Arable farming: more together, more inventive and more sustainable

Dutch arable farming is in good shape and the market prospects are excellent. However, maintaining soil fertility is an increasing concern. An integrated approach to land-based agriculture is necessary, say Branche organization Akkerbouw and RaboResearch in the Future Vision for Agriculture, which was published on Tuesday.

The current intensive construction plan can only be maintained if the sector comes up with joint, inventive solutions, they say in a press release. Addressing issues of soil fertility, climate and fertilization requires an integrated approach from land-based agriculture and not from the individual sectors.

The yield per hectare of most crops has hardly grown for years, with the exception of sugar beet, says Harry Smit, senior analyst at Farming Rabobank. 'The possibilities to increase production value are being exhausted. Solutions are needed across the sector, although the government holds a key to raising sustainability to a higher level.'

Jaap van Wenum, chairman of the Agriculture Department of LTO and vice-chairman of BO Arable farming believes that the government should broaden the scope of environmental policy from individual sectors to the entire land-based agriculture. 'Smart exchange of land between arable farming and dairy farming can increase sustainability in both sectors.'

Arable farming itself is also on the move. 'She needs to do more measurements, including soil productivity and factors that influence this, such as water management, crop growth and disease pressure,' explains Smit. The related development towards data-intensive arable farming requires more cooperation between arable farmers, for example in a data cooperative.

Dirk de Lugt, chairman of the Arable Farming Sector Organization: 'A more intensive data exchange between arable farmers and their customers should contribute to a higher return for the chain as a whole. It is important that this yield partly ends up with arable farmers, in order to ensure the cultivation of arable crops in the Netherlands.'

Dutch arable farming in figures:

• The Dutch arable complex generates an added value of 22 billion euros
• The sector provides 225.000 jobs
• The Netherlands has 12.000 arable farmers, 9.000 of which are specialized arable farmers
• Dutch arable farming exports two thirds of its production
• The Dutch arable acreage takes up about a quarter of the Dutch agricultural acreage: just under 500.000 hectares

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