Parts of the agricultural land in Drenthe will change in the coming years to comply with the rules for clean water. For example, agriculture will have to become more organic and it cannot be ruled out that there will be restrictions on areas of agricultural land. The province of Drenthe expects this.
The province has come up with a vision for agriculture for the next fifteen years. There are no concrete measures yet, but it is the start of a process to achieve ‘future-proof agriculture’ by 2040. “Building a future-oriented agriculture has become more difficult in recent years,” writes provincial administrator Jisse Otter, who is responsible for agriculture . “It requires a future-proof policy, with which you as an entrepreneur can move forward with certainty and confidence. But it is difficult to provide that certainty, both in The Hague and in the province. Licensing for livestock farming is still under a magnifying glass. There the issue of sufficient and clean water is also added.”
Just over sixty percent of Drenthe is used as agricultural land. But the province expects that this will ‘change in the coming years as a result of the water and nature task’. By 2027, all countries in the European Union must meet guidelines for clean and healthy water. The question remains whether the Netherlands will succeed in meeting these guidelines. If not, the judge may no longer allow new permits in areas where the water is not in order, for example. Actually just like with the nitrogen crisis a few years ago, which prevented new construction.
Otter points out that measures taken to reduce nitrogen may again be at the expense of water targets. “We see that general policy is not always in line with local practice. Sometimes it even has contradictory effects. With the disappearance of dairy farms, the number of pastures decreases, and arable farming increases with a greater risk of pollution in ground and surface water. This increases the water targets out of sight, while it is uncertain whether the nitrogen targets will be achieved.” Also, not all areas in Drenthe are suitable for arable farming and the province expects that water supply from the IJsselmeer will no longer be possible for all purposes in the long term. And groundwater extraction will no longer be possible everywhere in the future.
Concrete measures have not yet been taken and have not yet been announced. However, the province mainly sees opportunities for ‘circular agriculture’. For example, we look at which crops best suit the soil and different crops are grown alternately in one place. Circular agriculture also means that manure and minerals, among other things, must be used more efficiently.
The vision for agriculture is very broad and covers all forms of agriculture. For example, the province sees an opportunity for the cultivation of insects. This could be an ‘innovation opportunity’ to produce proteins. Due to the aging population in Drenthe, the demand for proteins will increase. Older people need more protein to stay healthy. It helps, among other things, to maintain muscle mass. The province sees a role in this for the Drenthe agricultural sector, as a supplier of raw materials. This can come from field beans, for example, but also from potatoes and insects.
In February, Drenthe politicians will vote on the vision for agriculture until 2040. The province will later take measures per area. “To do this, we enter into discussions with all parties in an area,” says Otter.