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It
has one of the densest populations in the world. Population density
means how many people there are for every square kilometre in
a country: The Netherlands has about 740 people for every square
kilometre. There is an even higher density of farm animals.
Only a small amount of the land can be used for farming. However, The Netherlands is the 3rd largest exporter of agricultural products in the world.
A Dutch cheese market
Because small
amount of land must produce so much, farming in The Netherlands
uses a lot of technology. Dutch farmers are very well organized
in business so that they can export their products all over the
world.
However, to produce so much in each hectare of land, Dutch farming
uses a great deal of energy, fertiliser, pesticides and water.
This leads to a lot of pollution.
The government is encouraging farmers to use better methods. Organic farming is becoming very popular in The Netherlands. This means farmers are trying ways of farming that don't use pesticides or chemicals, and use less energy such as electricity. The organic farmers are now making as good a living using organic methods of farming as they did using the old methods.
Most
farms in The Netherlands are mixed farms, producing a variety
of products. However, flowers and bulbs are a successful farming
business also. Flower farming is heavy in the use of pesticides
that cause harmful pollution, and is also heavy in water use.
The Dutch government are encouraging flower farmers to use less
pesticides and fertilisers, and to try organic farming.
Dutch
wooden clogs are famous.These days they are mainly made to sell
to tourists, but they used to be worn in the way farmers now use
gumboots.
Back
to The Netherlands Index page
Acknowledge
this source in your bibliography like this:
The Netherlands
(2003). [Online],
Available: www.kidcyber.com.au
updated October 2006