Through this alliance, iCRA and MDF bring together two complementary organisations. iCRA is a Netherlands-based non-profit foundation with deep expertise in agriculture, value chains, agri-education and trust-based partnership facilitation. MDF is a global organisation with strong experience in organisational empowerment, financial management, learning, facilitation, monitoring and evaluation, and inclusive leadership.
Together, we support effective agri-food business ecosystems and value chains, while also strengthening the organisations that are part of those business ecosystems: cooperatives, associations, SMEs, education institutions and networks. We help them lead with confidence, manage resources transparently, collaborate across the value chain and create meaningful space for women and young people. In this way, agri-food systems investments become more locally owned, market-relevant and able to last.
The alliance allows us to design and implement large, multi-annual and multi-country programmes. We combine iCRA’s field-based partnership approach with MDF’s experience in programme management, organisational development and learning trajectories. This gives donors and partners access to a broader skill set, a wider network and a practical offer that can flex, scale and stay close to the realities on the ground.
As an alliance we offer value by:
- combining agricultural, value chain and agri-education expertise with organisational development, financial management, learning and facilitation capacity;
- linking field-level realities with programme-level thinking, so interventions are practical, coherent and grounded in how agri-food systems actually work;
- bringing together complementary networks, local presence and specialist expertise to design and deliver multi-annual, multi-country programmes;
- strengthening the organisations and partnerships behind agri-food systems, from cooperatives and SMEs to education institutions, associations and networks;
- supporting donors and partners with realistic pathways to impact, adaptive programme management and learning that improves practice over time.
By combining agricultural and value chain expertise with the skills to organise, manage, learn and collaborate, the iCRA–MDF alliance helps food system actors build sustainable partnerships, future-proof organizations and lasting results. For more information on MDF, visit www.mdf.nl.
