North Holland agricultural portal opening extended

Unique collaboration

The North Holland Agricultural Portal originated from "Working Together on Soil & Water"; a cooperation initiated by Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier with LTO Noord, the four agricultural collectives, KAVB, Province of North Holland and Waterschap Amstel, Gooi and Vecht. The goal of the cooperation is to make the agricultural business and water system in North Holland healthier and more resilient in terms of water quality, sufficient fresh water and soil quality.

Already more than 1,500 entrepreneurs are participating in the Agricultural Portal. This illustrates the movement towards more water- and soil-conscious farming. Many farmers in North Holland are open to the free advice of the coaches and actually get to work to make improvements on their farms. The success of the Landbouwportaal is reason for the collaborating partners to extend the opening until December 31, 2024.

Improvements

Making improvements does not always require large investments. Often a fresh look at the farmyard and some tips already helps them on their way. For those who can invest in above-legal measures, the Agricultural Portal can make a contribution with this new round of subsidies."

Popular measures

Even without a subsidy, you can contribute to better soil and water quality with certain measures. Such as not overfilling the solid manure storage and keeping the yard and feedstores swept clean. Or plowing at different depths to prevent the formation of a plow sole as much as possible. In previous rounds of subsidies, entrepreneurs often opted for a livestock watering trough so that cattle no longer trample the ditch banks when drinking water. Another popular measure is applying drift-reducing spraying techniques. This reduces the risk of plant protection products in surface water. For better freshwater availability, participants often choose an above-ground water basin or level-controlled drainage.