On April 18 Prof. dr. ir. A.J. Oskam (Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy) and Prof. dr. C.M.J. van Woerkum (Communication and Innovation Studies Group) will debate on the meaning of agriculture in the Netherlands. The chairman will be Dr. C. de Hoog (Sociology of Consumers and Households Group). The upcoming weeks they will pose statements to which you may give a comment electronically.
Prof. dr. C.M.J. van Woerkum
Without countermeasures, Dutch agriculture will definitely be pushed into a corner and suffer. This doesn't need to be a problem necessarily. Unused farm lands, for instance, can get many other, interesting functions. But, at this moment things happen unnoticed and without conscious, political decision making. Do we really want land without farmers? What are the consequences of the disappearance of agriculture concerning landscapes or control of food safety, et cetera. A broad reflection seems to be necessary.
Prof. dr. ir. A.J. Oskam
Economically, agriculture in the Netherlands is not important. Although the physical output of the primary agricultural production in the Netherlands is steadily increasing, there is a declining share of it in the total economy, nowadays around 2% because of declining output prices. The importance of the agricultural sector in the Netherlands is mainly because of international production chains and the contribution to the countryside. Unless the Dutch agricultural sector adjusts itself to these requirements of highly developed societies, its functioning will cause increasing problems.