Sponsored: Bayer
'Working on sustainability is no longer a choice'
What exactly is sustainable agriculture? How can you make it "germinate" and how can you build it? How can you encourage and propagate it? And perhaps most importantly: how do you ensure that sustainable initiatives are also applied in practice? These kinds of issues were discussed extensively on Wednesday 10 May, during the official opening of the Forward Farm 'Het Groene Hart' in Abbenes.
In a potato storage facility that had been transformed into a "debate room", various speakers gave their views on the theme of 'sustainable agriculture'. It emerged that working on sustainability is no longer a non-committal activity, but is an absolute 'must' to keep agriculture future-proof. All speakers also indicated that working together, sharing information and 'constant communication with the outside world' are essential to make sustainable agriculture a success.
That's our mission
'Healthy people on a healthy planet; that is the mission that we as Bayer stand for. And as far as I'm concerned, that's also the broader perspective that this afternoon is about.' With these words, Damien Viollet, head of Bayer Crop Science Benelux, opened the discussion afternoon at the Forward farm in Abbenes.
He also immediately took the opportunity to thank host and 'Forward Farmer' Jasper Roubos for his hospitality and open collaboration. 'We are honored to be able to put into practice and propagate our ideas about sustainable agriculture on this wonderful farm. And we find it very valuable that as a practicing arable farmer you contribute to this in an open, but also critical way.'
Roubos himself ('I don't need to be in the spotlight') briefly discussed his business operations and the collaboration with Bayer, which has actually been going on since 2015. He also emphasized that the systems and techniques that have now been installed or are being tested on his farm are certainly not 'for the stage', but actually contribute to more sustainable agriculture and crop protection. 'Practice will always take precedence here', says Roubos.
Sustainability becomes tangible
Liam Condon, head of Bayer Crop Science worldwide, immediately echoed Roubos's words with his speech. 'We talk an incredible amount about sustainability, but the great thing is that today we can see what it looks like in reality. Here at the Forward Farm, sustainability really becomes tangible.'
According to Condon, the Netherlands, and also the Forward Farm in Abbenes, play a key role when it comes to sustainable agriculture. 'A lot of practical innovations come directly from the Netherlands; you should be proud of that', said the CEO from Ireland. He also praised the high production and knowledge level of Dutch agriculture, which has been an example for the whole world for many decades.
Fig. 1. Liam Condon, CEO Bayer Crop Science shares his vision on sustainable agriculture
'To do this, we will not only have to share our knowledge widely, but we will also have to focus even more on collaboration, so that everyone can benefit from our innovations and technologies.' For Ernst van der Ende, general director of Plant Science Group Wageningen UR, technology and innovation are the tools to increase both production per hectare and the sustainability of agriculture. 'The challenge is to achieve more output with less input. For this we will have to work smarter, more efficiently and more innovatively.'
Green crop protection
Piet Boonekamp, chairman of Artemis (interest group for producers of biological crop protection products), outlined in his introduction the 'challenging road' from chemical to green crop protection. 'In order to produce more sustainably, we will have to make an irrevocable transition from chemical to green resources. Is that easy? No, because the risks of green resources are greater and the certainty is smaller. But it will have to be done if we want to still be able to farm responsibly in the Netherlands in a hundred years' time.'
The closing speech of the afternoon was given to guest of honor Liam Condon, who once again emphasized the importance of a good 'connection with society'. 'We can think of many things that we believe are good for people and for the planet. But society will have to find that too. We must therefore continuously work on the acceptance of our vision and our work. And there is only one golden rule: keep communicating.'
Fig. 2. Between the speakers, the guests present were stimulated with three statements about sustainable agriculture and crop protection. With a red or green voting card they could express their opinion, agree or disagree.
Click to read the whole article about the Opening of the Forward Farm to read.
