Project
Circular agriculture: Piloting collaboration between crop farming and livestock farming
Wageningen University & Research is working on optimised and innovative partnerships between crop farming and livestock farming in five areas of experimentation determined by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Dutch acronym LNV). The project comprises six different pilots and aims to change legislature and regulations and generate scalable practices that contribute substantially to closing cycles or implementing cycles at a smaller scale.
Transition towards circular agriculture
The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) wants to explore how linking crop farming and livestock farming may contribute at a local or regional scale to achieving the goals set as part of the transition towards circular agriculture. The project is part of the implementation plan for the LNV perspective on circular agriculture. There are five regions in which this exploration takes place: Northern Netherlands, Flevoland, Twente, Achterhoek, and the Peel.
In short:
- LNV perspective on circular agriculture
- 5 regions for experimentation
- 6 pilots with 21 farmers
- WUR and various (local) parties
- Focus group including LNV and RVO
Innovative farming practices
Six pilots were identified within the experimental regions before the start of the project. These pilots with collaborating crop farmers and livestock farmers are facilitated through a process of continuous improvement and experiments during a four-year period to generate the required substantiation that can render innovative farming practices scalable.
Examples include:
- Optimalisation of production plans within a partnership
- Improved use of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
- Better usage of local protein production for animal feed.
The six pilots’ focus
The six pilots within this project will be subjected to an annual Deming cycle (plan-do-check-act). The pilots which take place in different regions within the Netherlands are highly complementary. This complementarity is best described as:
- Optimalisation/innovation of cutting-edge (frequently combined) production plans with proper soil management in crop farming using ‘renewable feedstock’ obtained from neighbouring livestock farms.
- Optimisation/innovation of cutting-edge feed regimens in livestock farming using ‘renewable feedstock’ from neighbouring crop farmers (or using more land for crop production).
Upscaling innovative farming practices
The project aims to make innovative farming practices scalable within the region to achieve more circular agriculture. To this end, rationale is needed to change legislation and regulations, improve communication and invest. Wageningen University & Research helps the entrepreneurs involved in creating the rationale. Moreover, findings are shared, and the basis for changing legislation and regulations is laid.