The Netherlands: #2 In Agricultural Exports, Sustainable Farming Leader

I’ll start by saying I didn’t know anything about this a few weeks ago, so I’m by no means an expert.  But what the Dutch are doing is pretty wild when you think about it. I mean they are the NUMBER TWO exporter of agricultural products and services behind the US?  They are the 138th largest country in the world and three times as small as the state of New York! How is that possible??!!

I’ve done some digging and while a decent amount of that value comes in the form of live plants and flowers, there’s also so much more to the story. It turns out the Netherlands has evolved into a powerhouse for high tech, innovative, and sustainable agriculture. So much so that it is now referred to as the “Food Valley” of the world.

Wageningen University & Research, a university about 40 miles outside Amsterdam, is consistently the top ranked agricultural university in the world.  Similarly to Stanford in Silicon Valley, the university acts as a hub for Food Valley spurring innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship in food and agriculture.  Two such organizations are START LIFE and STARTHUB.

The story of how The Netherlands evolved from the destruction of World War II to where it is now is pretty fascinating.  Just keep reading and chances are you get sucked into the wormhole.

Quick History & Highlights

• During the German occupation of the Netherlands in 1944-45 the Dutch endured a massive famine during which tens of thousands starved.
• After WWII, the government returned from exile in London with strategies to rebuild the country.  They used mostly funding from the United States’ Marshall plan to execute their plans to rebuild infrastructure and industrialize the nation.  This commercialization spread into agriculture throughout the second half of the 20th century, and government support played a large role in building the industry.  Smaller family farms merged into large farms as machinery and chemicals were used to maximum production and profits.
• The Dutch realized their farming methods were unsustainable and started to change their ways.  By 2014 they had cut down by over 50% on pesticide use since 1999. Antibiotics in farm animals had decreased 65% between 2009 and 2016.
• High tech greenhouses started to develop and today cover an area larger than Manhattan.  The greenhouses allow the Dutch to control the climate, extend growing seasons, minimize fertilizer & water use, and monitor extensive amounts of data.  They use precision farming to optimize conditions and maximize efficiency, and the greenhouses help created a closed, circular system.
• They grow exponentially higher than average yields for numerous crops, including 2.2x average for potatoes.  They are able to reduce water usage on some crops by as much as 90%!
• I mean hell, they’ve even got drones helping monitor plants and executing tasks such as planting and harvesting.
• New methods of feeding animals have been developed such as using excess food industry waste and insect protein.  Both methods contribute to the circular economy, arguably produce healthier feed, and greatly reduce land use. The same amount of land will produce by weight 150 times the insect protein it would soy protein. This is significant because animal agricultural land accounts for 75% of total agricultural land use.

Where the Netherlands is going is very exciting.  If we’re going to keep growing the human race for generations, I think most people realize we need to create a healthier, sustainable, and much more efficient food system.  And we need to do it sooner than later. It will no doubt take a lot of different solutions, perspectives, and people pulling on the rope to succeed. In fact it will probably take a generation, but the Dutch seem to be laying some serious ground work. 

They are fully committed to creating a circular, sustainable food system.  Just take a look at the Vision of Netherland’s Carola Schouten - Minister of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality.  Well put, Carola.  I, for one, am here for it.

If you are too, here’s the links to the cool Dutch agriculture stuff I used in my research.  National Geographic did a pretty cool report, and that’s what first opened my eyes. Quick shoutout and thank you to the people who put these resources together.  I’m excited to keep learning about it.  

• https://www.ideatovalue.com/curi/nickskillicorn/2018/12/how-the-netherlands-has-innovated-agriculture-to-become-the-worlds-2-exporter-of-food
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/holland-agriculture-sustainable-farming/
• https://dutchreview.com/news/innovation/how-the-netherlands-remains-second-largest-agriculture-exporter-in-the-world/
• https://www.greenmatters.com/food/2017/09/05/1u3nLE/one-small-country-is-feeding-people
• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/netherlands-dutch-farming-agriculture-sustainable/
• https://www.feednavigator.com/Article/2018/05/24/Dutch-on-farm-antibiotic-reduction-results-can-inspire-others-Rabobank
• https://dutchgreenhouses.com/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidebanis/2019/06/14/can-using-insects-as-animal-feed-reduce-the-climate-impact-of-meat-production/#797e2781404a

This is truly some cool shit.  I know I’ve only scratched the surface of what the Dutch are doing, but I feel like so have they.  I’m excited to see how this grows. I guess Nigel Powers was wrong about the Dutch after all.