Agro production parks: vision creation and vision

Context and connection with landscape developments

Towards the end of the 20^th century the Dutch agricultural sector was struggling with problems of pollution, competition, animal diseases, food safety, scarcity of space and public demand for improved animal welfare. Against that background, the Dutch National Council for Agricultural Research decided to explore possible system innovations. The explorations were continued by InnovationNetwork, the network organisation for system innovations that has succeeded the Council. It commissioned studies and organised brainstorming sessions with research institutes, businesses, public authorities and NGOs.

Initial definition of the system (start of the vision creation process)

One of the subjects InnovationNetwork engaged in was system innovation for the environment. The idea was that clustering different types of agriculture-related activity within a region could lead to substantial environmental gains. These clusters of business activity within a region were called ‘agro-production parks'.

Guiding principles

Guiding principles for formulating a vision for agro-production parks were:

• closing product cycles through the effective combination of functions;
• economically profitable systems;
• limiting transport.

Target scenarios

Wageningen University and TNO then were asked to produce different target scenarios. Two of these were:

Deltapark: intensive, footloose agricultural production in a sea port close to a densely populated area. A Deltapark (ranging in size from 30 to 100 hectares) combines the following functions: greenhouse horticulture and other types of indoor cultivation, protein production (pigs, poultry, fish and insects), slaughtering houses, meat processing, waste sorting and upgrading, finishing of products, a biorefinery, production of organic fertilisers and support activities such as packing and storage.

Greenpark: located in a specific region of the Netherlands, a greenpark combines sustainable exploitation of an area of several hundred square kilometres of farmland with industrial processing units that generate high added value. By clustering production and processing activities, there is less transport of raw materials and semi-manufactures. Production consists of fibre crops, protein and starch crops, flower bulbs, grass and clover and extensive animal farming.

 Pig flat

The most controversial concept proved to be the Deltapark. Known as the ‘pig flat', it generated a lot of reactions, both positive and negative. One of the criticisms of the Deltapark concept was that it portrayed livestock farming as an industrial activity. Deltapark also caused opposition among some people because the business model represents a break with the traditional family-run farm.

Sources

• De Wilt. J., H. van Oosten en L. Sterrenberg (red) (2000). Agroproduction parks: perspectives and dilemmas. InnovatieNetwerk Groene Ruimte: Den Haag.
• InnovatieNetwerk (2005) Agropark. The concept, the responses, the practice. InnovatieNetwerk: Utrecht.