DR. DRS. INGEBORG DE WOLF OF WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY & RESEARCH DISCUSSES URGENT INNOVATION FOR AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE: BY OELE STEENKS IN WITH DR. DRS. INGEBORG DE WOLF. PHOTOGRAPHY INGEBORG DE WOLF/WUR
Agricultural export success under EU climate rules and Nl. coalition agreement? The Rutte 4 cabinet seems to be intensely concerned with Dutch agriculture and horticulture in the coalition agreement. The government is proud that we are the second largest agricultural export country in the world, but something has to change quickly about the environmental problems. After D66 announced that the livestock population should be halved, there is now an ambitious framework on paper. Sustainability and circular agriculture are high on the list. Drs. Ingeborg de Wolf (20145115), head of the department of Livestock & Environment at Wageningen University & Research, discusses the thrust of the coalition agreement. She is positive about new forms of agriculture and horticulture. She highlights the importance of technological, social and economic innovations and of an integrated view of sustainability within agriculture and horticulture.
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AINTAIN OPPOSITION?
The Netherlands is a major player when it comes to production and - thanks to the port of Rotterdam - export of agricultural and horticultural products. At the same time, in the coalition agreement of the Rutte 4 government, agriculture is under pressure. Can the Netherlands maintain this leading position? IDW: "The coalition agreement contains ambitious goals that directly affect agriculture and horticulture: The Netherlands wants to be a leader in Europe in combatting global warming. Therefore, we must emit at least 55% less carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2030, and the coalition agreement mentions a target reduction of 60%. By 2050 at the latest, the Netherlands wants to be climate neutral. This not only concerns carbon dioxide itself, but also other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). We express these greenhouse gases in terms of CO2 equivalents. Every year, agriculture emits about 27 megatons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases. The reduction that agriculture must realize is enormous. The coalition agreement also includes a major task for nitrogen emissions: not in 2035, but already in 2030, 74% of the area of nitrogen-sensitive nature in protected Natura 2000 areas must have a healthy nitrogen level. This is necessary because we want to protect our nature and restore the loss of biodiversity. Nitrogen emissions in agriculture mainly occur in the form of
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