The Commission’s plan will not work to reduce dependence on fertilizers, Huitema says in a conversation with Stefan de Vries and Geert Jan Hahn. But also with regard to the accessibility of fertilizers, because price increases cause big problems on the market.
Engine of inflation
‘Not only have energy prices increased enormously, but fertilizer prices have also tripled or even quadrupled. There’s no doubt about that: this is really driving up the price of food, and will continue to do so. So it’s one of the drivers of inflation.
Huitema sees a solution in the new legislation regarding the use of human and animal feces. This could serve as an alternative to lack of fertilizer. “The alternatives need to be looked into more. People don’t realize that our own droppings almost never make it back to the countryside as plant food. We have to counter that loss.’
Reinvent
Jeroen Candel, an associate professor at Wageningen University & Research, also sees the need to focus on alternatives. The agricultural system as it currently stands is heavily dependent on chemical inputs and fertilizers are one example. But due to climate developments, one should actually be looking at a different system where more agroecological resources are being used, says Candel.
“He’s starting to recover now. If only for the climate and for animals, we should aim for a 20% reduction in the use of artificial fertilizers in 2032. We should see this moment as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves when it comes to the use of artificial fertilizers in Europe’ .
In addition to greater efficiency and the use of ecological resources in the short to medium term, Candel sees a long-term alternative in self-growing food. “This can then be done without the use of agriculture, where bacteria create complex food structures, but that’s actually a distant future.”
Brussels and The Hague
Roughage specialist and consultant Christiaan Bondt wonders whether Brussels and The Hague should play a bigger role in the fertilizer problem. Although politicians can bet on alternatives to the use of fertilizers, he doesn’t think he can do much about prices.
‘I think it’s just part of the market forces. If you can replace the fertilizer with a legume, why go out and buy fertilizer when it will grow on its own? It requires a change of thinking and management style, but Brussels and The Hague don’t have to do much alone.’
Bondt sees the effects of the new common agricultural policy. There is now more incentive to work with other concentrated substitutes. In this way, Bondt sees stimuli from Brussels and The Hague on farmers.
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