Challenges in the Dutch Agricultural Transition

The Netherlands is renowned for its efficient agriculture, achieving high production levels per hectare and per worker, with low emissions and losses per kilogram of food produced. However, these intensive farming methods also have a downside. The limits of our planet and the carrying capacity of our environment are being exceeded, leading to negative impacts on the environment, nature, and climate. The Dutch agricultural and horticultural sector therefore faces the challenge of transitioning to a sustainable food system—a shift fraught with uncertainty about future business models for farmers.

Future-Proof Solutions

ReGeNL is committed to a vibrant Dutch agricultural sector by pursuing regenerative, profitable, and socially supported farming. The guiding principle is that agriculture must go hand in hand with soil improvement and the restoration of soil life and nature, while significantly increasing the added value per hectare. This is what we call regenerative outcomes. Achieving these outcomes requires diversification in crops, practices, and business models. Entrepreneurship from both farmers and supply chain partners is essential to overcome the current barriers to transition, such as:

• uncertainty about future business models,
• transition costs,
• uncertainty about the outcomes of regenerative practices,
• lack of knowledge about regenerative practices.

Integrated Approach with Ownership by Agricultural Entrepreneurs

The ReGeNL consortium has developed an integrated approach to break down these barriers and position the Netherlands as an international leader in the transition to regenerative agriculture. Both supply chain partners and governments are fully committed to this goal.

The ReGeNL programme consists of five lines of action that will realise the above objectives for farmers, regions, and the broader food system between now and 2030. We focus on three perspectives:

• Farm-level perspective
• Regional perspective
• Food system transition perspective

Through this integrated approach, we aim to deliver future-proof solutions that contribute to a sustainable and resilient agricultural sector in the Netherlands and beyond.

• prof. mr. dr. Sybe de Vries
• dr. Friedemann Polzin
• Inez Uijttewaal
• dr. Helen Toxopeus

• Daan Bogaard
• Dieuwertje Bosma