Spatial planning prospects Laag Holland

Design research on the relation between peatland preservation and agriculture

People and nature have worked together in the National Landscape Low Holland to create something very beautiful below sea level. This is reflected in the openness, the protected city, and village views and the peat meadow areas with wide ditches, high water levels, and historically valuable drying facilities. Like other peat areas, however, Laag Holland suffers from subsidence as a result of dewatering for agriculture. Roads and houses are subsiding and water management costs are increasing. At the same time, there is a significant emission of CO2 due to the oxidation of the peat. With our research by design, we show how the historical landscape offers starting points for new forms of agriculture and innovations in water management. In doing so, we unfold spatial perspectives for four agricultural trends: economies of scale, short chains, new crops, and ecosystem services.

Location

Ontwerpend onderzoek naar de relatie tussen veenbehoud en landbouw

Principal

Natuurlijke Zaken, Van Hall Larenstein, Wageningen Economic Research

Partners

Natuurlijke Zaken, Van Hall Larenstein, Wageningen Economic Research

Surface Area

50.000 ha

Design Year

2017-2018

Implementation

2020-

Laag Holland is characterised by areas of peatland with wide ditches, high water levels and historically valuable polders. Like other peatlands, Laag Holland faces subsidence as a result of drainage and agricultural pressure. This causes roads and houses to subside, raises the costs of water management, and produces a high CO2emission because of the oxidation of the peat. This means that something must change – the current management of peatlands cannot be sustained without a continuous drop in water level. The key question tackled by this design research is therefore: How can a new vision of food production contribute to the preservation and reinforcement of the quality of the landscape in Laag Holland?

The design research has yielded four spatial prospects for Laag Holland that key in with four trends in agriculture: increase of scale, short chains, new crops, and ecosystem services. They offer the prospect of higher water saturation and demonstrate that the historical landscape affords plenty of opportunities for new forms of agriculture and innovations in the field of water management.

Which trend eventually prevails and what Laag Holland will look like in the future depend on many factors, and a combination is very likely. The design research is intended primarily to show that a choice certainly can be made and that it is a good idea to discuss it with one another.

Photo header: Siebe Swart

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