In the Netherlands this is almost completely caused by farmers (that are overrepresented in the water boards) which keep the groundwater level low for better yields. This obviously backfires during the summer when the levels get too low.
this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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Do you mean they get some direct yield benefit from a low water table, or that they water their crops a lot for high yield, and that results in the low water table?
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
Farmers as being described here are not some podunk hillbillies living off the land. These are massive corporate entities who have cannibalized their competition over the last 60 years. They don't toil in the fields, their hordes of underpaid Southeast Asian and African immigrants do that for them, while they drive around in Land Rovers.
This is not something done out of necessity, this is done out of keeping their profit margins as high as possible.
Im just going to step up and point out that I am not a podunk hillbilly living off the land. I am a well educated human being that left the city during the pandemic to keep all my food as local as possible (read: from my yard or my neighbors). I also sell at a farmstand on my own property, as well as donate to food pantries in my current area, the pantry for the neighborhood that raised me which is a food desert, and to my religiously affiliated (not a christian by any stretch, by the way) pantry.
That said, I am not a European and maybe you have farmers/homesteaders out there that are like that-- but I kindly request you do not lump all of us into such a shit category.
It's not nice to make assumptions about a large group of people-- history has taught us that time and time again.
On the massive corporate farms, however... no matter where-- you're 100% correct.
Unless you are "intentionally keeping the land dry for better yields and easier access with heavy machinery" or have "hordes of underpaid immigrants working for you" I don't think you should feel called our or lumped together with them in this characterization 😋
Yeah, but I specifically mentioned "farmers as being described here." I'm obviously not referring to small farmers, but corporate entities. I was pretty explicit about that I'd say.
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
What do you mean by better access? Like their roads are too muddy with the water table high?
The fields themselves are too soft/muddy for heavy machinery (and cows!).
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.
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.
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?
Hey culture request for the new site: can we stop saying “genuine question” and just make a culture where that’s the assumed intention of questions?
That's never going to work with my natural inclination for British sarcastic rhetoric is it?
Maaan, at this point I think we’d be lucky to get to 2030 without some globally catastrophic weather event.
We're already seeing them though?
Yes we are. Really scary.
whats really scary is people still deny global warming is real. like were entering the find out stage and youre still fucking around.
Where do you think global warming stands in the top five dangers facing humanity? Is it number 1, number 5, what?
El Ninõ has entered the chat.
Global warming won't even be the real issue for us. Once we have issues like fish stock collapse and crop shortages, people will be happy enough to position themselves as the new greatest threat to humanity.
Its scary innit
In so glad climate change is just a ploy by bill gates to inject us with 5g microdrones
You guys are getting microdrones?
I got a rock
I'm surrounded by middle aged blonde soccer moms and white dads that peaked in high school. They're ideal targets for Bill Gates, being the prime human specimens they are. Ofcourse we get micro drones.
But it's a rock with purpose. You know where it's supposed to go. Its fate is now in your hands.
Good point. My mom says she'll drive us if your mom picks us up.
No no global warming is real.
The ploy here is pretending that nuclear isn’t the obvious solution, so Bill Gates can inject us with 5g nanobots.
Hey now, we can still joke around about climate change being fake, but we shouldn't start pretending that Bill Gates isn't a total piece of shit.
Europe can have some of our water.
— Colorado
Last summer was hellish and droughts were everywhere, it seems like this summer is gonna get just as rough if not worse >.>
This summer in Missouri is terrible. We’ve had some light rain here and there, but only for a few minutes that a time and it’s been that way for months. Dry as a bone here. Chances of rain constantly and most of it never materializes.
Well yea he far right and idiot farmers refuse to use modern or sane practices, leading to an 100% self inflicted crisis we all get to pay for.
It is recommended that readers pee outside until further notice.
That is all.
For the month of June, Portland Maine had two days without rain. And so far, in July it's rained every day. We're so sick of rain here.
You can grow stuff with too much water but it's hard to grow stuff without water.
Good for you, I guess...
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