via agriculture, industry, cities and sustainable … Time has come in our view, to think about the next steps, the transition towards a truly sustainable agriculture. • Still, the Dutch debate about sustainable agriculture is characterised by a one sided focus on the need to produce more food. In circular agriculture, soil life is optimally nourished using a resourceful combination of good quality animal-based fertiliser, preferably composted manure and crop remnants. Circular agriculture is not a blueprint meant to strangle farming businesses even further with oppressive dogmas, market requirements and government regulations. The US is the biggest agriculture exporter in the world, but which nation takes second place? Shortages can be supplemented by including nitrogen-fixing crops in the rotation and through targeted use of artificial fertiliser, depending on the growth stage of the crop. Closing cycles will be the new model on which future agriculture is based. But the country’s most important export is knowledge.". They will also produce good-quality fertiliser by separating faeces and urine in the stable or manure pit. IP Address Recognition Tool that allows us to match visitors to companies for marketing purposes. The model will not be restrictive; it will instead be a new paradigm that provides the freedom for a wide range of company styles and earnings models and, of course, it will be adapted to the social and ecological environment depending on the availability of resources, markets, and buying options,. The Dutch agricultural sector exports some € 65 billion of agricultural produce annually. With new forms of precision mechanisation, based onm developments in sensors and robotics, this is feasible. The website cannot function properly without these cookies. The key tenet of circular agriculture is to utilise agricultural biomass as often and as effectively as possible. Crop farmers will also make maximum use of soil agrobiodiversity with mixed cropping systems and smart rotations. Optimization of the interlocking systems at different scales is fundamentally different from maximization at the field, stable, greenhouse or farm level. As already discussed, circular economy is not a blueprint: it is a collective search for new perspectives for the food supply and, in turn, for Dutch agriculture. Latest information by the Dutch Government if your business in the Netherlands is impacted by COVID-19. This is 17.5% of total Dutch exports. Second only to the U.S. for agri/food exports worldwide, the Netherlands boasts more than 5,300 agri/food companies — from farm to fork. Globally, a third of all food produced is wasted every year, which amounts to a loss of almost $1 trillion, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Highly intensive agriculture in the Netherlands and elsewhere already has a large environmental and social footprint. Still, the Dutch debate about sustainable agriculture is characterised by a one sided focus on the need to produce more food. It not only focuses on good yields and the sparing use of resources and energy, but also stresses the importance of putting as little pressure on the environment, nature and climate as possible. The Netherlands is a model of smart, sustainable agriculture, reports the National Geographic in its September 2017 issue. As the world’s No. Of course, there are still many questions: How can circular agriculture be designed as a smart, healthy, and safe process in such a way that it yields the most benefits for the food production of the future, while simultaneously offering the best prospects for farmers and business community as well as for climate, nature, and society? This great success of the last half century, however, is not a guarantee for the future. Sustainable Agriculture Could Help the Netherlands Reach Climate Goals and Resolve Nitrogen Issues. Optimal use of waste streams does not always mean that the cycles can be closed at the farm level or regional level. Ask our expert: By 2050, the global population will have grown to around 9.5 billion people. It allows us to use land, water, chemicals and nutrients to optimal effects and to reduce or even eliminate the waste of residual biomass since this can be used elsewhere in the food system. All of this can be achieved with a Dutch agricultural sector that continues to make valuable contributions to a vital trade balance. Farming without unnecessary waste, toxins and with conscious anticipation of our changing planet, the Dutch make farming in 2020 feel like farming in 3019. Important areas in which we must gain more experience include: preserving sanitary safety, actually reducing environmental pressure, and intelligently creating value from residues as coproducts. Analytics help us deliver better content to our audience. In turn, circular agriculture offers options to combat greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture to a far greater extent than the measures that are simply focused on making common agricultural processes more climate-friendly. The health of the soil is largely determined by the quality of the organic material it contains, the balance in groundwater dynamics and the availability of nutrients that are essential for people, animals, and crops: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and a wide range of micronutrients. Whenever possible, mixed crops will be added to the rotation. The Netherlands is a model of smart, sustainable agriculture, reports the National Geographic in its September 2017 issue. IP Address Recognition Tool that Identifies companies and visitors to the site, as well as integrate account data into Analytics. This website uses cookies for necessary website functionalities, analytics & marketing. After the United States, the Netherlands is the biggest exporter of agricultural produce in the world. For more than half a century, Dutch and European agricultural policy has focused on efficiently producing as much food as possible for a low price and with a reasonable income for the farmers. Fields will primarily be used for the production of food crops. With its world-class research institutes for food innovation, medical - Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. We have made sure no personally identifiable information (PII) is sent by anonymizing IPs. Not to mention that in healthy fields with healthy soil life, there are fewer illnesses and pests. Enables audience list building and conversion tracking on LinkedIn. It is precisely through this combination that agriculture can really deliver big results for the climate. Do you have a question about circular agriculture? China, the United States and Britain failed to make the top 20 of 67 nations that were graded on food waste, sustainable agriculture, and health and nutrition. Circular agriculture is a collective search by farmers, interested citizens, businesses, scientists and researchers for the optimum combination of ecological principles with modern technology, with new partnerships, new economic models, and credible social services. Shortly before the summer, Wageningen University & Research presented the concept note  “Kringlooplandbouw” (circular agriculture), in which a new perspective is outlined for Dutch agriculture. Soil fertility and, primarily, the quantity of organic material are not only determining factors for crop yield, but also ensure that nutrients, trace elements, and water are better retained. The need to produce affordable, safe and healthy food, not just for the country but also for Europe and the world will continue for at least another half century. These allow us to remember the layout and filtering content preferences made for the duration of the user's session. - check your settings. Loss of nutrients leads to air, water, and ground pollution and a loss of biodiversity. Enables creation of remarketing lists on Google Ads. Environmental pressures posed through human activities are expected to further increase due to growing population numbers and increasing per capita consumption. Contact Us. Due to the crucial role of nutrients in the cycle, healthy soil is one of the most important foundations for circular agriculture. These cookies are needed for our website to function providing security and other essentials. Although farmers may play the key role in this shift, it does not mean they can do it alone. Over 90 percent of its forest products have to be imported. In the meantime, there are good techniques available for converting these “waste streams” into high-quality animal feed that is safe for humans and animals. This is also important because the agricultural sector is extremely sensitive to the effects of climate change. One quarter goes to … Copyright © 2013 Royal Netherlands Society for Agricultural Sciences. It also exhausts limited resources, such as phosphate, which is then supplemented with mined fertilisers or low-quality manure slurries. For as long as agriculture has existed, farmers have been engaged in a battle against illnesses and pests, which continuously manage to adapt their resistance. Grass for livestock feed will only be cultivated in areas where field agriculture is not effective.