Saline Water & Food Systems, a new partnership supported by NFP & NWP

Salinisation severely impacts crop development and growth and is also a major cause of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The Netherlands has a solid and promising position in the field of salinity, with a focus on saline agriculture, growing of salt-tolerant crops, linkages with irrigation and drainage. The Netherlands is internationally also known for its systems approach in tackling the mitigating and adaptation of salinity issues. 

The general picture is that better coordination and cooperation between Dutch organisations is needed to keep and strengthen that international position. And more importantly, to tackle salinisation and thus contribute to the SDG2 – Zero Hunger. For this reason, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality invited the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) and Netherlands Food Partnership (NFP) to explore the development of a new partnership on ‘Saline Water & Food Systems’ (SW&FS).

NWP and NFP jointly organised a session on Saline Water and Food Systems during the Amsterdam International Water Week 2021. In this session, a general overview of the trends in salinisation was presented and Dutch knowledge and expertise in the international arena was exemplified with inspiring cases. Now, together with other key actors from the water and food sectors, we are exploring how a partnership between various organisations could show a unified Dutch voice, and moreover, intensify cross-sectoral collaboration, stimulate national and international knowledge exchange, and initiate (research) projects. 
 
NWP and NFP conducted various interviews with key stakeholders on this initiative. The feedback on the idea of establishing a Dutch SW&FS partnership was positive. Success factors and potential pitfalls were also shared, as well as the various views on the goals, agenda and approach of such a partnership. Based on these inputs, a discussion paper is written describing the outline of a SW&FS Partnership.
 
As a next step, NWP and NFP are organising a meeting to discuss the outline of the SW&FS partnership and define next steps with a broader group of interested stakeholders.  
 
Do you work on tackling salinisation in the water and food sector, are operating internationally and interested in this new partnership? Please join us on 10 March, from 10:00 to 12:00 hours. The intention is to have an in-person meeting in The Hague. Information on the venue will be shared a.s.a.p. 
 
You can register here. 
 
Should you request any further information or have questions, please contact:

• Frans Verberne  - NFP / +31 6 21 555 022 / fverberne@nlfoodpartnership.com.
• Sabrina Kraaijenbrink-Doetjes - NWP / +31 70 304 3763 / s.doetjes@nwp.nl.