RVO: The Netherlands Enterprise Agency
The Public Sector Bet on a Better Cocoa Future
RVO is the Dutch government agency that funds and supports international development projects where Dutch innovation can create lasting impact. They back entrepreneurs, organisations, and projects working to grow sustainably, providing funding, knowledge, networks, and strategic support across borders.
Their Role in the Farm of the Future
RVO is the funder of the Farm of the Future. Their backing made the project possible and their framework shapes its ambitions: from the target of 200 farmers reached by 2028, to the requirement that the project develops into a scalable, self sustaining model rather than a one off intervention. The amendment they approved expanded the project significantly: adding new Dutch partners including Groasis and TheRockGroup, extending the timeline to December 2028, and pushing the project from a demonstration site toward a fully integrated reference model for the cocoa sector.
Why the Dutch Government Invests Here
The Netherlands has deep ties to the global cocoa industry. Supporting a project that makes cocoa farming more resilient, more profitable for farmers, and less destructive to the land is both a development priority and a strategic one: strengthening Dutch-Ghanaian partnerships while demonstrating that Dutch innovation can work in favour of smallholder farmers, not just supply chains.
