A World Leader in Agriculture
PHAB takes place in the Netherlands, the pioneer in cutting-edge & innovative agriculture education & research
The Netherlands
Although the Netherlands (aka “Holland”) is a small country, it is a major innovative player when it comes to agriculture. Due to the country’s size, farmers have always needed to be creative when it comes to using their resources to the fullest. Nowadays, sustainable agriculture is becoming the norm and thus making the Netherlands as a world leader in the future of farming.
A sustainable agri-food giant
The Netherlands is the second biggest exporter of food worldwide, topped only by the US (which has 270 times its landmass). More than half the country’s land is used for agriculture and horticulture. There are more than 5,300 agriculture/food companies based in the country, as well as some of the world’s largest major production or R&D sites in the field.
The sector is fuelled by world-class research institutes for food innovation, medical universities and numerous public-private partnerships between science, industry and government.
Wageningen University & Research (WUR), is widely regarded as the world’s top agricultural research institution, and the hub of Food Valley (the Dutch agro-tech version of Silicon Valley), an extensive cluster of agricultural technology start-ups and experimental farms.
Nearly two decades ago, the Dutch made a commitment to sustainable agriculture by following the approach “produce twice as much food using half of the resources.” This led to the reduction of water dependence for key crops by as much as 90 percent. Dutch farmers have almost completely eliminated the use of chemical pesticides on plants in greenhouses, and since 2009 Dutch poultry and livestock producers have cut their use of antibiotics by as much as 60 percent.
Nowadays, the Dutch are working on innovative ways to increase food production, through thousand WUR projects across the globe, and throughout farms across the Netherlands.
The future of sustainable agriculture is taking shape – be a part of it!
Join us in PHAB 2021.
