Updates and Announcements

If you are interested in collaborating on these circular solutions in West Africa, join our upcoming webinar with NABC on 25 August to learn more and connect with the team.

Without biodiversity, there is no business. So why is change still so hard? That question brought together 150 representatives from across the food system on 30 June at NL IPBES Day 2026, following the recent IPBES Business & Biodiversity Assessment.

Businesses depend on biodiversity while also contributing to its decline through supply chains, investments and operations. Discussions focused on what's really holding organisations back, from moving beyond data to real decisions, to getting biodiversity onto the boardroom agenda.

For NFP, the day was a chance to connect this global evidence to what it takes to transform food systems in practice. Read the full reflection, including insights from two breakout sessions.

NFP took part in FINAS 2026 in Kenya with two side sessions on food systems finance.

Together with DanChurchAid, NFP hosted a workshop on cold chain infrastructure financing. DanChurchAid's Value2Loss pilot shows that cold storage can reduce post harvest losses by 30 percent and increase farmer incomes by 17 percent, yet financial institutions remain hesitant to invest. The session led to real commitments, including a €26 million guarantee mechanism from UNCDF and a new ACTS programme funded by the Danish government.

NFP also brought together alumni from its Food Systems Finance E-Course to reflect on its impact. Participants, including Co-operative Bank of Kenya, shared how systems thinking has reshaped their approach to agricultural finance.

NFP has set up a public-private coalition to accelerate sustainable dairy development in East Africa, also creating business opportunities for international and local private sector partners. The coalition's initial focus is on Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

Stakeholder enthusiasm has been strong, and NFP is now expanding outreach across the three countries to build a shared view on sector priorities. On 14 July, NFP hosted an online webinar introducing the coalition and the agenda setting process ahead.

Want to learn more and get involved? Share your priorities and role in shaping the sector through a survey included in the full article.

Ten additional researchers from Dutch knowledge institutions have been selected in the second round of the NL-CGIAR Senior Expert Programme II. Through this programme, they will start or strengthen collaborations with CGIAR on topics ranging from climate action and digital transformation to nutrition, scaling innovations and inclusive food systems, while benefiting knowledge exchange that benefits both CGIAR's global research and the Dutch food systems community.

This year, Netherlands Food Partnership organised three Food Systems E-course closing events in Kenya, Egypt, and Ethiopia. These gatherings brought together E-course alumni, national food systems stakeholders, and partners to reflect on how the Food Systems Approach is being applied in practice.

The events created space to discuss each country’s national food systems context, exchange concrete examples from alumni’s work, and explore opportunities for collaboration across sectors. They were also moments of celebration, recognising the achievements of this year’s E-course alumni and the growing community of food systems practitioners working towards more sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems.

We are already preparing for the next edition of the Food Systems E-course. Keep your eyes peeled for registration opening in February 2027!

In June, NFP, Nakuru County Government, DanChurchAid, Results for Africa Institute, and Foresight Kenya convened stakeholders to translate food systems transformation into finance. Financial institutions (NCBA, Co-operative Bank, Equity Group) committed to redesigning products for smallholder farmers. Government strengthened coordination pledges. The catalyst: a 100-Day Rapid Results Approach (RRA) creating accountability. The proof-of-concept: September's follow-up event, where partners assess progress and deepen co-ownership.

Through the Seqota Declaration, the government's national plan to end child stunting, Ethiopia is entering a nationwide scale-up. Its guidelines, the Malnutrition-Free Healthy Village model, will reach all 1,050 districts and 125 million people by 2030. Max Foundation and Plan International are proud to have shaped this milestone: the model merges the government's own Malnutrition-Free Village approach with the Healthy Village model.

Rather than treating each sector separately, the programme brought water, sanitation, and hygiene together with nutrition and maternal and adolescent health. The government is now carrying the model to scale nationwide. Want to know how a five-year programme became national policy?

Opportunities

The Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) will take place from August 31 to September 4 in Kigali, Rwanda, bringing together over 5000 food systems professionals.

Different NFP supported partnerships will host sessions, such as the Agri-energy coalition, the Food Systems Accelerator, and the Food Systems Innovation Challenge. Furthermore, NFP will be hosting a pavilion for Dutch partners at the exhibition space and supports a networking reception by the Dutch embassy in Kigali.

We hope to meet many of you there!

Are you also going and do you want to meet our team and partners? Keep an eye on our event page and our Linkedin for updates.

Before everyone heads off for a well-deserved summer break, here's something to keep on your radar!

Proposal submissions for the next YEP batch 35 will open on 17 August and close on 13 September 2026. If your organisation is planning to strengthen an international water or agrofood project with a motivated Young Expert, now is the perfect time to start preparing your proposal.

To help you get ready, we're hosting an online information session on 6 August (10:30–12:00 CEST). We'll guide you through the different YEP programmes, eligibility criteria, the proposal submission process, and the key elements of YEP Phase III. There will also be plenty of opportunities to ask your questions.

CGIAR is opening a contribution exchange for Scaling Week 2026. Selected contributors lead a session or take on a defined role, and in return, their participation fees are waived and travel support is provided where needed. There are two tracks available: 70 places for people from Global South non-CGIAR organisations, and 30 for Global South students. Participants who are already registered are also eligible to apply. Decisions are made on a rolling basis by 10 August.

We are thrilled to share that Food for All, a serious game helping professionals design inclusive food system interventions, is ready to play. In this game, two pairs of players take on formal and informal actors in the imaginary city of Igbanke, where food security and community stability are at risk. Moving across the board, players land on scenario or government cards, from spoiled tomato deliveries to subsidy schemes, discovering along the way how deeply their roles and choices are interlinked. Developed with SNV and Wageningen University & Research, and tested from Dakar to The Hague, the final version reflects countless rounds of player feedback.

Want to play Food for All, or learn more about informal food markets?

NWO is seeking a team of experts to design and conduct a synthesis of the knowledge and learnings emerging from the second phase of the NL-CGIAR research programme. This programme contributes to transformational change in agriculture around the world by advancing food system knowledge and joint public and private innovation. The deadline for submitting an expression of interest is 7 September 2026.

Join this webinar on Thursday, 3 September, from 14:00–15:30 (CEST) to learn how goods and services are procured for both IFAD's corporate operations and IFAD-financed development projects. IFAD procurement experts will explain the procurement process, highlight business opportunities for Dutch companies, and answer your questions during a live Q&A.

This upcoming regional conference organised by CGIAR and partners will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share evidence and solutions for improving nutrition across South Asia. The call for abstracts is now open, inviting submissions on a range of nutrition-related themes.

Events 

Join us on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, for the Grand Finals of the Food Systems Innovation Challenge. After months of workshops, coaching and collaboration with local communities, 30 student teams from 17 partner universities across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe will come together in Wageningen to present their innovative solutions for more sustainable and resilient food systems.