Stop pointing fingers, farmers are key to the energy transition.

I see a persistent image in politics and among a large part of public opinion of the agricultural sector as a problem. Too much nitrogen, too many emissions, too much land use. But while the debate remains stuck on what is going wrong, something else is happening in the countryside. There, farmers are already working hard on the energy transition. However, policymakers and citizens are barely paying attention.

When you drive through the Dutch landscape, you see it immediately. Solar panels on barn roofs, wind turbines alongside fields, and increasingly often, installations that convert manure into biogas. These are not future plans, but existing initiatives. The farmer is already at work.

And that is not surprising. Farmers are entrepreneurs. They think in terms of opportunities, not just limitations. They, in particular, possess the space, resources, and practical knowledge to combine energy generation with food production. In a country where every square meter counts, that is an absolute necessity.

Yet, something feels off. For while farmers want to invest in sustainable energy, they are running into brick walls. The electricity grid is overloaded. Permits take forever. Subsidies change faster than the weather. The message from the government is contradictory: become more sustainable, but above all, not too fast and not too much.

That is a missed opportunity. The energy transition calls for solutions located close to where energy is generated and used. To me, the strength of the agricultural sector lies precisely there. Farmers can produce, store, reuse, and use energy in their business operations.

This is also about a larger question: how do we view the role of the farmer in the Netherlands? To me, it is clear: if we still see the farmer as a problem, solutions will not materialize. But if we see the farmer as a partner in change, our perception changes.

The energy transition is not an urban project. It is certainly also taking place in the countryside, among the barns, fields, and meadows. Perhaps it is time to stop pointing fingers solely at farmers and to acknowledge everything that is already happening.

For the irony is clear. While the Netherlands searches for solutions, they are already standing in the yard.

This opinion is part of the Energy Special van Boerenbusiness.

Kasper Walter

Kasper Walet is a former board member of the agricultural futures market. He has now been working under the name Maycroft for years as an independent adviser on energy and climate to governments and companies from all over the world.

© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.