The space battle has officially begun

Boulder must be renewed in order to get out of the nitrogen predicament. A special Minister for Nature and Nitrogen has been appointed for this purpose. The Netherlands must find a new balance between the economy and the environment. What is the required area in each field for agriculture, nature, water, industry, housing and infrastructure?

To be able to answer this question, the counties were directed to begin area-oriented operations. They will do so with stakeholders such as farmers, gardeners, nature organizations and water boards. There are municipalities, housing, infrastructure and industry on top of that. The county as a focal point between the national government and the Boulder.

So the space battle has officially begun. Meanwhile, many farmers are adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Uncertainty about terms for innovation, expansion, mass acquisition or relocation remains unclear and confidence is minimal.

This fragile situation is being exploited by some farmers’ clubs and political parties to polarize the pole. They don’t believe in the area oriented approach, because there would be no nitrogen problem. Farmers who consider working on district committees are considered insane or even threatened with a lawsuit. Not because of the peasant interest, but because of the political interest of the critics.

After all, elections will dominate the coming years. First, the Municipal Councils in March 2022. The role of the District Councils will be, indirectly the Senate, the Water Councils in 2023 and the European Parliament in 2024. After another year, there are elections to the House of Representatives, unless the Council of Ministers steps in before that.

It is critical that provinces speed up the process of creating clarity about conditions and working on farmers’ confidence. At the same time, it is important for growers and horticulturalists to explore the opportunities that region-specific operations can provide. It does not give an opportunity for polarization.