The cucumber Saudis: how the Dutch got too good at farming

The Dutch farming model of turbo-farming has led to a surfeit of excreted nitrogen, damaging the soil and polluting waterways, prompting the Dutch government's sweeping plan to halve nitrogen emissions and buy out big emitters.

March 24, 2023 . 4:27 PM

1 min read

The Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural products after America, with more than €100bn ($108bn) of annual farming sales overseas.
The Dutch farming model of turbo-farming has led to a surfeit of excreted nitrogen, damaging the soil and polluting waterways.
In 2019, a decree from the highest Dutch court required cuts in nitrogen emissions that made things difficult for the agricultural sector.
Last year, the Dutch government unveiled a sweeping plan to halve nitrogen emissions by 2030 and would pay €24bn to buy out as many as 3,000 big emitters, mostly farms.
The government's plan to cut nitrogen emissions has been met with resistance from farmers, leading to farmer protests and a new political party representing farmers.