From dialogue to direction: What the Food Diamond Dialogues Taught Us
Between May and June 2026, NFP organised a series of structured dialogues, bringing together over 70 professionals to discuss Dutch international food and nutrition security policy. The series was timely: Dutch international cooperation is being rethought, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Directorate Inclusive Green Growth, IGG) is calibrating their food and nutrition security policy, and the Advisory Council on International Affairs recently published a report calling for a more coherent long-term Dutch food strategy.
Participants discussed key questions that are not often asked openly: whose food security are we actually talking about? When does the Dutch Diamond model add value in achieving food and nutrition security, and when does it not? What does equal partnership actually mean in practice?
Photo by Floor van Koert
Reflections on the Diamond Dialogue Sessions by NFP Executive Director Ivo Demmers:
Something struck me during our final Food Diamond Dialogue session on June 2nd, which brought together people from knowledge institutions, civil society organizations, government, and the private and financial sector - the so-called Dutch Diamond actors. As a room full of professionals from these diverse fields gathered to discuss how we can collectively increase our impact on food and nutrition security in low- and middle-income countries, it became clear how differently organizations within and across the Diamond perceive their roles and responsibilities. The dialogue showed the (obvious) need to improve the understanding between these stakeholders, but also the need for better understanding and alignment between organizations within the same side of the Diamond. The conversation was energetic, honest and at times thought-provoking. And it became clear to me that these kinds of conversations do not happen often enough.
These dialogues showed that bringing all corners of the Diamond together to critically reflect on the fundamentals, why we do this work, for and with whom, and how we create impact together, is both necessary and productive.
