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How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

nationalgeographic.com

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Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#11

Post by tdons »

jeeeeb wrote: post #9

Not to talk down the Dutch achievement too much but the quality of statistics used in this article is terrible. Total monetary value of agricultural exports is a terrible way to measure output. It doesn't take into account: 1. Re-exports (Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe) 2. Specialisation in the production of certain goods (i.e. high imports and exports) 3. The high price of agricultural goods in Europe, driv…

It's in Dutch buy you can read about that here:

http://statline.cbs.nl/StatWeb/publication/?PA=7100oogs

Few examples (2017 data):

  Potatoes    36 900 kg/ha
  Sugar beets 93 300 kg/ha
  Wheat        9 100 kg/ha
  Rye          3 200 kg/ha
  Corn        13 500 kg/ha - 48 900 kg/ha (different kinds)
  Onions      55 700 kg/ha

Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#12

Post by pasta »

What is kind of funny is that people here like to pay more for 'organic' food because they think it's more healthy. But what comes from the greenhouse is so lab-grown it's more healthy than anything. Those labs also don't like to use pesticides because it's unhealthy for the workers and plants as well. They use insects to control pests.

The only problem with greenhouse food is that it tastes like nothing. A tomato grown on soil has much more taste than grown on water.

Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#14

Post by john_nik »

tbarbugli wrote: post #13

Only problem is that dutch vegetables have no taste and are still insane expensive compared to meat (which is also tasteless). So yeah, awesome thinkering and efficiency here, but quality is not there.

I can concur to this. I have a friend from Italy where he worked during the summers at family farms down south where they produced tomatoes the natural way. Eating tomatoes in Netherlands is like eating paper, he said. The same goes for lettuce. There is no taste and it goes bad/degrades much faster even if you keep it in the refrigerator

Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#15

Post by radicalbyte »

john_nik wrote: post #14
tbarbugli wrote: post #13

Only problem is that dutch vegetables have no taste and are still insane expensive compared to meat (which is also tasteless). So yeah, awesome thinkering and efficiency here, but quality is not there.

I can concur to this. I have a friend from Italy where he worked during the summers at family farms down south where they produced tomatoes the natural way. Eating tomatoes in Netherlands is like eating paper, he said. The same goes for lettuce. There is no taste and it goes bad/degrades much faster even if you keep it in the refrigerator

The same applies everywhere in Europe outside of Italy and France.

Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#16

Post by radicalbyte »

russellbeattie wrote: post #4

"Food Valley"? Oh, come on... they could have done better! How about "Sustenance Valley"? But that brings up a secondary point... a valley?? In Holland??

The region is called the Valley and it is - thanks to Wageningen University - a world leader in agricultural research. So the name makes sense.

I also live there; but to be honest they could rename it to "Randstad Valley" given the amount of people who are moving here from Amsterdam and Utrecht.

Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#17

Post by grenoire »

john_nik wrote: post #14
tbarbugli wrote: post #13

Only problem is that dutch vegetables have no taste and are still insane expensive compared to meat (which is also tasteless). So yeah, awesome thinkering and efficiency here, but quality is not there.

I can concur to this. I have a friend from Italy where he worked during the summers at family farms down south where they produced tomatoes the natural way. Eating tomatoes in Netherlands is like eating paper, he said. The same goes for lettuce. There is no taste and it goes bad/degrades much faster even if you keep it in the refrigerator

One of my biggest complaints about living in the Netherlands is the goddamned tomatoes. Even after seasoning them and trying many different kinds, I just couldn't find one that was like... a tomato, in the way that I know it.

Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#18

Post by radicalbyte »

tbarbugli wrote: post #13

Only problem is that dutch vegetables have no taste and are still insane expensive compared to meat (which is also tasteless). So yeah, awesome thinkering and efficiency here, but quality is not there.

Vegetables are only expensive because meat is heavily subsidised by the Common Agricultural Policy.

Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#19

Post by nroets »

jeeeeb wrote: post #9

Not to talk down the Dutch achievement too much but the quality of statistics used in this article is terrible. Total monetary value of agricultural exports is a terrible way to measure output. It doesn't take into account: 1. Re-exports (Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe) 2. Specialisation in the production of certain goods (i.e. high imports and exports) 3. The high price of agricultural goods in Europe, driv…

One would not expect The Netherlands to export so much in the presence of "high trade barriers". But I strongly suspect that trade barriers between European Union Members to be very low.

Low transport costs also helped The Netherlands achieve this position. Numerous highways, railways and waterways connect it to it's neighbours.

Re: How the Netherlands Feeds the World (2017)

#20

Post by paganel »

jeeeeb wrote: post #9

Not to talk down the Dutch achievement too much but the quality of statistics used in this article is terrible. Total monetary value of agricultural exports is a terrible way to measure output. It doesn't take into account: 1. Re-exports (Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe) 2. Specialisation in the production of certain goods (i.e. high imports and exports) 3. The high price of agricultural goods in Europe, driv…

> It doesn't take into account: 1. Re-exports (Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe)

At some point during Ceausescu’s later years Romania (my country) was one of the largest exporters of bananas in the world, as Romania was trading with many African countries using barter: we give you tractors and Romanian-built replicas of the AK-47, you give us bananas. Those bananas were later re-sold by the Romanian Government for much needed foreign currency.

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