learn more about the exact focus of SeedNL in these countries, and curious to see if you can become involved? Then please have a look at our website for more information and reach out to the SeedNL project leader for both countries Gareth Borman to explore synergies! https://lnkd.in/ecX7Updd Sathguru Management Consultants Wageningen Social & Economic Research Innovision Consulting

SeedNL and Plantum met with a team from Agence Nationale d'Appui au Développement Rural (ANADER) in Cote d’Ivoire, led by the General Director Dr. Sidiki Cisse and Deputy General Manager Ms. Nicole Aphing-Kouassi. The Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in the Netherlands received the delegation, who are on a knowledge exchange mission with focus on seed sector, water management and identifying collaboration opportunities. During the interactive session, the SeedNL and Plantum teams shared our experiences and approaches for seed sector development. We thank the Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in the Netherlands for the invitation and the opportunity to share and engage in dialogue. SARAN TRAORE DOUMBIA Maixent Malick CISSE Ivo Gariboldi Michiel Klompenhouwer Falaq Tidjani Willem Schoustra

SeedNL welcomes Martijn van Dalen to the team! Meet Martijn, our new Project Assistant, who brings his passion for plant breeding, food security, and sustainable development to SeedNL. With a background in Plant Sciences and Development & Rural Innovation from Wageningen University, he’s eager to contribute to strengthening seed systems worldwide. He’ll be supporting key projects, the promotion of our community of practice, and the planning of SeedNL’s 5th anniversary event. Find out more about Martijn here: https://lnkd.in/ei29VJAv Join us in welcoming Martijn and feel free to connect!

Yesterday our SeedNL sounding board to place, kindly hosted by SNV at their office in the Hague. Besides the updates on SeedNL’s progress in 2024 and sharing our ambitions for this year, we received updates from Ralf Van De Beek from Ministerie van Landbouw, Visserij, Voedselzekerheid en Natuur and Wampie Libon, Director Inclusive Green Growth Department on the Dutch policy developments for the coming years, and what these could mean for SeedNL and our partners. After this conversation, we dove into the topic of narratives in seed sector development and partnership dynamics in Uganda, presented by Fleur Kilwinger and Walter de Boef. This topic was identified during our partnership analysis and initiation activities last year as being of key interest to our community, and will be an agenda item for SeedNL in 2025. A big thank you to SNV for hosting us, the speakers for their contributions and all our Sounding Board members for their presence and the interactions! Willem Schoustra Rob de Vos John Belt Annemieke Beekmans Falaq Tidjani Ninja Lacey Martijn van Dalen Marijke Zonnenberg

Ghana seed sector assessment conducted 🌱 In collaboration with the Dutch Embassy in Ghana and funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), an in-depth seed sector assessment in Ghana was conducted at the end of last year. A team of seed sector experts from Wageningen Social and Economic Research, in collaboration with two experts of the Ghanaian seed sector organised a scoping mission with interviews and focus group discussions to identify key challenges limiting the performance of the seed sector. These challenges were then prioritised during a multi-stakeholder workshop with key stakeholders active in and knowledgeable of the sector. The final report outlines these most pressing challenges as well as potential areas for Ghana-Netherlands seed partnerships and collaborations. Throughout the implementation of the mission, SeedNL provided support and guidance via the project's Steering Group together with IDH, RVO and the Dutch Agricultural Counsellor. Find the full report here: https://lnkd.in/exasHW2e We welcome all our partners interested in better understanding the Ghanaian seed sector to have a look at the report and reach out to us at info@seednl.nl if you are interested to explore any next steps! Inge Tenniglo Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) | Partner in Sustainable Development IDH Wageningen Social & Economic Research Johann Bonnand Mirjam Schaap Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken Ministerie van Landbouw, Visserij, Voedselzekerheid en Natuur

SeedNL presents the Decision Guide for seed sector investments! The guide informs and inspires practitioners on how Dutch seed sector development investments are initiated and acts as a tool for Dutch government professionals and their global partners to develop a seed sector investment portfolio. It includes examples that can inspire future endeavors, and operates as an interactive tool in which its users can select choices and steps toward seed sector investment initiatives. Please find the guide here: https://lnkd.in/e2zP-59q Integrated seed sector development initiatives are in turn guided by our previously published Guide on Developing a Seed National Road Map: https://lnkd.in/evq-pXTg Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken Ministerie van Landbouw, Visserij, Voedselzekerheid en Natuur Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) Wageningen University & Research Cindy Van Den Boom Hugo Verkuijl Ingrid Flink Tien Hoang Eline Minneboo Walter de Boef Marja Thijssen

Trade missions to Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Senegal ✈️ The new year is kicking off well with several interesting trade missions taking place over the next months! Please find an overview of the content, dates and deadlines of each mission below and explore the websites for more information. 📌 Kenya: Economic Trade Mission Sustainable Agriculture, Horticulture and Water, 17 - 20 March. This mission takes place in parallel with the State Visit of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima. Please note that the registration deadline is today! https://lnkd.in/epdU5wBp 📌 Nigeria: Horticulture Trade Mission, 23 - 27 March. The focus of this mission will be on planting materials, horticulture and the potato sector, with the programme including a presentation of the Horticulture Sector Roadmap South-West Nigeria as well as the first results of the Rapid Study on Pathways to the Nigerian Market for International (Dutch) Potato Companies. Deadline for registration is January 31st. https://lnkd.in/emAeYBWH 📌 Tanzania: Multisectoral Trade and Investment Mission, 10 - 12 March. NABC is organising a private trade mission to Tanzania in collaboration with the Tanzania Investment Centre. Focus areas of the mission will be Sustainable Agriculture and Agro-processing and Infrastructure. Deadline of expressing your interest is February 7th. https://lnkd.in/eXqu2DVJ 📌 Senegal: Horticulture Trade Mission, 7 - 10 April. Do you have solutions for seeds, storage, production, inputs, logistics, water management or agro-ecology? Then join this mission to meet important Senegalese market actors, specifically in the region Saint-Louis. Deadline for registration is March 7th. https://lnkd.in/e6xgg7ii Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) | Partner in Sustainable Development NABC Inge Tenniglo Núria Vlonk-Cunha Soares Renate Douwes Tien Hoang Hanneke Bogaerts