My Eco-Innovation Five

Farmers in the Netherlands are Growing More Food Using Less Resources

Despite being a small and densely populated country, the Netherlands is one of the biggest vegetable exporters globally and a leader in agricultural innovation.

Ad Van Adrichen, Duijvestijn Tomatoes, says that land and labor are costly, so they must be as efficient as possible to compete. Competition drives innovation in the Netherlands.

Dutch farmers pioneer ways to produce greater yields, using less space and fewer inputs.

“We decided not to go for more hectares but more yield per hectare.” Jacob Van Den Borne, Van Den Borne Potatoes. “And that’s when we started looking at precision technology. A lot of people think its science fiction, but it’s not.”

Precision agriculture is an approach that uses information technology to ensure crops get precisely what they need for optimum health and productivity while using less natural resources.

“We are producing around 100 million tomatoes annually. The idea about these greenhouses; we use less water 15% less energy, our tomatoes plants grow in a hydroponics system. So we are sure what we are putting is clean, and we can stare and look in very precisely. We use all the real techniques and innovations with minimal effects on the environment.” Ad Van Adrichen, Duijvestijn Tomatoes.

This innovation stems from small, dedicated family-run operations, motivated by profit and sustainability.

Jacob Van Den Borne defines precision farming as doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right moment.

“We are more sustainable because we use fewer inputs which is economically good. We use the latest technology like soil scan to measure the soil quality and the availability of nutrients in the soil. Soil-watching cameras can detect diseases or water stress. Implementing precision farming to get a better yield and better quality.”

As climate change and poor farming practices degrade our agricultural land, we will need 50% more food by 2050 for the growing population. And as the population rises, there will be high demand and less farming area, which is why we must invest in precision farming.