NGOs
During this period, several Dutch developmental NGOs emerged, reflecting the more anti-poverty-oriented side of development cooperation (‘the clergyman’). Novib was established as a secular NGO in 1956 and the Dutch volunteer service JPA, later SNV[1] in 1965, the latter as a semi-autonomous agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. SNV had two main objectives, (1) providing technical assistance by sending young volunteers to developing countries and (2) contributing towards awareness raising of development imperatives and initiatives among the general public in the Netherlands. Agriculture and food security were core issues addressed by Dutch developmental civil society organizations (CSOs) that worked internationally (NOVIB, HIVOS, ICCO and CEBEMO) as well as SNV (by then a quasi NGO). Some also had relationships with the Dutch Global Citizenship and Fair Trade movements (see the NICC timelines on these topics)
Parastatal institutions
The Centre for the Promotion of Imports (CBI) was established by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1971. Its mission was, and still is, to contribute to local sustainable economic development through promotion of exports to European and regional markets. CBI has a long history of engaging with small and medium business partners in developing countries. Although not restricted to agriculture, many activities focus on capacity building to increase revenues of agricultural producers and exporters. In 2021 CBI celebrated 50 years of investment in promoting export of agricultural products from less developed countries. Now a part of RVO, it plays an important role in improving access to primarily European markets for SMEs in developing countries.
FMO, the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank, was established in 1972 and constitutes one of the first public private partnerships. The focus is on providing finance for development related initiatives. FMO invests across agricultural value chains (production, processing, trade and distribution) to enhance food security, support sustainability and promote inclusive development. The Dutch state owns 51% of the shares with commercial sector investors (Dutch banks, employers’ associations, trade unions) owning the remaining 49%[2].
[1]https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/18539 ‘Bricks, Morter and Capacity Building: A Socio-Cultural History of SNV, Netherlands Development Organization’, I. Brinkman (2010)
[2] See https://infographics.rvo.nl/cbi/50years/, https://www.cbi.eu/about https://www.fmo.nl/profile and https://cstories.nl/companies/fmo/