If everyone in the world lived as we do here in the Netherlands, three worlds would not be enough, according to recent figures from the WWF. Most people will be unsettled by that thought, but above all I can see opportunities for our sustainable agriculture.

After all, the world’s food problem, because that is what we are talking about, is soluble. We have so many technical resources to produce food in a sustainable manner, but we can’t always make it economically viable.

Economic advantage

In fact, it is quite simple: if you want sustainable applications that will actually take place, then they should bring economic benefits. In other words: it cannot be the case that an entrepreneur, farmer or grower who invests in sustainable production, ends with his products on the same shelf as his colleagues who did not care about sustainable production…

Key to success

Who can we blame for that? The government? They may indeed show a little more vision when it comes to sustainable ambitions. The supermarkets? Of course they must be willing to give space to sustainable initiatives. The growers? I totally agree that producers are responsible for their own sales. But the biggest key to success for sustainable food production? That’s you, that’s me, that’s us. If we become more aware of our habits, if we make conscious choices when filling our shopping cart, then we ourselves will determine how sustainable the chain will become. And the government can help a little by encouraging innovations in the sector. Growers can help by distinguishing themselves from their colleagues with their sustainable products, but ultimately as customers we determine what will appear on the supermarket shelf. The choice is ours!