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Precision farming can considerably increase the efficiency of crop water use. One suitable technique is underground fertigation, in which water and nutrients are dosed according to the measured crop needs.The long-term precipitation shortfall due to drought in recent years has become an increasing problem in the Netherlands that places ever higher demands on Dutch water management. Every year, measures are taken to prevent the depletion of water reserves during the summer, but the steadily falling groundwater level is a growing bottleneck. The agricultural sector is experiencing a heightened risk of loss of earnings.The government has made efforts to expand water storage. In search of speedy solutions, the minister made €7 million available to improve the storage capacity of sandy soils – a measure to increase the water supply. But can we do something to reduce the demand. for water? It is possible. Precision farming can significantly improve the efficiency of crop water use.Given the agricultural sector’s substantial water needs, precision farming may even become crucial for the Netherlands to become water-robust in the future and to protect the economy against the negative consequences of climate change. Water-saving technologies have been deployed for years in arid and semi-arid areas. With regard to the Netherlands, can we learn from these technologies and use this knowledge to tackle the increasing aridity?

Ongeveer 30 procent van de geïrrigeerde landbouwgrond wereldwijd heeft momenteel last van verzilting. Dit neemt jaarlijks toe met ongeveer 250.000 tot 500.000 hectare.

The development of cooperation was studiedin three Dutch regions in which rural developmentstarted in the 1990s and where land use significantlychanged from a dominance of agricultural productiontowards an integration of primary production with otherfunctions. Herein, we analysed the critical successfactors for the production and maintenance of farmermanagedpublic goods, for cooperation through regionalcollectives and how these factors manifest themselves.We concluded that implementing and governing publicgoods were successful when done by farmers in closecooperation with local governing bodies and otheractors. Four key factors appeared to be most important:1) establishing a system of rewards as new element inbuilding a good ‘market structure’; 2) a mix ofgovernance forms and an alternation between theseforms; 3) visionary leadership with networks in bothpublic and private sector; 4) time for new ideas to ripenand for commitment among actors to grow.1Keywords – local cooperation, developing rural areas,farmermanagedpublic goods, critical success factors,multifunctional land use.