Green monster threatens our food security

Death and destruction. Hell and damnation. The well-known summary: fertilizer- plant protection products-antibiotics comes close to this. Framed, and thus managed to get onto the political map by bright green radicals who propagate wild flora and fauna. The EU has taken over. But we cannot live on 'untouched, wild nature'!

At first sight there is nothing wrong with revolutions in which persistent people with 'foresight' or with disruptive innovation shake the status quo foundations considerably. As we all know, the only constant in life is change. However, how many degrees should the upcoming green change turn and how fast should this so-called transition go? No living soul that knows. But everyone thinks they know.

Ideology shifts; zeitgeist breathes through. Of course. But the megalomaniac ideas and plans regarding climate, environment and nature are unfolding before our eyes. The green monster waltzes over the existing agriculture and horticulture like a mega bulldozer. The route of the great natural monstrosity covers almost the entire food chain. What was excellent for decades and brought prosperity is now the hideous polluting monster. An abomination that must above all be defeated, it seems.

Compromise Model
I am in favor of nature-inclusive agriculture in which we have to take nature into account on many fronts. Conversely, this means that nature must take food production into account: agriculturally inclusive nature. The balance between biodiversity and food security is a compromise model. The carrying capacity of the earth is of vital importance, as is healthy food – accessible and affordable for every citizen of the world. Ecology, high-tech and cultivation in balance because of infinitely large, nutritionally rich harvests. No depletion of natural resources. Giving in order to receive is the new mindset. If one country succeeds in achieving distributed results from 'poldering', it is the Netherlands. We can lead the way in this, but then all parties will have to compromise. There are no monsters to be felled.

Never hungry again
If we don't want the mess to break out, the world (human) population will have to stay fed. And why are we so well off in the Netherlands? Because we no longer have to think about the foundation of Maslow's pyramid of needs. As consumers, we don't have to worry about our food. Those concerns have already been raised by the primary food producer: the farmer!

The fact that the people of the radical, mostly vegetarian anti-livestock groups have had and still have the time to shape and propagate their green ideology, is because they don't have to grow vegetables themselves. They do not have to take into account a crop failure due to pests or bad weather conditions. Their (great) grandparents, on the other hand, knew better. "Never hungry again" was the catchy, wood-cutting slogan at the time. Fertilizers, crop protection agents and antibiotics have contributed to this.

Never bite the hand that fed you
The green ideology that has gradually taken hold of all of us is partly due to generations of farmers who have performed on an industrial scale and thereby made a significant contribution to our wealth and luxury. The new generation of farmers is really aware of the situation and is only too happy to become more sustainable. But without social and political appreciation expressed in cash, it will be damn difficult.

Historical awareness and trade perspective for the current agricultural entrepreneur may also be put on the (political) map in addition to all greening requirements and measures. For now the hand that has fed us and still feeds us is cut off unscrupulously. That can't be the intention, can it?

Pascal Phillips

Pascal Philipsen is regional manager for the South of the Netherlands and fertilization specialist at Timac Agro Nederland.

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