The Dutch plan to be leaders in circular agriculture by 2030

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Highlights

  • The Dutch food system is known for its innovation and state of the art farm technologies

  • The Dutch have a 3 pillar plan to become circular leaders in 2030

  • An economic incentive should stimulate farmers to move to greener alternatives

  • On a daily basis, 5 million kilograms of food is wasted

  • By incentivising producers and holding true to a technological approach The Dutch aim to maintain their leadership position in food technology

The purpose of this article is to integrate all the information & research regarding a circular agricultural system in the Netherlands. 

As individuals, we often want to get involved and support existing sustainability efforts, but sometimes it can be hard to understand what is already taking place. While Wageningen University and the Dutch government have prepared some fantastic documents explaining the current situation and their envisioned future, these documents can sometimes be difficult to find and understand without looking at the whole picture.

This article is my attempt at summarizing the current research, discussions, and plan within the Dutch food sustainability movement.

The Dutch and their agriculture heritage

The Netherlands - a small country in Northwestern Europe known for its flat landscapes, windmills and wooden shoes. Home to just over 17 million people, the Dutch are the proud second-largest agricultural exporters in the world, just behind the United States. How in the world has a country 270 times smaller than the top global agro-exporter been able to maintain such a high-ranked position in the global agro-economy? Among other things, the answer is: innovation (and a bit of luck). 

Having been blessed with flatlands and fertile soils suitable for farming, the Dutch have taken advantage of their favourable conditions by investing significant resources into agricultural research and development, thus becoming global leaders in the field of agro-technology. It may come as no surprise that what is often considered the world’s top agricultural institution is situated in Wageningen, a small Dutch city sometimes dubbed the Silicon Valley of Food.

I mean, seriously - if a floating dairy farm isn’t a signal of shameless innovation, then I don’t know what is. All jokes aside, the Dutch have mastered much more than simply keeping cows afloat. From growing tomatoes in greenhouses powered by the heat that comes from underneath the earth’s surface, to successfully reducing the number of antibiotics given to livestock by 68%, and even daring to create cricket and grasshopper-burgers, it is safe to say that the Dutch are determined to innovate our way out of the climate crisis. 

However, like any other country in the world, the Dutch food system is not without its shortcomings. For decades, European agricultural policy has focused on maximizing the amount of food produced for the lowest possible cost. Prioritizing efficiency played a major role in allowing the Dutch to become the second-largest agricultural exporters in the world, but the long-term consequences of the industrial model are starting to catch up. 

Still, for all its controversies, the Dutch farming sector is globally known for producing food efficiently and sustainably. One thing remains clear - they’re committed to that reputation. This places the Netherlands at the forefront of the transition towards a sustainable food system, which is why they have launched their official vision to be leaders in circular agriculture by 2030. Rest assured- the Dutch have outlined a clear plan on how they are going to achieve this ambitious goal. 

The Dutch Vision for Circular Agriculture

Having laid out the basic framework of a circular food system, let’s take a look at what the Dutch have come up with so far. Concretely, the Dutch vision of circularity entails a) improving soils and water quality, b) reducing emissions and pollutants, and c) closing nutrient cycles. They have outlined the following three principles to achieve this:

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Pillar #1 - Incentivize Farmers to Farm Sustainably

The first step outlined in the government’s transition process is to ensure that farmers are fairly rewarded for their efforts to farm sustainably (or ideally, regeneratively). It is not an exaggeration to say that there is quite a bit of tension between the Dutch government and its farmers. Much of this tension is due to farmers feeling improperly supported by the government’s efforts to improve the environmental impact of the agricultural system. Needless to say, it’s absolutely crucial that farmers feel like they can rely on the government’s support during the transition to a circular food system. After all, they are the ones who produce our food, and no sustainable food system can take place without their integration of these practices. To be fair, some advances have been made in this regard - such as the government paying pig farmers to close their farms, and Rabobank launching a 1 billion euro fund to boost sustainable farming, but it is difficult to say how much the government is doing to push this transition. 

Without a doubt, these changes need to start with the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy For years, small farmers have been driven out of business by large-scale industrial farms that a) benefit from a rigged subsidy system, b) do not pay the true environmental and social costs of their all-too-often damaging production process, and c) drive market prices so low that makes it impossible for small farmers to compete with, forcing them out of business. 80% of EU subsidies go to just 20% of the wealthiest farmers. In 2016, 22 Dutch small-farmers went out of business, every single day. 

To quote the article from Boerenroup, 

“How can we expect farmers to invest in the environment, animal welfare, healthy soil, biodiversity and sustainability if we don’t give them a fair price for their products? How can the young generation continue the farm work - knowledge and skills built up over centuries, when they cannot make a living out of it anymore?”

The Dutch government recognizes the issue and has publicly called for “a Common Agricultural Policy that is supportive of the transition to circular farming”. What this policy will look like still remains a mystery, but the EU Green New Deal is a controversial first attempt at proper agricultural policy. 


Step #2 - Incentivize Consumers To Reduce Food Waste

Food waste is a serious and all-too-often unspoken problem in the Netherlands. According to Wageningen University, consumers waste the equivalent of 1 billion dollars worth of food every single year. This amounts to five million kilograms of food wasted in the Netherlands every single day. Given a population of 17 million, that’s well over half a billion kilograms of food gone to waste, in the Netherlands, every single year. Beyond a monumental waste of money, it is an even bigger waste of the resources put into the production and transportation of these products 

As consumers, this is the one statistic that we cannot blame anybody but ourselves for... Or is it? Well, yes and no. After all, consumers are responsible for about 30-50% of the food waste created. Who’s responsible for the rest of the waste? Well, according to government statistics, 10-20% is lost in production, 2-10% in industry/trade, and about 5% in retail. If that doesn’t seem like it adds up, it’s because it doesn’t. Since food waste is created along the production-consumption process, a lot of it is seemingly unclaimed by any of the parties along the supply chain. Ah, the glorious linear economy at work!

Nonetheless, consumers are clearly responsible for most of the food waste created in the Netherlands. In a world where 1 in 9 people still suffer from hunger, we need to do better. There are countless ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle our food waste. Not only will your wallet appreciate it, but it’s one of the most effective ways to reduce your individual impact on the environment. 


What’s the actual plan?

Wageningen University has committed itself to reducing food waste by 50% until 2030. 


Step #3 - Incentivize Producers To Innovate

The Dutch are proud of their innovations in the agricultural sector, and rightfully so - after all, and the third step in the transition towards circularity is to maintain a position of leadership in innovation and technological development. It appears as if the Dutch government chooses not to rely on technocentric approaches to combat climate change, but recognizes the potentials of new technologies in aiding the fight. To be fair, their track record on agricultural innovation is pretty impressive. 

As Louise Fresco so eloquently put it, 

“Policy, science, consumer expectations and farmer practices all point to the same paradigm: optimisation not productivity, for land, animals and energy. Taking on this challenge, we need to reset and take ecology and the carrying capacity as our starting point. This means a paradigm shift towards circularity, as part of a larger bio-based economy.

Fred Rosa - Brand Activist - LinkedIn

Fred Rosa - Brand Activist - LinkedIn

Brad VanstoneCircular