Agriterra’s goal is to promote, facilitate and support lasting cooperation linkages between rural people’s organisations in the Netherlands and in developing countries.
Agriterra was founded in 1997 by the Dutch rural people’s organisations: LTO-Nederland and the regional LTO organisations, the Dutch rural women’s organizations and their federation (CPVO), the National Cooperative Council for Agriculture and Horticulture (NCR) and the Dutch Agricultural Youth Organization (NAJK). The make up the Board and the advisory council of Agriterra. Agriterra’s offices are in Arnhem. Its personnel presently consists of 25 persons.
Agriterra cooperates with rural people’s organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. The development co-operation does not occur through governments or intermediaries, but is direct: from farmer to farmer, from rural woman to rural woman, from co-operative society to co-operative society.
The organizations that participate in Agriterra want to change the one-way traffic so characteristic of development co-operation into a reciprocal relationship which is beneficial to everyone. Farmers, rural women and rural youth all over the world live in different circumstances, but undertake many similar activities and share several interests. They are in favour of an economically, socially and ecologically sound agriculture. They look for possibilities to increase their income, for example by founding co-operative societies. Also rural people make efforts to build strong organizations that can have a say in policies in their country or region, and which can present alternative proposals.
Every rural people’s organization is experienced in rural development in the broadest sense of the word, and can share that experience with other organizations. By means of exchange and co-operation they present to each other ideas, and they support each other in their policies and in the economic activities they undertake. Many rural topics, such as sustainability and trading in agricultural products, are not national but global in scope. By integrating their activities and taking a stand together, rural organizations will strengthen their position on the international level.
The organisations are in charge
Agriterra elaborates long-term co-operation programmes which make it possible to strengthen present and future contacts between rural people’s organizations. The first condition is for organizations to get to know each other and each other’s regional and national situation. Then the partner organizations decide which activities they are going to deploy, which they in turn carry out themselves, with professional support.
To name a few examples: rural credit facilities and co-operative societies can be founded in developing countries, research and extension are possible activities, or co-operative societies in The Netherlands and in developing countries can have a joint project. The co-operation may also lead to projects in The Netherlands, for example in the realm of sustainable agriculture or in the marketing of products.
Support
The support of Agriterra for the co-operation programme depends on the fulfilment of two conditions. First, on both sides – in The Netherlands and in developing countries – at least two organizations should participate in the co-operation, for example a regional farmers’ organization and a co-operative society. Second, in the programme there should be co-operation on two topics; the strengthening of the advocatory bodies and the development of economic activities. Agriterra helps the co-operation partners to find funding for their projects.
Agriterra is emphatically not an organization that takes individual projects and their possible funding into consideration.
For the realization of its activities in developing countries, Agriterra has formed a strategic alliance with two Dutch development cooperation agencies: ICCO and Cordaid.
Agriterra cooperates with partners in other industrialized countries that share its objectives and methods, in order to coordinate activities and policy where possible.