An informal group of representatives of bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies and institutions involved in agricultural development in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa was set up in 1995 out of a meeting hosted by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
This group comprises representatives of the cooperation agencies of Austria, Denmark (Danida), France (MAE), Germany (GTZ), the Netherlands (DGIS), Sweden (Sida), Switzerland (SDC), UK (DFID) and the USA (USAID), as well as representatives of the FAO, the IFAD, the European Commission (EC/DGVIII), the CTA (Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation) and the World Bank.
Through a series of case studies and joint reflections, this 'Neuchâtel Initiative Group' is helping to bring a measure of convergence to thinking on the objectives, methods and means of support for agricultural extension policies.