Guidelines for Agricultural Area Proposal presented
Three agricultural collectives in the northern Netherlands—the Noardlike Fryske Wâlden Association, the Groningen West Collective, and the Midden-Groningen Collective—along with the relevant government agencies, have drawn up the Regional Proposal Guidelines. Noorderzijlvest Water Authority one of the relevant government agencies.
Guidelines for Area Quotations
The guideline includes a step-by-step plan for drawing up an area-specific proposal. In such a proposal, the collective describes the social services it can provide in the areas of agriculture, nature, the environment, water, and climate, how much budget is needed for this, and how governments and farmers can jointly shape the implementation of these services.
Contribution to solving social challenges
According to the collectives, agriculture can make an important contribution to solving social challenges. Not through regulations, prohibitions, and subsidies, but by acting as providers of valuable services to society. An area proposal is a relatively new initiative and is often seen as complicated. Nevertheless, it is an important tool. Now that agricultural parties are increasingly being asked to contribute to social challenges in their own area, guidelines for drawing up an area proposal offer farmers a solution.
Extensive exploration
Over the past six months, the three collectives from Friesland and Groningen, together with the provinces of Friesland and Groningen, Noorderzijlvest Water Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the AgroAgenda Noord Nederland, and the Wing consultancy, conducted an extensive exploratory study. They identified the goals and challenges facing these regions, such as those outlined in the National Rural Areas Program. In addition, they mapped out what the agricultural sector in the region can and is willing to provide, and finally, they outlined how societal demand and local supply can be brought together. This led to the Regional Offer Guidelines.
Planting trees in hedgerows
The guideline offers a step-by-step plan for developing a range of services based on the area. These services are measurable, binding, and interesting for all parties. "We see great opportunities for providing social services in the Noardlike Fryske Wâlden region . For example, we want to start planting trees in existing hedgerows to capture moreCO2 and increase biodiversity.We can alsoreduce the use of artificial fertilizers and the supply of concentrated feed and retain more water on farmland to combat desiccation and salinization . With the help of the guideline, we can assess the value of these services and implement them," says Albert van der Ploeg, chairman of the Noardlike Fryske Wâlden.
Provincial programs for rural areas
This guideline does not mark the end of the search. The parties involved will now set to work to actually produce area proposals. They will also examine how the area proposals can be aligned with the Provincial Programs for Rural Areas. The ambition is to submit an initial proposal to the provinces in early 2024.