Does agriculture still have a future in Flanders? Antoon Vanderstraeten, agricultural journalist and small-scale farmer himself, explores this question in depth. In Grondig anders (Profoundly Different), he looks back on his time at horticultural college, the hours he spent in the fields just outside Brussels and the agricultural practices of his youth, such as economies of scale and industrialisation.
But he also looks ahead, based on a number of projects that could potentially secure a future for agriculture in Flanders. Do community-supported farms offer a solution to farmers' low incomes? Could regenerative agriculture be an answer to the nitrogen problem? What is the potential of urban agriculture? Should we opt for cultured meat or stick with real meat? Can existing farms be converted into vertical farms where vegetables are grown with minimal input? Will young farmers still be able to farm in the future, and what role do politics and education play in a possible transition?
Together with farmers, journalists, cabinet staff, researchers and agricultural organisations, Vanderstraeten is exploring options for a fundamentally different and better form of agriculture. For everyone.
