*T*he Netherlands is not actually one of the twenty most important economies but G20 host country Mexico had invited the Netherlands and New Zealand along as well for the follow-up conference on food security. This meeting followed on from the ‘real’ G20 summit with heads of governments in June this year. New Zealand and the Netherlands excel in agricultural innovation.
Big increase
After all, agricultural science is facing an interesting challenge: a big increase is required in food production. The FAO has calculated that the world will need 60 percent more food in 2050. Maarten Kool, top civil servant at the Ministry of Agriculture, and Martin Kropff represented the Netherlands in the Meeting of G20 Agricultural Chief Scientists at the end of September. Kropff spoke about the ‘golden triangle’, where the government, businesses and science work together.
Bill Gates
Major agricultural producers such as the US and France also have experience with public-private partnerships, the international term for this. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is a key international player, pumping billions into development projects. Involvement of businesses is often a precondition for obtaining grants from the Gates foundation. A paragraph on this topic has now been included in the draft closing statement. The G20 countries plus the Netherlands and New Zealand state that they will be encouraging collaboration between agricultural scientists and agro-businesses.