this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Genuine question: Is that good or bad? What kind of farmers? Food or tulips? Humans gotta eat, and I thought Netherlands produces a lot of Europe's agricultural output

[–] Zoutpeper 10 points 1 year ago (5 children)

It's not even for better yield, it's for better access with heavy machinery And the Netherlands exports too much as this water issue is one of a few ways in which our agriculture intensity is harming the long term health of nature and the fertility of the land itself

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (4 children)

What do you mean by better access? Like their roads are too muddy with the water table high?

[–] logmathr 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The fields themselves are too soft/muddy for heavy machinery (and cows!).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So the farmers reduce the water table so the country isn't muddy?

How is that bad for everyone else, for the country to not be all muddy?

I dunno. Where I've always lived, ground that's too muddy to drive on is a rare event, not a continual state that can only be alleviated by lowering the water table. If I lived in a place where you couldn't drive on the ground because it was too muddy, I'd be all for lowering the water table to get some firm ground.

But I'm much more of a green than a red in that sense.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

So the farmers reduce the water table so the country isn't muddy?

No, it's so the are they're farming on isn't too muddy for the heavy machinery. They're not talking about the areas peope are normally driving on.

But the water table being lower than the rainfall means there's a drought and things are getting too dry. That's not good for anybody. It harms the very ecosystem they're trying to farm in.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Like they’re pumping it out to keep it down already, but now there’s a drought and it got too low anyway? Or like the farmers are optimizing the water table for themselves, but that’s lower than optimal for the cities’ water needs? Or do you mean like there’s a drought being manufactured not by low rainfall but by reducing the water table?

Can you recommend any good articles on this?

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