Dutch agriculture faces major challenges. Livestock farming is responsible for high nitrogen emissions, which fall into nearby nature reserves and put biodiversity under pressure. Intensive farming practices, monocultures, and the use of pesticides lead to a decline in insects, birds, and plants. Additionally, the surplus of manure causes significant environmental damage, such as soil acidification and water pollution.

The agricultural sector is also affected by climate change, dealing with drought, heavy rain, and unpredictable weather. Farmers are under great economic pressure due to low margins, rising costs, and stricter environmental regulations. To overcome all these challenges, a transition to new agriculture is necessary, where farmers, nature, and climate go hand in hand.

Agriculture in the Netherlands is dominated by the production of feed for Dutch livestock. Nearly 40% of the land area is dedicated to growing maize, grass, and other crops that serve as feed for the millions of cows, chickens, pigs, and other animals kept in the country. The majority of the produced meat is then exported abroad. Livestock farms are responsible for large nitrogen emissions and the surplus of fertilizers in the soil. Many livestock farms are also located in peat areas, where low water levels cause peat soil subsidence, leading to high greenhouse gas emissions.

To reduce the environmental pressure caused by our meat production (which is largely destined for export), an adjustment to our diet is necessary. Shifting from animal proteins like meat, dairy, and eggs to plant-based proteins from nuts, legumes, and beans offers numerous benefits. It reduces water usage, decreases land use, and prevents nitrogen and fertilizer emissions. This transition will have a significant impact on farmers, who will raise less livestock and instead focus on growing crops for human consumption.

Arable farming also faces a major transition challenge. Intensive arable farming with monocultures puts pressure on the habitats of birds, insects, and plants. It also degrades soil structure and health, with risks of salinization and erosion. The use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides can lead to the leaching of nitrates and other chemicals into groundwater and surface water, negatively affecting drinking water sources and aquatic ecosystems.

The transition in arable farming means moving from large-scale monocultures to a more natural form of agriculture that better aligns with our cultural landscape, water systems, and soil types. By growing the right crops on the right soil, the need for fertilizers and pesticides is reduced. Crop rotation, agroforestry, the creation of nature-friendly hedgerows, and field margins enhance the ecological value of the land, provide ecosystem services to farmers, and strengthen the cultural landscape.

Some of these new forms of arable farming may result in lower or uncertain yields. To provide farmers with perspective in the future, the value of our landscape should not only be based on the actual output of the land but also be valued for the ecosystem services that farmland provides. Especially the growing demand for new sustainable building materials, such as hemp and bulrush, and compensation for carbon storage in the landscape, have never been as profitable as they are now, thanks to rising emissions allowances. This presents opportunities for farmers.

In addition, saline crops, such as seaweed and wet crops like cranberries, offer the possibility of growing food for human consumption on land that is currently unsuitable for such cultivation. Moreover, multiple land use can be promoted, for example, by combining a food forest with recreational housing or growing red fruits under solar fields. By integrating ecosystem services into the valuation of agriculture and aligning land use with natural water and soil systems, the Dutch landscape becomes more diverse, resilient, ecological, and aesthetically appealing.