Remkes report: how are we going to change agriculture in the Netherlands?
For weeks, mediator Remkes spoke with farmers, nature organizations and other resources. With regard to the content, Hoogendijk thinks that we should not expect too much from the advice: “I think we should especially look at whether it is a manual for a process that we can get things going again with nitrogen. That we can work together, i.e. agriculture, government , society, get back into conversation and how are we going to deal with problems over the years.”
Remkes report
Hoogendijk is nice about the report: “We have been discussing nitrogen with each other for three years now and we are actually not making any sense. For example, the dyke included the climate and our water as important themes that deserve attention.
Making agriculture more sustainable
According to Hoogendijk, agriculture should be seen as the solution to societal challenges. In short: how can agriculture help to make society healthier and more sustainable?
“What we look at from the perspective of arable farming is people. In the Netherlands, people often do not eat right, or too little, or too much or wrong. Let’s focus on healthy and sustainable food with agriculture,” says Hoogendijk.
Another important theme for farmers in arable farming is climate change. “We have the last of these. But we also have an effect on greenhouse gas emissions. We also say, let’s make our production as climate neutral as possible so that we have less effect and start absorbing carbon.”
Capture carbon
Carbon can partly be captured in the soil, but also in building materials. Such as with the cultivation of hemp, flax, or elephant grass. you can make insulation material with which you can build and insulate houses. “That is now happening on a small scale and those are things we think we should actually scale up,” says Hoogendijk.
This helps agriculture itself, because the cultivation of these crops is good for the soil. Hoogendijk: “But we also help the climate. And, there must be financing for it so that the arable farmer can benefit from it.”
Commission outside ministry
According to Hoogendijk, there should be a committee outside the ministry and the minister to guide the transition in arable farming in the right direction. A minister does not sit indefinitely at his post, but a farmer thinks in decades or even generations. Hoogendijk: “So if you want to change agriculture you have to think in the long term and separate it from the political issues of the day.”