News & Stories
Trees on your farm: protection against extreme weather and an extra source of income
Extreme weather is an increasingly pressing concern for agriculture. Drought and heat can reduce yields and put additional strain on livestock, while heavy rainfall, storms and flooding can damage crops and disrupt farm operations. Farmers have always had to deal with changeable weather, but a changing climate may make it even more unpredictable. Planting trees can not only help absorb climate shocks, but also create additional sources of income. Read more.
From a School Project to the Farming of Tomorrow
What will farming look like in the future? For most pre-university (havo) students, it’s a distant concern. That was not the case for 17-year-old Daan. For his final-year research project, he and a classmate investigated how different farming systems affect soil life. Read the full article.
Leverage Points for the Agricultural Transition
After the Second World War, Dutch agriculture was organized around maximum food production at low cost, resulting in soil depletion and economic uncertainty. Despite various initiatives, it has proven difficult to steer agriculture in a different direction. What does a genuine agricultural transition require? Post-doc researcher Noortje Wauben (CDLT) wrote an article on how this can be examined from a scientific research perspective.
Insects against invasive plants: what can bioagents mean in practice?
Imagine this: a plant suddenly appears along a ditch on your farm that you would rather not have there. You remove it, but a few weeks later, it has returned. Controlling invasive species is a complex challenge. In this article, Joost Besijn explores the possibilities and applications of bioagents to weaken these plants. Read more.
Arable farming in transition towards a profitable and future-proof sector
Alongside its role right at the heart of agricultural practice and its transition, the Centrum voor Duurzame Landbouw Transitie (CDLT) also plays an important role in scientific research. As part of one of the PhD research projects at CDLT, Thom Dijkstra is studying the business-economic consequences of the transition for arable farmers. For this research, he is talking with farmers, advisors and industry specialists. Hessel Kingma, arable farming sector specialist at Countus, is one of them. Read more.
Which would you choose? Nature or the economy?
Maybe both are possible…
Agriculture faces a major challenge: producing enough food for a growing global population, while simultaneously restoring nature and ensuring that farmers can earn a decent living. But is this task actually achievable? Is it possible to combine nature restoration with high food production and a profitable farming business? Read more.
Diversity for Future-Proof Agriculture
When we think of biodiversity, we usually think of the diversity of species (for example, a field margin containing cornflowers, corn marigolds, various types of clover, and caraway). However, it can also refer to the variation in genetic material within a species or population (such as the different eye colors found in humans) or the variation in landscapes and ecosystems. High diversity implies a great deal of variation, whereas a location with low diversity might, for instance, be home to only a few species. Read more.
Jelle Oenema on organic farming, entrepreneurship, and future prospects
In an agricultural sector that is constantly changing, young farmer Jelle Oenema is looking for ways to make his farm future-proof. At the organic dairy farm where he currently runs a partnership with his parents, and is gradually working toward taking over the business, he strives to combine sustainability, entrepreneurship, and practical feasibility. Not based solely on ideals, but on a central question: how do you build an agricultural system that remains both ecologically and economically strong?
What immediately stands out during the conversation is his open-mindedness and curiosity. Jelle attends field meetings, delves into new forms of agriculture, and actively observes how other farmers work. At the same time, he remains down-to-earth. In his view, sustainability must not only sound good but also fit within a sound business model. Discover the full interview.
Offer farmers a vision for the future, not just policies
The position of farmers in the agri-food sector is coming under increasing pressure. Farmers are facing stricter regulations, rising costs, and a market that revolves primarily around low prices and high production. At the same time, there is a lack of a clear long-term vision for the future of agriculture, forcing farmers to operate in uncertainty and constantly adapt to changing policies. As a result, current policy often focuses on short-term solutions and generic measures, while the complex reality of agriculture demands much more than uniform rules. This perpetuates the negative consequences of the current food system, such as soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and dependence on chemical inputs. Read more.
Between Pressure and Perspective: Building a Future-Proof Agriculture
The transition to sustainable agriculture requires a united effort. ELAN is one of the organizations that, like the CDLT, is working toward a future-proof sector. Because one thing is certain: we cannot tackle this challenge alone.
In Friesland, farmers, administrators, and regional organizations collaborate within ELAN, a collective for agricultural nature management. In this capacity, Secretary Wout van Vulpen and Chair Grytsje van der Sluis speak daily with farmers about the realities, policies, and future of the sector. Those realities are challenging. Farmers want to move forward, but they’re operating within a system that’s causing friction. Regulations are piling up, goals are conflicting, and a clear direction is lacking. What does that mean for entrepreneurship on the farm? And what’s needed to truly make sustainable agriculture possible? In this conversation, they share their experiences, concerns, and perspectives on change. Discover the full interview.
The soil as a driving force for innovation: a system that works for both farmers and society
Pieter van der Valk of Agricycling does not think in terms of individual measures, but in terms of systems. To him, the soil is not a production facility, but the beating heart of circular agriculture. He argues that we barely tap into its capacity for recycling—a missed opportunity for the farmer, the soil, and society as a whole. The soil is not a factory, but a natural recycling machine: it absorbs minerals, produces raw materials, and stores energy. It is an inherently efficient system—one that, in our current agricultural model, is hardly ever rewarded. Read more.
Voice of the farm, interview with Jelle Pilat Noardlike Fryske Walden
How can a farmer engage in nature conservation while facing ever-increasing pressure from policy and the market? In Northeast Friesland, the Noardlike Fryske Wâlden (Northern Frisian Woodlands) demonstrates that there is another way: through a region-specific approach centered on collaboration, professional expertise, and knowledge. Read the interview with Jelle Pilat of the Noardlike Fryske Walden.
De Zeven Koeien Cheese Farm
In Doldersum, Emelie and Roelof André run the dairy farm 'De Zeven Koeien' (The Seven Cows). They process the milk from their seven cows into cheese, yogurt, and quark, selling these products directly through their own farm shop—a short supply chain under their own control. Curious to see how Emelie and Roelof André work in practice toward an agricultural system that is both ecologically and economically sustainable? Read the full interview here.
News
Learning with an open mind
On Wednesday, October 28, the CDLT, in collaboration with Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (Leeuwarden), organized an excursion for lecturers and lecturer-researchers from the agri-food cluster who are involved in ReGeNL. Read the report.
CDLT ranks in the top 10 of Trouw's Sustainable 100
The Centre for Sustainable Agriculture Transition (CDLT) ranks 9th in Trouw's 'Sustainable 100' list, within the Science & Education category. Each year, this list highlights the people and organizations that are making the Netherlands more sustainable. Read the full article.
The 4th Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026
Last week, Victoria, Canada, hosted The 4th Global Soil Biodiversity Conference, an inspiring platform where science, practice, and policy converge. Ingrid van Huizen attended on behalf of the Center for Sustainable Agricultural Transition and the ReGeNL program. The conference reiterated that healthy soil is key to food production, climate adaptation, and ecological resilience.
Read more here.
Working together: bottlenecks and opportunities in the transition to regenerative agriculture
On February 19, the Center for Sustainable Agriculture Transition (CDLT) brought together farmers, chain partners, banks, governments, NGOs, and knowledge institutions at Campus Fryslân. During this in-depth day, we examined where regenerative initiatives get stuck and what interventions are needed to move them forward.
Three initiatives took center stage: regenerative sugar beet, the development of a Dutch chain for naked oats, and a regional tender for social services provided by farmers in the northern Netherlands. Read more here.
Science works: farmers and science working together
The latest article in the University of Groningen's Science for Society series explains how science can make a real contribution to the agricultural transition when it is combined with practical experience. This article focuses on how farmers and researchers are working together to explore new avenues for regenerative agriculture, an approach that combines ecological health and economic prospects and supports farmers in the transition.
The Center for Sustainable Agricultural Transition (CDLT) is establishing a new way of doing science: not from an academic ivory tower, but with farmers in the field and for sustainable impact. By designing, testing, and learning together on the farm, knowledge is created that is directly applicable and contributes to real change. Read the full article.