Integrated Farming in the Netherlands: Flirtation or Solid Change?

Abstract

Like many other areas of intensive agriculture in Europe, the Netherlands is struggling with environmental pollution caused by overuse of pesticides and fertilizers. The Dutch government has been investing in the development and implementation of integrated farming systems (IFS) since 1979, with a view to a national conversion to sustainable agriculture. Although IFS ideas are becoming more widely accepted in the farming community, they have only been implemented on a small scale so far. This article describes those developments and discusses marketing, extension, and policy initiatives that might motivate more Dutch farmers to adopt IFS.