Opening of North Holland agricultural portal extended
The subsidy regulation for extra-legal measures to improve soil and water quality will remain open for longer. Farmers in North Holland can make a free appointment with a coach via www.landbouwportaalnoordholland.nl. The coaches provide advice on the topics of mineral and nutrient runoff, sustainable soil use, crop protection products, plot and bank design & management, and freshwater measures.
Unique collaboration
The North Holland Agricultural Portal originated from 'Working Together on Soil & Water', a collaboration initiated by the Hollands Noorderkwartier Water Board with LTO Noord, the four agricultural collectives, KAVB, the Province of North Holland, and the Amstel, Gooi, and Vecht Water Board. The aim of the collaboration is to make agriculture and the water system in North Holland healthier and more resilient in terms of water quality, sufficient fresh water, and soil quality.
More than 1,500 entrepreneurs are already participating in the Agricultural Portal. This illustrates the movement towards more water- and soil-conscious entrepreneurship. Many farmers in North Holland are open to the free advice offered by the coaches and are actually taking steps to improve their businesses. The success of the Agricultural Portal is reason for the collaborating partners to continue opening up the Agricultural Portal. Due to the enormous demand at HHNK, the scheme has been temporarily suspended in 2025. However, it will still be possible to seek advice from coaches this year. Subsidies will be available again at HHNK in 2026.
Improvements
Implementing improvements does not always require large investments. Often, a fresh look at the farm and a few tips are all it takes to get them started. For those who are able to invest in measures that exceed legal requirements, the Agriculture Portal can contribute with this new round of subsidies.
Popular measures
Even without subsidies, you can contribute to better soil and water quality by taking certain measures. For example, do not overfill solid manure storage facilities and keep the yard and feed storage areas swept clean. Or plow at different depths to prevent the formation of a plow pan as much as possible. In previous subsidy rounds, entrepreneurs often opted for a livestock drinking trough, so that the livestock no longer trample the ditch banks when drinking water. Another popular measure is the use of drift-reducing spraying techniques. This reduces the risk of crop protection products entering surface water. To improve the availability of fresh water, participants often opt for an above-ground water basin or level-controlled drainage.