Stimulating sustainable agriculture
Our output and impact
Accelerating sustainable agriculture and food supply worldwide is a key theme within Rabobank's
sustainability agenda. It is one of two central social issues covered in the SST programme which
outlines Rabobank's ambition to support clients in achieving sustainability goals. Rabobank
engages with clients, NGOs and other stakeholders through various activities such as roundtables,
offering access to finance, knowledge and networks to encourage the acceleration of sustainability.
These actions contribute to realising Rabobank's vision of helping to nourish the world more
sustainably, directly supporting the Banking for Food strategy.
Contents Foreword Management report Corporate governance Consolidated Financial Statements Company Financial Statements Pillar 3
Food agri in the Netherlands: Implementing Banking
for Food
For 2016, the further implementation of Banking for Food -
Rabobank's vision on global food security and the role of the
bank - was the key initiative within F&A in the Dutch retail
market. This resulted in various activities designed to accelerate
sustainable agriculture efforts.
Banking for Food toolbox
Local member banks now have access to a toolbox created
to inspire users and encourage knowledge sharing with
stakeholders and clients in food agri. More than 35 local
Rabobanks have committed to the programme and are
developing their own activities. Banking for Food initiatives will
continue in 2017 as part of the broader agenda to share food
agri knowledge with the Dutch market.
Revitalising F&A sectors
Oversupply and resulting low prices necessitated the initiation
of the Action Plan to Revitalise Pig Farming 'Vitalisering
Varkenshouderij', a large project to revitalise the Dutch
pork sector. Rabobank provided access to knowledge and
networking, and the Dutch government and sector organisation
POV also joined the team. As a result, a plan for revitalising the
sector was recently published, and it is now up to sector players
to take action.
Space for new activities in horticulture
In the horticulture sector, Rabobank has joined the
'Herstructurering en Ontwikkeling Tuinbouw' (HOT) project.
The goal of this project is to revitalise older horticulture areas
by creating space for new activities via the removal of old green
houses. Rabobank could potentially provide pre-financing in
this process.
Sustainable livestock sector
Rabobank's participation in the covenant 'Uitvoeringsagenda
Duurzame veehouderij' continued in 2016, working together
with NGOs, representatives from the livestock, feed, meat
processing and dairy sectors, as well as the Dutch government,
education and WUR to form a trajectory to create a sustainable
livestock sector by 2023. This platform aims to stimulate and
activate other parties in the livestock sector to create the right
movements towards 2023. A specific project where Rabobank is
involved is to help famers to involve sustainability as an integral
part of their business plan. As a result of this project a guide to
do so will be published.
Sustainability knowledge
To facilitate meaningful discussions between clients and our
account management teams, efforts to integrate sustainability
knowledge into our sector information system continue.
In 2016, we have had many conversations with F&A clients in
the Netherlands where sustainability was at least one of the
themes discussed. Having access to this information allows
account managers to share knowledge with clients and also
proves useful in assessing their sustainability performance.
83 Our output and impact: stimulating sustainable agriculture
