<
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2022/netherlands-agriculture-technology/>
"The rallying cry in the Netherlands started two decades ago, as concern
mounted about its ability to feed its 17 million people: Produce twice as much
food using half as many resources.
The country, which is a bit bigger than Maryland, not only accomplished this
feat but also has become the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural
products by value behind the United States. Perhaps even more significant in
the face of a warming planet: It is among the largest exporters of agricultural
and food technology. The Dutch have pioneered cell-cultured meat, vertical
farming, seed technology and robotics in milking and harvesting — spearheading
innovations that focus on decreased water usage as well as reduced carbon and
methane emissions.
The Netherlands produces 4 million cows, 13 million pigs and 104 million
chickens annually and is Europe’s biggest meat exporter. But it also provides
vegetables to much of Western Europe. The country has nearly 24,000 acres —
almost twice the size of Manhattan — of crops growing in greenhouses. These
greenhouses, with less fertilizer and water, can grow in a single acre what
would take 10 acres of traditional dirt farming to achieve. Dutch farms use
only a half-gallon of water to grow about a pound of tomatoes, while the global
average is more than 28 gallons."
Via
Future Crunch issue 192:
https://futurecrunch.com/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
