HISTORY OF THE POLDER SYSTEMS IN THE NETHERLANDS
CURRENT SITUATION OF THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN ZEELAND
New land from the sea in the Netherlands Before 1300 1300-1600 1600-1900
AGRICULTURE
After 1900
ENERGY
INDUSTRY
WASTES
URBAN CONSUME EXPORTATIONS
The current situation in Zeeland related to the economy of the area is based on a system of exportations. This region produce almost the 40% of the products that The Netherlands export to the world, being at the same time the second agricultural products exporter in the world after the United States of America. This level of excelens is due to the efficientcy and capability of the Dutch to produce more food with less resources reducing surfaces. The main problem is that this system is not sustainable any more. The growth of the big world markets like China or India make the system not enough competitive and the agricultural production system in Europe is being questionated. The actual economic system in Zeeland mosty is based on a lineal economy when the wates are not used and the agriculture production find ways to produce as much as possible not taking in consideration how this agricultural land has destroyed nature areas and bioodiversity.
A CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR THE FUTURE OF ZEELAND The main problem to solve in this project is based on the fact that the agricultural land in Zeeland that until today has been the most important factor of its identity now it needs to change in order to be more sustainable and affort the changes that the new future visions are asking for.
DYNAMIC NETHER LANDS Nobody has more expercience in water managment than dutch in the Netherlands. Their land has changed through the time because of their capability in extract water from the soil and win land from the sea. Dutch have been more than 900 years creating dry land with dikes and polder systems. The highest point in the Netherlands is 323 m, right on the border with Germany and Belgium. The lowest point is 6.76m below sea level. In all some 40% of the land area lies below sea level.
WATER LEVEL
BIODIVERSITY IN THE SWAMP
The project add one principal criteria based on a circular economy scheme where 3 factors have been taken in consideration: Local agriculture production and consumption connecting productors and consumers, an industrial symbiosis where the local industries could use resources and biooil from the agricultural land while the farmers could use wastes from the factories, and finally connecting diferents natural areas which are now isolated and are not free of barriers for plants and animals.
AGRICULTURE AND BREEDING
Agricultural waste Co-generation energy Organic fertilizer production Biogas and biofuels
WET SOIL
SEDIMENTS
Before 1300. SWAMPS Dutch landscape is caracterized by how it can be transformed, which made it a dynamic landscape. Before the Dutch started pumping water from the land, this land was invaded by the water in there areas lower than the sea level. Soil could be peat, clay, loess or sand, and full of water so the land mantained moist.
NEW WATER LEVEL
PUMPING WATER OUT OF THE POLDER
DYKE
SEA LEVEL
DRY SOIL
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION WET PEAT / CLAY
After 1300. Middle Age NEW LAND
After the year 1300 the Dutch started building dikes around pieces of land in order to get the soil dry. After pumping the water out of the new dikes the polderS became a new dry landS profitable to agriculture and animal breeding.
NEW WATER LEVEL
PROFITABLE LAND USE
IN THE POLDER
BIODIVERSITY OUT OF THE POLDER DRAINAGE CANAL
SEA LEVEL DYKE
WET PEAT / CLAY
LAND USE While the swamp didn’t allow the land to produce food, now, the polder system lets the land be productive. That’s why this system covers at least 40% of the Netherlands, which make this country the second agriculturual products exporter of the world after the United States of America.
PROFITABLE LAND USE SUBSIDENCE OF THE LAND
OXIDATION OF THE DRY PEAT SEA LEVEL
CO2 DRAINAGE CANAL
DRAINAGE CANAL
OXIDATION PROCESS The main soil in Zeeland is clay but most of the land that is composed by peat is shinking. The peat is composed of organic material which is actually burned mostly to extract energy from it. Furthermore peat oxides when it is in contact with the oxigen producing CO2 to the atmosphere. This natural process of oxidation produces a reduction of its volume. This results in the consequent subsidence. Then ground water level gets closer to the surface and this water is pumped out to have a dry ground.
Reducing packaging Local consume Local transport by bike
Recycling of industrial waste Generation energy from biomass Compost production from waste Transformation of bio products
01/07
BIO AGRICULTURE / INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS / NATURE CONNECTIONS
INTRODUCTION
A SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE FOR THE FUTURE OF ZEELAND