Our Work

Advisory services: Creating effective solutions with local impact

Advisory services are at the core of SNV’s work. SNV has over 45 years of experience in the implementation of agricultural programmes with local parties. SNV fills a specialist support role: developing capacities in new expertise areas, facilitating creation of and change in market systems and policies, promoting innovation and creating effective solutions. SNV deploys a multi-disciplinary team of over 200 professional advisors in the agriculture sector.

Our central approach in the agriculture sector is Value Chain Development (VCD). Specific services in VCD include value chain financing, strengthening business service providers, market intelligence, sustainable production and effective public policy management. Other selected key practices SNV deploys include Inclusive Business (inclusion of low-income communities within the value chains) Impact Investing Advisory Services (connecting social investors to opportunities in emerging markets, with a focus on financing the ‘missing middle’) and Inclusive Policy Development, targeted to secure access of smallholders to key assets and natural resources enabling them to respond to market opportunities and guarantee food security.

Knowledge networking: Developing, sharing and leveraging knowledge

SNV’s long presence in the field and our ongoing advisory work with more than 1,000 local organisations are fertile sources of knowledge and insight. Through studies, analysis of trends, effective M&E systems and practices and documentation we consciously validate and leverage the use of knowledge. SNV has established a wide, global knowledge network on agriculture involving partners, clients, stakeholders and professionals. Our knowledge agenda for agriculture has five themes: a) Scale and inclusion; b) Food security; c) Sustainable entrepreneurship; d) Climate-smart agriculture; and e) Innovative financing for agricultural development.

Evidence-based advocacy: enabling environments for effective solutions with local impact

SNV joins forces with governments, the private sector and civil society to enrich policy debate and development. Through offering facts, data and analysis based on real-life practices, we provide options that match the interests of smallholders and pastoralists. We use our experiences from our advisory and knowledge work as basis for evidence based advocacy. Advocating for the promotion of a favourable enabling environment enhances the sustainability of agricultural development.