Nederland Veganland?

We conducted this design research with a subsidy from the Van Eesteren-Fluck and Van Lohuizen Foundation. It is a thought exercise and it is not necessarily our aim to encourage people to become vegans immediately. We were curious about the spatial impact and the consequences for eco-justice of a completely vegan Netherlands. Our design research shows that a reduction in meat and dairy products yields a lot of advantages: more room for nature, leisure, climate, biodiversity, and more environmental justice. The question of space, which is often so crucial in a small country like the Netherlands, proves to be closely linked to the choices of diet and production methods we make.

The agrarian system in the Netherlands is geared to export: 80% of the food produced here is not destined for retail in the country, but for export. On the other hand, 75% of the food in our supermarkets is imported from abroad. We derive 60% of our protein from meat and dairy products and 40% from plants in the Netherlands at the moment. Our high concentration of livestock and intensive food production has a sizeable downside: bad smells, air pollution, eutrophication, greenhouse gases, subsidence, soil degradation, animal welfare problems, etc. The present food production system has a major impact on territory outside the Netherlands, where it leads to deforestation and a reduction in biodiversity, as well as having serious socio-economic consequences for the local population. The system has a worldwide negative impact on environment and climate, leading to injustice towards vulnerable groups, the generations after us, and the environment and wildlife too. As a result, people with a low income are relatively often seriously affected because they are less able to defend themselves against the consequences of climate change and the deterioration in environmental quality.

Can it be changed?, you wonder. Certainly it can. We have examined which proteins, how much starch, which nuts and how many items of fruit and vegetables people need. Our research was based on a vegan diet and a healthy amount of food in accordance with the Schijf for Life a considerable reduction in food wastage compared with the present, and considerably less artificial fertiliser and pesticides. For each food category in the Schijf for Life we have chosen different crops that can be grown in the Netherlands as examples. Our research by no means spells the end of the agrarian sector. Thinking about a land without livestock farming is not the same as wanting to drive farmers away. And on the basis of the premises of our research, we actually need more farmers. According to our calculations, we need twice as many farmers in a fully plant-based system than in the present one.

Our design research demonstrates that a completely vegan diet can be produced in a nature-inclusive way within the borders of the Netherlands. We can feed 20 million Dutch with a healthy diet. That still lives room for facing up to various social challenges, such as the attainment of the European Green Deal targets, the accommodation of population growth, and urban greening. We get more beautiful landscapes and cleaner air, soil and water. The change yields benefits for environmental justice, animal welfare, health and the economy. Economist Max van der Sleen has drawn up a Social Cost/Benefit Analysis concerning what a transformation would mean for the economy. His conclusion: Netherlands Veganlands has the potential to bolster and transform the Dutch economy over a period of 20-25 years in such a way that well-being increases in the Netherlands.

There is room for discussion of all the premises and statistics, but that is not what matters to us. The question that we want to ask is: why do we use such a large part of the Netherlands for livestock farming, when it has so very many disadvantages? We went into this mental exercise with an open mind as a thought experiment. We find the results incredible. We can transform food production in a responsible way and enjoy a healthy diet without the production or import of meat. Our entire protein demand can be met with plant-based products. As a result, we solve the nitrogen problem and the largest part of water pollution in one go, and it also leaves us with a solution for many other challenges that face us. So what are we waiting for?

This design research was sponsored by the Van Eesteren-Fluck & Van Lohuizen Foundation. This foundation called upon teams of experts from the three areas of spatial design, research and policy to look into answers to the question of how we can design the climate transition in Dutch society in an equitable way. The design research was conducted by Strootman Landschapsarchitecten (Berno Strootman, Lotte Embregts, Lisa Peters) and the Leiden Centre for Environmental Sciences (Joran Lammers, Jan Willem Erisman).