Environmental Pressures and Value Added Related to Imports and Exports of the Dutch Agricultural Sector

Abstract

This study shows the environmental impacts and economic performance due to agricultural trade through The Netherlands. Using the demand-driven input–output model and the database EXIOBASE (2011), we first analysed the environmental impacts and value added directly generated abroad by the agricultural sector through imported final consumption in The Netherlands; we then compared the environmental impacts and value added generated in The Netherlands by the agricultural sector due to exports to other countries. The results show that the Dutch consumption of imported agricultural products had significant greenhouse gas emissions of 19,386 kt CO2-eq, land use of 280,525 km2 and water consumption of 50,373 M.m3, while impacts in The Netherlands due to agricultural exports amounted, respectively, to 13,022 kt CO2-eq, 9282 km2 and 3339 M.m3. At the same time, we found that Dutch agricultural production had a higher value added to pressure ratio than abroad. These differences highlight the great dependency of Dutch final consumption on foreign natural resources, a significant trade imbalance for environmental impacts with relatively smaller economic benefits for countries exporting to The Netherlands. With these results, we suggest that it is of great importance that sustainability policies for the agricultural sector not only address environmental impacts domestically but also impacts and value creation abroad.

A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Relationship between Digital Technology Use and Agricultural Productivity in EU Countries

“…The findings regarding Hypothesis H2 align with the existing literature, underscoring the positive impact of digitalization on farmers' incomes and rural poverty reduction [55][56][57][58][59][60]. Tokgoz et al [55] and Ehlers et al [56] highlight the potential of digital agriculture to enhance efficiency and access new markets through digital platforms.…”

“…Digitalization in agriculture serves as a compelling tool for enhancing farmers' incomes by streamlining agricultural processes, boosting efficiency, and tapping into new markets via digital platforms. Consequently, research and policies focusing on these facets can play a pivotal role in alleviating rural poverty and fostering prosperity in agricultural communities [55][56][57]. Moreover, digitalization can facilitate the diversification of agricultural activities and pinpoint specific avenues for income growth across various agricultural sectors and regions [58][59][60].…”

Can agricultural digital transformation help farmers increase income? An empirical study based on thousands of farmers in Hubei Province

“…In this context, exploring whether agricultural digitization can help farmers to increase income, through which path to achieve, to guide the development direction of agricultural digitization has an important guiding role. At present, scholars’ research on agricultural digitalization and digital rural construction mainly focuses on policy-making (Ehlers et al, 2022 ), strategic value (Donati & Tukker, 2022 ; Tokgoz et al, 2020 ), driving factors (Maria et al, 2021 ), planning evaluation (Newton et al, 2020 ), financial support (Abu-Nowar, 2020 ; Khan & Ali, 2022 ), high-quality rural development (Liu & Yu, 2018 ; Rossetto et al, 2019 ) and poverty alleviation for characteristic industries (Erling & Wei, 2019 ). The construction of digital rural infrastructure is necessary to realize digital dividends, establish a multi-market subject-sharing income system, and build a digital village compatible with the market, to actively promote the production and transformation of inclusive digital agricultural products (Aleixo et al, 2019 ).…”

The Sources of Supply of Fruits and Vegetables in Novi Sad (Serbia)

“…Every fourth vegetable that does not originate from Serbia was imported from the Netherlands. This knowledge is supported by the fact that they state (Donati & Tukker, 2022) that with an agricultural export of EUR 95.6 billion (over 10% of Gross Domestic Product, GDP), The Netherlands is, after the US, the largest exporter of agricultural products globally. Almost one in five comes from Italy, one in ten from Burkina Faso in Africa, followed by Spain and Turkey (Figure 2).…”