What explains – from a historical perspective – the innovation and yield per unit push in the Netherlands? That is the main question of IFAMA’s story line Dutch Agri. The first person to share his perspective is Niek Koning, Food Policy Analyst and emeritus assistant professor Wageningen University & Research. It is necessary to understand the long line of Dutch history to grasp the essence of Dutch agriculture as it exists today.
“Within Western Europe, together with Denmark and Britain, we were the most productive agricultural country.” Niek Koning sees two important causes for that position. The first one was agriculture technology. “Already in the high Middle Ages (around the 11th, 12th and 13th century) we had the development of the heavy horse drawn plough. With this heavy metal plough farmers in northern countries could till their fertile, but heavy soils. That allowed an increase in our population and the growth of cities.”
The second cause is the Netherlands’ unique location in a river delta by the sea. Koning: “The best located areas were the areas located near water. The Netherlands bordered at the North Sea, and it was situated in the delta of the Rhine and other major rivers. Before the Industrial Revolution, transport over water was about 10 times cheaper than over land. Water doesn't separate, but it connects areas.”
Thanks to the water, the Dutch were able to export milk, butter and cheese and import cereals. Our agriculture has been intertwined with trade since the Middle Ages. Koning: “We have always been in livestock. Compared to other European areas we were more specialized in livestock.” The Dutch could export a few percent of their production of for instance milk, butter and cheese, in the beginning to London, later to the industrial Ruhr Area in Germany. “With the money we earned we could buy cereals from the Baltic states.”
Close to London and Dutch cities
Throughout the centuries the Netherlands have always been densely populated country compared to France or Germany. The short distance of farmers to Dutch cities and of those cities to London stimulated them to intensify their output compared to inland Germany and France. The availability of transport led to low transport costs. Working in the neighbourhood allowed farmers to produce perishable products, which they could sell in the cities. Furthermore, “we had a lot of urban waste we could use as fertilizer or feed. Take the beer breweries, their residues could be used to feed animals”, says Koning.
Significant shift end 19th century
The industrial revolution has led to the transport revolution. “The dramatic change was, what our historians call the global agricultural crisis, in the closing decades of the 19th century.” It became possible to grow cereals in other parts of the world and ship it to Europe. “That caused a dramatical decline of the agricultural prices, which forced European countries to respond.”
According to Koning countries responded differently. The French and Germans protected their farmers and prices. “Otherwise they had no means anymore for investment.” Since the Dutch had a productivity advance, they could make a different decision and decided to organize a new productivity leap. “Government stepped in, came up with a whole network of agricultural schools, experiment stations, extension officers, etcetera, to increase the productivity advantage that we had.”
A new change
Since approximately the 1980’s that long historical line changed. Urban life has taken over the country, turning the rural countryside almost imperceptibly but surely into a kind of park between urban areas. Dutch farmers have difficulty noticing that they have changed into urban farmers. “Our farmers were amongst the most productive of the EU. They were protected by the borders of Europe.” What will change in the historical logic of the Dutch agriculture, for Dutch cities and the population will continue to expand? Half of the Dutch now live in urban areas. “We have no longer the advantage of producing around the cities. Most our farmers have changed into urban farmers.”
Moreover, farmers are faced with a lot of restrictions imposed by the urban policies, according to Koning. “The life of Dutch farmers has become less easy. Their competitive advantage is eroding. The traditional market policies are no longer in the interest of Dutch farmers." Koning believes that "innovation within the agri-industrial complex will continue, but no longer in the old way.” The Dutch farmers' share in the raw materials processors buy will drop. They'll buy them elsewhere and could move their plants.
The second cause is the Netherlands’ unique location in a river delta by the sea. Koning: “The best located areas were the areas located near water. The Netherlands bordered at the North Sea, and it was situated in the delta of the Rhine and other major rivers. Before the Industrial Revolution, transport over water was about 10 times cheaper than over land. Water doesn't separate, but it connects areas.”
Thanks to the water, the Dutch were able to export milk, butter and cheese and import cereals. Our agriculture has been intertwined with trade since the Middle Ages. Koning: “We have always been in livestock. Compared to other European areas we were more specialized in livestock.” The Dutch could export a few percent of their production of for instance milk, butter and cheese, in the beginning to London, later to the industrial Ruhr Area in Germany. “With the money we earned we could buy cereals from the Baltic states.”
Close to London and Dutch cities
Throughout the centuries the Netherlands have always been densely populated country compared to France or Germany. The short distance of farmers to Dutch cities and of those cities to London stimulated them to intensify their output compared to inland Germany and France. The availability of transport led to low transport costs. Working in the neighbourhood allowed farmers to produce perishable products, which they could sell in the cities. Furthermore, “we had a lot of urban waste we could use as fertilizer or feed. Take the beer breweries, their residues could be used to feed animals”, says Koning.
Significant shift end 19th century
The industrial revolution has led to the transport revolution. “The dramatic change was, what our historians call the global agricultural crisis, in the closing decades of the 19th century.” It became possible to grow cereals in other parts of the world and ship it to Europe. “That caused a dramatical decline of the agricultural prices, which forced European countries to respond.”
According to Koning countries responded differently. The French and Germans protected their farmers and prices. “Otherwise they had no means anymore for investment.” Since the Dutch had a productivity advance, they could make a different decision and decided to organize a new productivity leap. “Government stepped in, came up with a whole network of agricultural schools, experiment stations, extension officers, etcetera, to increase the productivity advantage that we had.”
A new change
Since approximately the 1980’s that long historical line changed. Urban life has taken over the country, turning the rural countryside almost imperceptibly but surely into a kind of park between urban areas. Dutch farmers have difficulty noticing that they have changed into urban farmers. “Our farmers were amongst the most productive of the EU. They were protected by the borders of Europe.” What will change in the historical logic of the Dutch agriculture, for Dutch cities and the population will continue to expand? Half of the Dutch now live in urban areas. “We have no longer the advantage of producing around the cities. Most our farmers have changed into urban farmers.”
Moreover, farmers are faced with a lot of restrictions imposed by the urban policies, according to Koning. “The life of Dutch farmers has become less easy. Their competitive advantage is eroding. The traditional market policies are no longer in the interest of Dutch farmers." Koning believes that "innovation within the agri-industrial complex will continue, but no longer in the old way.” The Dutch farmers' share in the raw materials processors buy will drop. They'll buy them elsewhere and could move their plants.
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Ik ben het grotendeels eens met de visie van Niek. Deel van de dierlijke productie gaat naar landen waar ook akkerbouw plaatsvindt (met kringlopen), ander deel gaat produceren voor een niche markt. Het verhaal dat NL kennis daar gewild blijft op de lange termijn is niet juist. Diffuus is zijn uitspraak dat er gebaseerd op de grondstoffen haven van Rotterdam daar ook industriële productie gaat of blijft plaatsvinden.
Als ondernemer stel je doelen en als je het doel nadert stel je nieuwe doelen.
Dat betekend dat je een visie moet ontwikkelen vanuit kennis, en van daaruit een stip op de horizon kan zetten. Dat is vooruit kijken vanuit de kennis van vandaag.
Wat zijn we goed in het kijken in de achteruit spiegel, er is geen woord algebra bij.
Het traditionele marktbeleid is niet langer in het belang van de Nederlandse boeren.
"Koning gelooft dat" de innovatie binnen het agro-industriële complex doorzet, maar niet meer op de oude manier. "
Daar liggen de kansen en wij moeten kennis vergaren (dat is iets anders dan wetenschap) om die stap voorwaarts te maken. Wij hebben alles in huis om, in de kleiner wordende wereld, die stadslandbouw functie te vervullen. Die voedselproducerende sector kan veel van de problemen, die de intensievere wordende wereld veroorzaken, oplossen. Zelfs ook problemen die de huidige wereld, om allerlei reden, nog niet zien. Als de voedselproducerende wereld in staat is zijn positieve krachten voor de stad-s (mens) te profileren gaat er een nieuwe wereld open.
Het moet alleen zo georganiseerd worden dat revenuen gedeeld worden door de belanghebbenden, zijnde de consument en de producent, en dat vraagt nieuwe structuren op verschillende gebieden.
Als stad en platteland ervaren elkaars goede buur te zijn, veel voor elkaar kunnen betekenen in het oplossen van problemen en daardoor een gezamenlijk doel dienen, is een goede buur beter dan een verre vriend. Wij als sector kunnen dat maar het vraagt management kwaliteiten van sectorgenoten.
Stadslandbouw in al haar vormen, tuinbouw, productie en veredeling uitgangsmaterialen daar liggen in ieder geval grote kansen. Meer dan 50% van de zuivelproductie in USA heeft melkveehouders met Nederlandse genen (eerste, tweede, derde generatie). Gaat dit zich herhalen in Oost Europa. Ligt er niet een mooie kans van NL boeren richting Oost Europa? Moet Brussel geen standpunt hierover innemen cq betere voorwaarden creëren?
Bepaalde hedendaagse landbouwkundige zaken zoals pootgoedteelt, groenteveredeling, toch ook dierlijke dingen en andere hoogwaardige kennisdingen blijven hier bij uitstek geschikt. Ons land aan de delta met dat matige klimaat zorgt daarvoor. Bepaalde voordelen waren er in de Middeleeuwen al en die zullen er in delta's altijd zijn. Niet dat we op onze lauweren moeten rusten. Om die hoogwaardige zaken mogelijk te blijven maken heb je soms wel laagwaardiger rustgewassen nodig. Noem het de margemix van de landbouw, zoals supermarkten die eigenlijk ook kennen. Hierbij is het van belang wel elkaar te versterken en niet alleen bijv. de pootgoedsector te laten profiteren. Die kan bestaan bij de gratie van het andere. (Wellicht kan Teun de Jong, voorzitter NAV en pootgoedteler, hier iets over melden?)
Piet, Pieter, Arnold, on behalf of Leiden-Delft-Erasmus as co-organizer of Ifama2020 a very warm welcome to this discussion. Although you are fully used to write in Dutch on the Foodlog platform, Ifama is targeted on an international audience. So If you want to expand the reach of your comments, please write them in English.