Economic situation of the Netherlands. Dutch economy. Money circulation, banking and budget
6.1 Dutch industry
Specialized branches of the Dutch manufacturing industry are food, petrochemical and oil refining, electronic engineering. The leading industry is the food industry (21.7% of added value of the manufacturing industry and 20.2% of merchandise exports). It is deployed on the basis of highly developed Dutch agriculture and is focused primarily on the production of processed products from national dairy farming. The Netherlands occupies one of the leading places in the world in the production of dairy products (cheeses, butter, milk powder, etc.). Important areas of the industry are sugar production, processing of fruits and vegetables, as well as the production of cocoa, chocolate, and tea, which have been preserved since colonial times. The Netherlands ranks 3rd in the world in beer production and is one of the world's largest producers of soft drinks. 14.3% of the added value of the manufacturing industry and 18% of merchandise exports come from oil refining and petrochemicals. The petrochemical industry uses this raw material base, as well as its own natural gas. Organic synthesis products and plastics are widely represented in this industry (in terms of their production, the Netherlands is in the top ten global producers; the share in world trade of these products is 16.8%).
The production of synthetic detergents and the paint and varnish industry are also developed (the Netherlands is the world's largest producer of varnishes and paints); production of chemical products from petroleum raw materials; rubber processing (for the production of packaging and construction materials and for the automotive industry); The pharmaceutical industry has been growing rapidly in the last decade. The textile industry specializes in the production of cotton, wool and viscose fabrics. The Netherlands is a leading exporter of viscose. Electronics products, which account for approximately 45% of the Dutch mechanical engineering output, account for 12.4% of industrial value added and 18.9% of merchandise exports. The main directions are the production of office equipment and computers, audio and video equipment, and medical equipment. In mechanical engineering and transport engineering, shipbuilding and ship repair, concentrated in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, are of greatest importance. In 1993, the Netherlands launched merchant ships with a total displacement of 163 thousand tons. Shipyards produce stationary motors, marine engines, pumps, cranes and other port equipment. Mechanical engineering enterprises also produce metal structures and equipment for the production of milk, margarine and butter.
6.2 Agriculture
Agriculture in the Netherlands is highly selective and highly specialized due to unfavorable natural conditions. Preference is given to livestock breeding, production of dairy products and cultivation of vegetable and horticultural crops for export. Agriculture in the Netherlands is highly productive, with a strong export focus. The Netherlands ranks first among developed countries in terms of growth in agricultural production. Products produced per hectare of farmland in value terms are three times greater than the average for the EEC countries. 50% of the country's territory is allocated for agricultural land. The soil is carefully maintained; there is no undeveloped (waste) land. All farms are electrified, many of them use computers and automation systems. The Netherlands ranks first in the world in the use of mineral fertilizers and one of the first in the growth rate of agricultural production.
Family farming is the backbone of the Dutch agricultural sector. Dutch farms are characterized by a high level of intensification and knowledge-intensity of production, organization and labor efficiency, which provides even small farmers with sufficient income. In addition, family farmers remain sustainable thanks to the existence of strong cooperatives. Dutch farmers pay great attention to breeding work; there are numerous agricultural schools in the country. The very first improved agricultural school in Europe was established in 1918 in Wageningen. The main form of land ownership is private property (65% of agricultural land). Land is purchased on the basis of market prices, its value is determined primarily by economics. factors (fertility, location, availability of infrastructure). One of the functions of land owned by a farmer is to use it as collateral to obtain a bank loan from the farmers' cooperative bank, Rabobank. The most important direction of development of the agricultural sector is dairy farming based on a powerful natural feed base, determined by favorable natural resources. In addition, active selection and breeding work is being carried out aimed at increasing livestock productivity. Dutch cattle breeds are distinguished by very high productivity (average milk yield is over 9 thousand liters). A significant part of the milk is processed by the cheese and butter industries and goes into the production of powdered and condensed milk. Meat farming is dominated by pig farming (13.1 million heads) and poultry farming (106 million broiler chickens). The importance of sheep breeding remains (1.3 million heads). Plant growing is represented by grains (cultivated area - 806 thousand hectares). Wheat and barley are grown on clay soils in the northern and western regions. Sugar beet crops are concentrated in these same areas and in the south of Limburg. Corn is also grown for silage as feed for livestock, potatoes, and onions. Industrial crops include flax for fiber, rapeseed for seed, and chicory. Almost 25% of agricultural production comes from vegetable gardening, floriculture, and horticulture. Vegetable products are very diverse: cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, chicory, carrots, various salads; in greenhouses - large harvests of grapes and tomatoes are harvested; cucumbers, peppers, and champignons are also grown. .Dutch vegetables are of high quality and are in no less demand in European markets than vegetables from Mediterranean countries. The main vegetable growing areas are North and South Holland. North Brabant and Limburg. The most common fruit crops are apple, pear, cherry and plum, and berry crops are strawberries, raspberries, and currants. Grapes, peaches, and plums are grown in greenhouses. Orchards are concentrated mainly in the western and southern parts of the country - in the west of North Brabant, the south of Gelderland (Belowe region) and in Limburg. The Dutch floriculture industry occupies a leading position in the world both in terms of volume and range. The main volume of production falls on bulbous flowers (tulips, gladioli, daffodils, lilies, hyacinths). Their open ground area is 16.4 thousand hectares. Cut flowers (chrysanthemums, roses, freesias, carnations) are grown in greenhouses (5.2 hectares). There are about 800 species of tulips alone in the country, and 250 species of asters. Seeds and seedlings are also exported. The “Kingdom of Flowers” is located near Haarlem, on a land that was drained in the 20th century. seabed. From 16 wholesale flower auctions, cut flowers are sent to many European countries, including the Russian Federation. Flower bulbs of various varieties are sold in almost all countries of the world. The export of flowers from Holland accounts for 65% of world flower exports, which gives the country significant income. In fishing, the main directions are sea and coastal. Along with this, shellfish cultivation, inland fishing, and aquatic crops are carried out. Marine and coastal fishing is carried out with the help of a modern fleet consisting of boats and freezer vessels (trawlers). A fleet of boats fishes for sole, flounder, cod, whiting, herring and shrimp. Economically, the most important fishery is the flounder fishery. The trawler fleet fishes for herring, mackerel (mackerel) and horse mackerel. Along with this, shellfish fishing is of particular importance, which is carried out mainly in the waters of Zealand (in the southwest of the Netherlands) and in the Wadden Sea (in the north).
Despite being located in the Netherlands, it is often referred to as "Germany's largest port" due to its extreme importance to the German economy.
Most of the raw materials needed to support the highly developed German industry come from here.
The port is capable of handling some of the largest merchant ships on the planet, giving it priority over all other ports of its size in the world.
Every year it brings direct revenues totaling hundreds of millions of euros to the Netherlands, but this is only a small part of its benefit to the country.
The Port of Rotterdam offers many other benefits for the Netherlands. One of them is that it creates an exceptional basis for the development of trade and finance and makes the Netherlands a very attractive destination for foreign investment.
Agriculture is the second largest exporter after the United States, and the food industry is one of the most advanced in the world
Despite its small size, the Netherlands is a true giant in agriculture.
The Dutch often joke that their country is small, but every square meter of it is of the highest quality. In terms of income from agricultural exports, the country ranks first in Europe and second after.
Fertile soils and a mild, humid climate have become a good basis for the development of the industry, and a high degree of mechanization optimizes production as much as possible.
The Netherlands is a global producer of vegetables (eg tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.), fruits (apples, pears, etc.), dairy products (local cheeses are some of the most famous in the world) and flowers (mainly tulips).
Well-known brands in the food industry are produced here, such as Heineken and Amstel beer and Gouda cheese. The country is popular for its high quality chocolate and sausages.
Investments in innovation and promising industries
The Netherlands invests large sums in various sectors and the results are not long in coming.
The country is investing in the development of medicine, education, new technologies, ecology, and agricultural mechanization.
Amsterdam - a cosmopolitan city by Moyan Brenn
Despite the lack of green energy opportunities, the country is making great efforts in this area.
The main focus is on obtaining electricity generated by wind turbines located in the coastal areas of the North Sea.
The Dutch city of Eindhoven, along with parts of neighboring countries, falls into an area considered the most innovative and promising on the continent.
Highly developed industry
The country imports cheap raw materials and exports finished high-quality products. In practice, the Netherlands produces almost everything it needs.
They are one of the world leaders in the production of machinery and electronics. The headquarters of technology giant Philips is located here.
The exclusive sports car brand Spyker Cars is a Dutch brand.
Dutch engineering genius
Most of the Netherlands is below sea level. Therefore, Dutch engineers are faced with situations in the fight against nature that are unfamiliar to other countries.
Here, some of the world's best scientists create many miracles. One of these miracles is the mobile locks that protect Rotterdam and the port from flooding in bad weather.
The system is so perfect that it can “make decisions” itself, without calculations or human intervention.
When the level of the North Sea rises, the locks close and protect vast areas from flooding.
It is this location of the Netherlands that is the reason for the ingenious engineering solutions, since great ingenuity is required to overcome Mother Nature and turn the negatives into positives.
Leading financial center
In finance, reputation is one of the leading factors, and the Netherlands has a very good image.
Most would describe it as a rich, calm, stable, modern, democratic and forward-looking country.
After five centuries of rapid development, today the Netherlands is one of the world leaders in the service sector.
It is home to some of the world's leading financial institutions, one of which is the world famous ING.
In addition, few people know that the stock exchange in Amsterdam is the oldest in the world.
Developed tourism
The Netherlands is one of the most visited places in Europe. Its main attraction is the cosmopolitan city of Amsterdam, considered the most modern and tolerant in Europe.
The city is known in the world for its largest number of museums. Every year, the country is visited by more than four and a half million tourists.
Some of the symbols of the Netherlands are vast fields planted with tulips, windmills and canals crossing the country.
Entrepreneurial spirit
A country is rich when its people are rich. The best way to make one society rich is to promote entrepreneurship.
The Netherlands is among the countries with the highest percentage of entrepreneurs per capita. The foundations for this way of thinking are laid at a very early age.
At home and at school, the Dutch raise their children to develop their creativity and sensitivity to new and innovative ideas.
You can often hear: “Come to the Netherlands and you will see what the world will look like in a few decades.” And this is absolutely true.
The country is one of the places in the world with the highest percentage of startups, and Amsterdam has a hard time competing with any other city in this regard.
We live in an era of high technology and the Dutch have been very successful in taking advantage of this - today most enterprises in the Netherlands start their business on the Internet.
Population is a country's greatest asset when it comes to entrepreneurship.
In practice, the Netherlands is the center of one of the most economically developed regions in the world.
Excellent infrastructure
Undoubtedly, the Netherlands falls into the top ten countries with the best infrastructure in the world, and is quite often compared to South Korea in this regard.
An ideal network of highways and first-class roads, modern airports and ports, all this can outshine almost all other countries in the world.
The Netherlands occupies a prestigious first place in terms of quality and reliability of electricity supply.
Immigrants
Of all the countries of the Old World, the Netherlands is the country with the most reasonable and balanced immigration policy and despite the fact that among the countries of the European Union, it receives a large number of immigrants coming from outside the community.
The country is often rewarded for its quick and easy process of providing workers with highly skilled workers, which in turn propels its economy forward and makes it more competitive.
NETHERLANDS
(Kingdom of the Netherlands)
In the west of the Central European Plain, at the confluence of the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt into the North Sea, there is a small state of the Netherlands, also known as “Holland”. These names are quite close in meaning: “Netherlands” - “low-lying country”, “Holland” - “land without a solid foundation”. The name "Holland" essentially refers only to the two western provinces (North and South Holland), which were the historical core of the state and still retain a leading role in its political, economic and cultural life. There is little justification for bringing this name to the entire country. In all government documents, only the name “Netherlands” is accepted, which does not cause any discrepancies!!!
1. The Netherlands is famous for its abundance of inland waters. The area of the country, including the area of all rivers, lakes and canals, is 41.2 thousand square meters. km., and without water areas - 36.9 thousand sq. km. This small territory is home to 14.56 million people. The borders of the Netherlands with Belgium and Germany run along plains and are almost never connected with natural boundaries. Ethnic and linguistic differences in the border areas are equally not pronounced. There are Flemings on both sides of the Dutch-Belgian border, and small groups of Dutch and Frisians in northwestern Germany. The maritime borders of the Netherlands lie along the North Sea shelf. This shallow water basin, rich in oil and gas reserves, is divided between Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium based on equal distances from the nearest coastal points. The Netherlands owns a significant area in the south and southwest of the shelf.
The Netherlands occupies an advantageous position at the crossroads of many European and intercontinental routes of communication. The country directly faces the North Sea, through which cargo and passenger ships sail between Europe and America. The central transport and geographical position of the Netherlands contributed to the development on its territory of such giant international industrial and transport complexes as Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Almost the entire densely populated and industrially developed estuary part of the Rhine serves as the “sea gate” of Europe.
Officially, the king is considered the head of state. The monarch exercises legislative power, together with the Estates General (parliament), consisting of 2 chambers. The 1st chamber is elected by the provincial states on the basis of proportional representation, and the 2nd is elected by direct elections with universal equal and secret suffrage.
Through parliament, the ruling circles pass laws favorable to monopoly capital. With the consent of parliament, the country was involved in the North Atlantic bloc (NATO), which determined its foreign policy course and strengthened economic ties with other members of this group.
The Netherlands is also part of the European Economic Community (EEC).
Administratively, the country consists of historically established provinces. Each province has local governments (provincial - states) headed by commissioners. Provinces are divided into urban and rural communities.
MAJOR HISTORICAL EVENTS
In the 2nd half of the 1st millennium BC. The territory of the present Netherlands was mainly inhabited by Celts. By the beginning of AD Germanic tribes also moved here, the most numerous of which were the Frisians!
The era of the Roman conquests (1st century BC - 4th century AD) left a significant mark on the history of the Netherlands. The Romans built fortresses, laid roads, dug the first canals connecting rivers. From the 3rd century. AD The Saxons and Franks began to move here, assimilating the Celts and Batavians who lived here before them. Only the northern regions were still held by independent Frisians. The increasing onslaught of the Germanic tribes greatly weakened the dominance of the Romans, and in the 5th century. AD the last Roman legions left these areas. In the 5th century, the Frankish state was formed, especially strengthened under Charlemagne (768-814).
NATURE OF THE NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands is a country of lowlands! Most of its territory is located below sea level and only 30% rises above sea level by more than 1 meter, and 2% above 50 meters. The surface of the country rises to the east, reaching 321 m above sea level. sea at the junction of the borders of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Almost the entire territory of the Netherlands is covered with loose Quaternary sediments. Bedrock is exposed only in limited areas in the east and southeast; in other areas they are deeply immersed. Here, since the Paleozoic, there has been a subsidence of the earth's crust, promoting a powerful accumulation of sediments.
Many mineral deposits are associated with sedimentary rocks here. In the extreme southeast of the country, in Limburg, productive coal seams of the Upper Carboniferous have accumulated. In the northeast, rich deposits of rock salt and rich accumulations of natural gas are discovered in Upper Permian sedimentary strata. The largest oil deposits in this part of the country, as well as in South Holland, are confined to Lower Cretaceous deposits.
A belt of dunes stretches along the coast of the Netherlands, which is most densely preserved in the west, where it reaches a height of 20 to 56 meters. The climate of the Netherlands is determined by its position in temperate latitudes. Due to the small size of the country and the absence of significant elevations, climatic differences are weakly expressed. The sky is often overcast, and cloudy, rapidly changing weather with thick fog is typical. On average, there are only 30-36 clear days in the country per year. The annual amount of precipitation reaches 650-700 mm, with the maximum occurring in the period August - October. The average temperature in January ranges from -3 to -1 degrees C, and in July (+17 - +20) degrees Celsius.
The annual flow of rivers in the country is estimated at 110 billion. cubic meters Of these, 70 fall on the Rhine.
The bulk of forests in the Netherlands were cleared before the beginning of the twentieth century, when the forested area reached its lowest level and amounted to 160 thousand hectares. By today, it has increased to approximately 300 thousand hectares, which, however, does not exceed 1/10 of the country’s area.
POPULATION OF THE COUNTRY
The majority of the population of the Netherlands are Dutch, living mainly in the northern, eastern and central regions. The official language of the country is Dutch (Dutch). It formed and spread to almost all provinces back in the 17th century. The southern provinces of the Netherlands - North Brabant and Limburg are inhabited by Flemings, who make up 13% of the total population. In the north, in the provinces of Friesland, Groningen and the West Frisian Islands, there lives a small Frisian people, whose number does not exceed 250 thousand people.
According to religion, the population of the Netherlands is divided into 2 groups: Catholics and Protestants. There are about 50% Catholics and 40% Protestants in the country.
Compared to other Western European countries, the Netherlands is characterized by rapid population growth (during the 1st half of the 20th century, the country's population doubled).
In terms of population density, the Netherlands ranks 1st in Western Europe (except for microstates). The average population density is > 360 people/1 sq. km. But in the cities of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, etc. population density is approximately 2200 inhabitants per sq. km.
Of the total number of economically active population (4.8 million people) in industry. 32% are employed, in trade and transport - 25%, in agriculture and fishing - only 6%!
ECONOMY OF THE COUNTRY
In the post-war period, the Netherlands turned from an industrial-agrarian to an industrial country with a highly developed service sector!!! The discovery of rich gas deposits in the 1960s accelerated the country's economic development and eased its dependence on imported raw materials.
The country's economy is dominated by the large monopolies ROYAL DUTCH SHELL, which together with STANDARD OIL OF NEW JERSEY controls > 1/2 of oil production, oil refining and half of natural gas production, etc. After World War II, huge gas deposits were discovered in the country (2.4 trillion cubic meters). The country took 3rd place in gas production (after the USA and the former USSR)
The country has a large number of power plants. The largest thermal power plants - Gertreidenburg, Velsen (both 900 thousand kW) and Dordrecht (> 500 thousand kW) are located in a densely populated part of the country. The total amount of electricity in the country exceeded 60 billion kW.
The most famous are: Philips, Fokker aircraft factories, etc.
Metallurgy, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering industry. They gravitate towards ports. The main center of the iron and steel industry, IJmuiden, is actually the outport of Amsterdam. The country produces more than 5 million tons of steel per year.
Non-ferrous metallurgy, using imported concentrates, is concentrated in several centers. Tin and lead are produced in Arnhem, zinc and cadmium in Büdel, and aluminum in Delfzijl and Vlissingham.
One of the fastest growing sectors of Dutch industry is mechanical engineering. The production of transport equipment, control and measuring instruments, and sets of machines for the food and chemical industries, as well as for agriculture, is growing rapidly. The largest centers of the electrical industry are Eindhoven, Rotterdam and Zwolle.
Among the branches of transport engineering, shipbuilding is the leader in terms of the cost of products. The country's shipyards build ocean liners, cargo and fishing vessels, tugs, yachts, etc.
The products of the Dutch pharmaceutical industry are known in many countries: antibiotics, insulin. vitamin D, etc. The Netherlands ranks first in the world in the export of dairy products. Food businesses are fairly evenly distributed throughout the country.
Agriculture of the Netherlands.
There is practically no abandoned land in the Netherlands (all land suitable for agricultural needs is carefully cultivated). The agricultural country is characterized by high technical equipment and widespread use of mineral fertilizers.
Source: National Geographic Russia Frank Viviano
In a potato field near the Belgian border, Dutch farmer Jacob Fondenborn monitors field work from the cab of a giant combine harvester. Before his eyes is a panel that is as complex as the captain's cabin of a starship. From a three-meter height, he controls two other devices: a drone tractor operating in the field and a quadcopter hovering in the air - it collects important information about the chemical composition of the soil and monitors the condition of each plant.
The yield in the fields of Fondenborn confirms the correctness of the chosen approach - following the rules of so-called precision farming, with a world average of 20 tons, Jacob harvests more than 47 tons of potatoes per hectare. Such an outstanding result is even more admirable if you carefully examine the other side of the financial statements - the farmer's expenses. Almost twenty years ago, the Netherlands made a bet on “renewable” agriculture, choosing the ambitious slogan: “Double the output by halving the resources used.”
Since 2000, Jacob, like many other farmers in the country, has reduced water requirements for a number of crops by 90 percent, while almost completely stopping the use of pesticides in greenhouses, and since 2009, Dutch poultry and livestock farms have reduced their use by 60 percent. antibiotics. Holland is a densely populated country, with more than 500 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is deprived of almost all the resources that, according to traditional ideas, are necessary for successful farming on an industrial scale. And yet, the Netherlands managed to become second in the world in food exports, second only to the United States, whose territory is 270 times larger than the Dutch. How did you manage to achieve record numbers?
Seen from above, Holland does not look like a country with mass agricultural production: numerous patches of densely planted fields, each quite small by modern standards. In the main agricultural regions of the country it is difficult to find a potato field, a greenhouse or a pigsty, in the vicinity of which there would not be some kind of skyscraper, factory or other urban development. Moreover, more than half of the land in the country is occupied by agriculture and crop production. Dutch greenhouse complexes lie like a necklace of seemingly gigantic mirrors, glistening in the midday sun, and at night flashing with an unearthly glow. The area of some reaches 70 hectares. It is thanks to these extraordinary greenhouses, which maintain a constant internal microclimate, that the country, located 1,600 kilometers from the Arctic Circle, has become a world leader in the export of heat-loving plants such as tomatoes. In addition to them, the Dutch hold first place in the world in the export of potatoes and onions, and also occupy second place in the supply of vegetables in general. More than a third of global transactions in the vegetable seed market are also concluded in Holland.
How to choose lighting for the best growth of tomatoes? At what angle should the light be directed: from above, from the side or from all sides? Botanist Henk Kokmon from the Delphy Improvement Center, located in Bleiswijk, Holland, is trying to find answers to these questions. Success in the innovative development of the agricultural sector is ensured by close interaction between science and business. Photo: Luca Locatelli The think tank, without which farmers would not be able to achieve such impressive yields, is located at Wageningen University (WUR) 80 kilometers from Amsterdam. It is considered a world leader in agriculture-related research and is a key element in the Dutch Food Valley, a cluster of agricultural start-ups and experimental farms.
Ernst Fondenende is Managing Director of the Department of Botany at WUR. He is a prominent scientist, a recognized world authority in the field of plant pathology. Fondenende describes his role as follows: “I work in the Botany Department half the time, and the rest of the time I look after the nine business units that do research for commercial clients. Only such an organization of scientific work - in close connection with business - will help find solutions to the problems of the near future.”
What problems is Fondenende talking about? The scientist is very categorical in his forecasts: “In the next 40 years, global food production needs to exceed the total harvests collected by humanity over the past 8 thousand years! "
And all because, according to experts, by 2050 the world's population will increase from the current 7.5 to 10 billion people, and if it is not possible to significantly increase crop yields, while significantly reducing the use of water and fossil fuels, then a whole billion people are at risk of starvation (and perhaps this is still an optimistic estimate). It is to solve the problem of hunger that researchers in the Food Valley are working. Fondenende argues that everything needed to prevent a worldwide famine is at hand.
The scientist’s optimism is supported by the results of more than a thousand WUR projects around the world (more than 140 countries), as well as agreements concluded with governments and universities on five continents to implement these projects.
In a conversation with Fondenende, I get answers to many questions. “Drought in Africa? Lack of water is only part of the problem, but not its essence. It’s all about poor soils,” explains the scientist. - The lack of nutrients can be compensated by cultivating plants that form symbiosis with special bacteria - factories of their own fertilizers. Is the cost of animal feed constantly rising? It is necessary to switch to feeding animals with insects - for example, locusts. From one hectare of land it is possible to get about a ton of soy protein per year - this is what animals are now fed with. But from the same hectare you can collect up to 150 tons of protein, the source of which will be insects.” “Look at the example of Bali! - Fondenende admires. “For at least a thousand years, farmers here have raised ducks and fish in the same flooded fields where they grow rice. They managed to form a self-sufficient system, supplied with water through a complex network of canals - today it stretches along the mountain terraces." However, the Dutch themselves have undeniable achievements: here, almost every square meter of land is literally imbued with the ideas of resource-saving agriculture.
The farm of Ted Dovestein and his brothers - Peter, Ronald and Remko is a kind of paradise on Earth, or, if you like, on earth. Like the people of distant Bali, the Dovesteins have built a self-sufficient food system in which they have achieved an almost perfect balance between natural resources and human ingenuity.
In their 14.5-hectare greenhouse complex, visitors stroll among dark green tomato branches that reach 6 meters in height. Plant roots do not go into the usual soil, but into a woven fibrous material made of basalt and chalk.
In 2004, the farming brothers began a complete restructuring of their 70-year-old farm. The main principle underlying their economy is resource independence. The farm is almost completely self-sufficient in electricity and fertilizers. The greenhouses maintain an optimal temperature for the growth of tomatoes; heating occurs due to the energy of geothermal waters, the hot layers of which lie under most of the territory of the Netherlands.
According to Ted, the farm manager, the only source of moisture is rainwater. For every kilogram of plant material planted in fibrous material, no more than 14 liters of water are required - quite a bit compared to 60 liters of water for plants in open ground.
Farmer Josper Ussoren checks the generator that turns biogas into electricity used to light the farm. The heat and carbon dioxide released during this process are used to heat the greenhouses and also accelerate the growth of plants. Photo: Luca Locatelli ...Half a century ago, Jan Koppert, who grew cucumbers on his plot of land, sprayed them with insecticides to rid the plants of pests. One day, at a doctor’s appointment, Ian learned that he was allergic to such a “chemical” - and decided to better study the natural enemies of insects and mites that plagued his cucumbers.
At the same time, Coppert’s legions bring not only death - there are also creative tools. Take the bees, tirelessly flying from flower to flower, collecting nectar for their queen and pollinating plants along the way. Farmers who use the services of Coppert bees harvest 20-30 percent more crops, and their services cost half as much as artificial pollination.
At the forefront of agricultural technology in Holland is working with embryos, which in a sense also includes seeds. It is in this area of scientific knowledge that heated debates about the future of agriculture flare up. The main stumbling block is the issue of using GMOs to develop more productive and pest-resistant crops.
Dutch companies occupy leading positions in the global seed trade, with exports reaching $1.7 billion in 2016. However, they do not sell products with GMOs, since they use the latest advances in molecular selection, during which foreign genes are not introduced into plants.
The catalog of Rijk Zwaan, one of the Dutch seed producers, offers products for more than 25 different groups of vegetable crops, most of which are able to resist pests. Helein Bos is responsible for the company's environmentally friendly products business as well as international projects. When preparing for a meeting with Helaine, you expect to hear a detailed story about how a single seed of a greenhouse tomato from Rijk Zwaan can produce as much as 70 kilograms of fruit, and costs no more than 50 cents. But Helene Bos brings up the fact that hundreds of millions of people - most of them women and children - are chronically food insecure.
Like many other employees of Food Valley companies, Bos has experience working in the fields of some of the poorest countries on the planet. Having lived in Mozambique, Nicaragua and Bangladesh, she knows full well that hunger and food insecurity are not abstract threats. “Of course, we cannot implement all the advanced Dutch technologies in these countries overnight,” explains Helein. “But we are gradually implementing interim solutions that can lead to noticeable progress.” And he gives a compelling example: the rapid and widespread adoption of inexpensive plastic greenhouses, which has ensured a threefold increase in the yield of some crops compared to results in open ground, where plants suffer from pests and insufficient irrigation.
Since 2008, Rijk Zwaan has supported a plant breeding project on a 20-hectare experimental field at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Seeds collected here are sent to Holland for tests on germination rates and pest resistance. In addition, several projects have been launched with local farmers in Kenya, Peru and Guatemala.
As Helaine Bos explained, they are trying to develop seeds suitable for the specific conditions of these countries. “We maintain constant contact with local farmers to better understand their needs, financial capabilities, and climatic characteristics of their regions. The information they provide is extremely important,” says Helaine.
For some Dutch, the problem of food shortages goes back to the relatively recent past - in the last year of World War II, between 10 and 20 thousand people died of starvation in Nazi-occupied territories. Decades after the tragic events, Wageningen University sustainability specialist Rudi Rabinge decided to take the fight against hunger to a new level by initiating changes to the student body and curriculum so that “the university serves the whole world, not just the Dutch.” Today, much of the research at WUR is aimed at solving the problems facing the world's poorest nations.
About 45 percent of students come from abroad, representing over 100 nationalities. Asians - most from China and Indonesia - outnumber all Europeans combined. WUR graduates are eagerly accepted for high positions in agricultural ministries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America.
In the campus cafeteria, I met WUR's most promising students - three girls from Uganda, Nepal and Indonesia. “I once met a Wageningen graduate,” Likh Nandudu tells how she ended up at WUR. “She turned out to be an expert in phenotypic variability - an in-depth study of the various properties and capabilities of a plant. Her example inspired me and I was able to receive a WUR scholarship.” At home in Uganda, Father Lih grows bananas and coffee trees. “We have the same problems as most farmers, only some are even more acute - due to global warming,” the girl explains.
Pragya Shrestha comes from the Nepalese hinterland. Part of the land in her homeland turned out to be completely unsuitable for farming due to many years of use of pesticides and fertilizers. “The problem is mostly political,” says Pragya. - Funding is required to introduce new methods in agriculture. The high population density complicates the task: land is divided into such small plots that they are suitable only for manual cultivation, and this reduces the income of farmers.”
Renna Eliana Warjoto is from Bandung, the third largest city in Indonesia. “People are distrustful of innovations from abroad,” she says. “Farmers are used to barely making ends meet; it’s hard for them to even imagine living differently.”
The farm, set up in a former factory in The Hague, grows vegetables and raises fish. The production cycle is self-sufficient: fish waste fertilizes the plants, which, in turn, filter the water in the aquariums. Nearby restaurants proudly serve local vegetables and city snappers. Photo: Luca Locatelli Food crises continue in Asia and Africa. In 1944-1945, a terrible famine occurred on the island of Java near Bandung, which claimed the lives of 2.4 million people. More recently, in 2005, Indonesia was seriously affected by crop failures of the country's traditional crops.
Food supplies in Nepal's villages periodically run out due to drought and high prices for vital imported goods. In 2011, 13 million people starved in Somalia; in 2017, 1.6 million Ugandans are at risk of starvation unless urgent help comes from abroad. No one could have foreseen such national disasters, but they all pale in comparison to the threats of the near future.
The number of people living in African countries who are at risk of hunger already exceeds 20 million, and according to the UN, the number is growing. “The most difficult task is to change the mentality of the people of my country, to explain to them what crisis we are facing and what needs to be done to get out of it,” Likh Nandudu is sure. “That’s what I’ll do when I return home.”
6,600 kilometers south of Wageningen, in the East African Rift Valley, in a family's bean field, a team of engineers from Dutch agtech company SoilCares is teaching local farmers how to use a small, palm-sized device. This is a soil analyzer, it can measure pH, organic matter content and other soil properties. By uploading the results of the measurements via a special application to a database in Holland, in less than 10 minutes you can receive an analysis with recommendations for the application of additional fertilizers and nutrients. The cost of such research for the farmer is only a few dollars, and it will be possible to reduce losses significantly - a real breakthrough in agriculture.
“We constantly ask ourselves how our work will benefit developing countries,” says Martin Schholtern, head of the Livestock Department at WUR. “This is a necessary part of the discussion of any project we work on.” The answer to this question may soon be given by one of WUR’s foreign graduates.
The Netherlands is an export-oriented, highly internationally integrated tertiary (service-dominated) economy with a strong financial services sector in North-West Europe.
Current economic situation
In the rankings of the World Trade Organization, the country is regularly among the top five largest exporters in the world (after the USA, Germany and Japan). At the same time, the central role in export operations belongs to the seaport of Rotterdam and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (Dutch: Schiphol).
Thanks to its favorable geographical location, the Netherlands is one of the important transport and logistics hubs in the system of European and world trade.
The Port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe and the only one of the ten largest ports in the world not located in Asia. In 2015, its cargo turnover reached approximately 466 million tons. At the same time, further growth of the port is expected, and constant investments are being made to expand its capacity. The investment project “Maasvlakte 2” (Dutch: Maasvlakte 2) especially stands out against the general background, within the framework of which a new port area of about 2000 hectares was developed for a modern container terminal.
Schiphol Airport is one of the largest in Europe (in 2015 its passenger turnover was about 58 million people). In 2015, its cargo turnover reached approximately 1.6 million tons.
The Netherlands has a highly competitive agricultural sector and ranks second in the world in agricultural exports after the United States (2015: €8,247 billion). About 56% of the entire territory of the country is used for the needs of the agricultural sector. In 2015-2016, the Netherlands ranked 5th in the world (among 148 countries) in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index.
After the financial, economic and debt crisis of 2008 and the resulting decline in economic output, the country is once again experiencing economic growth. Thus, in 2016 the economy is expected to grow by 1.8%.
For many years the driving force Dutch economy There was an export sector, but recently its growth has been driven mainly by increased demand in the domestic market, a recovery in the real estate market and low inflation.
The average unemployment rate in 2015 was about 6.9%. The youth unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the European Union (5th highest among EU countries) and amounts to 11.43%.
Along with the urban agglomeration Randstad (Dutch: Randstad), which includes 4 large cities in the western part of the country (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht) and is not only a driving economic force, but also the cultural center of the Netherlands, an important role in the national economy plays an innovative high-tech cluster created in the Eindhoven metropolis within the framework of the Brainport Initiative project and based on the partnership of municipalities with enterprises and research institutions in the region.
Infrastructure
This state has a well-developed network of highways. The railway network is also highly developed, covering the entire territory of the country.
However, the main logistical advantage of the Netherlands is the presence of a developed network of external and internal shipping routes. Firstly, the country is located in the deltas of several large rivers (the Rhine, or rather its main branch, the Waal, as well as the Meuse, Lek and Scheldt), and in addition has an extensive network of canals passable for relatively large ships.
International trade
The country's largest trading partner is Germany. Germany accounts for about a quarter of all Dutch exports (including re-exports). At the same time, the main volume of imports also comes into the country from Germany.
The main exports of the Netherlands are food, fresh flowers, machinery and equipment, chemical products and natural gas.
The main imports include fruits and grains, oil and various vehicles.
The Netherlands has a small positive foreign trade balance, that is, the volume of exports slightly exceeds the volume of imports.
