THE FOOD COMMUNITY FUTURE

In a way regional agriculture is a step back in time. Back to the times that the region was still providing the daily food supplies and the clients still were connected with the farmer, the landscape and nature. To Harry Donkers and Victor Immink, the authors of the book ‘Regions, finger-lickin' good’, regional agriculture has the future. The book that came out at the end of last month, is a manual for regional agriculture and uses the innovative and successful ‘Vechtdal’ region in the Dutch province Overijssel as a model, to inspire other regions to adapt the same system.

The advancing globalisation is also clearly noticeable in agriculture. The increase in scale and specialisation are still increasing which leads to more and even larger mega companies. The industrial way food is produced does not fit anymore with the wish of many people to eat natural, healthy and tasty. A growing group of people do not like this at all, they rather focus on the region. The 'regional agriculture' concept is aiming at the human dimensions: a beautiful region where it is nice to be and where farmers produce honest organic and durable products, with honest prices and consumers that buy food that really tastes of something.

Both authors are working for the Agricultural Economic Research Institute (LEI). LEI forms part of Wageningen University and Research Centre, within which it combines with the Department of Social Sciences to form the Social Sciences Group. The LEI mission is to promote the quality of food, the living environment and living conditions within (international) society and works for government and industry developing economic knowledge in the fields of food, agriculture and green space.

The new manual for regional agriculture takes the innovative food community Vechtdal, in the south-East of the Netherlands, as an example. Both authors are closely involved with the development of this successful network. In the Vechtdal (banks of the river Vecht) farmers joined forces and together with the processing companies, shops and restaurants they managed to create a strong regional brand. Apart from producing durably on a local and regional scale, the network sells organic food and in cooperation with recreational- and nature conservation organisations also recreational trips and excursions and in the end the region itself are promoted. ‘Regions, finger-lickin' good’ is an invitation to people working in the agricultural branch, researchers, local, regional and national civil servants and obviously consumers to go deeper into regional agriculture.

In the voluminous book Donkers and Immink describe the regional agriculture concept as an alternative for the actual industrial food production. According to the authors the way we produce food today got totally out of hand, wherein everything is subordinate to efficiency and the largest profit possible. A quote: ‘In intensive farming the pressure on the cost price is continuously present. The regional farming model wants to get rid of that, simply by stepping out of the system. We do not like it anymore that farmers and natural reserve organisations fight and hate each other. We get to it together, and besides emphasis on efficiency we also focus on animal welfare, food quality, nature and landscape.’

Apart from practical advise the authors also give a thorough theoretical foundation of the regional agriculture concept. Striking is the given definition of a region. The core of such a agricultural area is a nature reserve, around which the farming land is located. This region is surrounded by a ring of three or more cities. Altogether this unit forms a ‘food community’. In this way the Netherlands can be divided in around a hundred food communities of which the so-called ‘Randstad’, the ring of cities in the densely populated west of the Netherlands, with its ‘green hart’ is the largest and most known example.

The regional product forms the heart of the regional agriculture concept. The regional product is produced in a durable way, with extra attention for taste and quality. According to the authors ‘this is what the consumers want’. The consumer wants to experience food and the cultivation and production of food personally. For example by visiting the farmer. Besides this farmers actively contribute to the maintenance and beautification of the landscape.

But good quality food products need buyers, so a strong organisation and logo is needed for the marketing. As an example the Vechtdal food community, a group of 75 entrepreneurs and organizations along the Vecht river in the province of Overijssel, is used. Under the name ‘Vechtdal products’ vegetables, wine, bread, eggs and meat is sold. Immink: ‘We first aim for the basic food provision, using the newest technologies. Regional agriculture is not a romantic farming idea. No open sandals and woolly socks anymore.’

Butcher Rob Rijks is one of the participants in the Vechtdal cooperation. Vechtdal meat has a story and both Rijks and his clients appreciate that: ‘My clients want to know were meat comes from and under which circumstances the animal has lived.' Rob Rijks really likes the fact that the meat comes from his own region. The consumer really can visit the region and have a look in the companies where the Vechtdal products come from. Along the way they can enjoy nature and the landscape and they can finish the day with a lovely menu of the regional products. ‘The complete concept is good. And there is so much innovation. We are now breeding the traditional cows again that you see on the paintings of Rembrandt. We vitalize the water for the animals and plants and we are now cooperating with a shepherd that keeps organic sheep on the heath land in a neighbouring province. It is all regional, honest and it tastes lovely.'

Author Harry Donkers: ‘The products from the Vechtdal are meant for pure enjoyment. It is the award for farming with heart and soul. Honest organic products from a varied and natural Vechtdal. It is a cooperation of all the involved companies and organisations integrating ecological agriculture, maintenance of nature and landscape for honest food, recreation, education and even cooking.’

Because the production and maintenance are happing in a closed chain, supplying the regional community, no energy is wasted on transport and a healthy, tasty and natural way of living comes into being. Creating a true relation again between the city and the country side and promoting an environmental friendly way of living. Donkers: 'It is the short chain connections. That’s one of the most important things in the Vechtdal.'

The Vechtdal products are also sold on farmers markets, in butcher shops and supermarkets in the larger cities in the west of the Netherlands. Donkers: ‘We already supply to the region just over the border in Germany. The plan for the future is to really start cooperating with the German side of the Vecht valley, actually the largest part of the Vecht region.

For the rest we exchange with the rest of the world as well. Especially via the Slow Food movement. Next week we have a meeting in Torino, Italy. There is a difference though between the Slow Food and the Vechtdal approach. Slow food looks at the matter from the product point of view, we look at it from the regional perspective. We exchange information and experiences with around a hundred different countries. Also developing countries, in Africa for example. They cna profit from the 'food community' concept as well.

We are also establishing relations in the east of Europe now. The Dutch can learn from farmers in the east, regarding beautiful traditional local products, but they can maybe learn from our regional chain approach in the Vechtdal. We think both sides can profit. We have the contacts and the plans. If the enthusiastic scientists and Vechtdal products participants could decide the whole world would be divided into regional food communities. more features

October 20, 2008