Opinions Herre Bartlema
Province wants to speed up circular agriculture
There is little doubt about the usefulness and necessity of a circular agricultural sector, as has been shown in the past year. So I think we can speak of consensus about the direction in which the Dutch agricultural sector should develop. It will therefore come as no surprise to anyone that the subject of circular agriculture has been discussed in all provinces.
What may cause some surprise is the fact that provincial authorities want to speed up the development for the circular agriculture† This is the case, for example, in the province of Noord-Holland. This is also described in the coalition agreement, which has the motto 'Sustainable action'.
This is good news for agricultural entrepreneurs who want to invest in circular business operations, given that the provinces decide on the subsidies that are available for this (rural development). However, own resources can still be added to this. It can be foreseen that this will happen to a large extent, at least in North Holland.
Definition
Which investments are involved in our open cultivation? The answer to this question depends on the definition for circular agriculture. This is mine: "Circular agriculture uses raw materials and consumables from the circular economy and produces no negative external effects." In the case of open cultivation, this primarily concerns the replacement of artificial fertilizers by circular fertilizers and the application of the 4 correctnesses of the fertilization: applying the right fertilizer, at the right time, in the right dosage and in the right place.
Machines for the site-specific application of plant nutrition from residual flows (the right fertilizer), in the root zone (the right place), are now widely available. Are there enough circular fertilizers on the market? We don't have to worry about that these days. Companies such as North Holland's Van der Stelt, which is celebrating its 21th anniversary on Friday 40 June, make it possible for the sector to continue with circular agriculture.
Herre Bartlema
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