Globalisation And Sustainable Rural Development
On July 12, 2006, Mrs Agnes van Ardenne, the Netherlands’ Minister of Development Cooperation and Dr. Aalt Dijkhuizen, Chairman of the Executive Board of Wageningen UR signed their Partnership for Globalisation and Sustainable Rural Development.
This new partnership aims at efficient and sustainable use of natural resources in countries in the South. Globalization processes, trade-liberalization, outsourcing of production, technological change (e.g. biotech, ict) and global conventions increasingly cause conflicts of interests with regard to the use of natural resources in developing countries and elsewhere. On the one hand, these processes may offer opportunities for economic development but simultaneously they may have negative effects on food security, poverty, (rural) livelihoods and environmental quality.
Both the ministry and Wageningen UR contribute Euro 5 million to the program. The modalities for implementation are presently being elaborated and will be communicated within Wageningen UR after the summer holidays.
In the context of conflicting local, national and global interests and drivers of change processes, the partnership program will contribute to building solutions for sustainable management of agro-supply chains, sustainable use of natural resources including (agro-) biodiversity, and improved rural livelihoods. Farmers and (other) small-scale entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector form the primary target group.
In the framework of the partnership, Wageningen UR will provide research contributions in support of the design and implementation of development policies by the ministry and other policy makers in the areas of poverty alleviation, food security and the effects of globalization processes. Through research and educational activities Wageningen UR will also contribute to institutional development and capacity strengthening at partner institutions in the south, including universities and research institutes, producer organizations, NGO’s and the private sector.
The 4-year partnership has a strong, but not exclusive, focus on countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to contribute to attaining the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, in particular those on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring environmental sustainability and building global partnerships for development.