Geography Case Study

Vegetable Farming in the Netherlands

04/10/2022

- Map of the Netherlands showing the area where the farming system
occurs:
- Vegetable Farming in the Netherlands generally takes place on the west of
the country.

- The Netherlands is one of the world's largest agricultural producers,

exporting 65 billion Euros worth of vegetables, fruit, flowers, meat and
dairy products each year.

- Vegetable farming in the Netherlands is classified as: highly intensive,

commercial and market gardening.

- Diagram of the Inputs, Processes and Outputs:

- Vegetable farming in the Netherlands usually takes up from 1 to 7 hectares

of land.

- Capital investment is very high and the latest technology is applied to

ensure that maximum use is made of such a small area of land.

- Most of the vegetable production takes place in heated greenhouses with

artificial soil (sawdust).
 - Heating, ventilation, humidity, watering and fertilising are all computer
controlled inside the farms.

- The work is labour intensive, with six people employed, working full-time
in every greenhouse throughout the entire year.

- A person working as a Farmer in the Netherlands typically earns around

1,610 EUR per month. Salaries range from 870 EUR (lowest) to 2,440 EUR
(highest).

- The average greenhouse farming business is thought to earn around

€290,000 each year, but greenhouse vegetable growers in the Netherlands
earn, on average, €315,000.

- The prices for vegetable seeds tend to vary, some examples are:

● Lettuce: between US$ 1.87 and US$ 2.12 per kilogram

● Potatoes: around US$ 1.50 per kilogram
● Beetroot: between US$ 0.77 and US$ 0.73 per kilogram
● Tomatoes: around US$2.38 per kilogram

- Conclusion:

Vegetable farming in the Netherlands is one of the most profitable means of

farming in the world. Earning around 65 billion euros worth of vegetables each
year, their high investments and late technology are not affected by the
country’s climate and can maintain an efficient production of the required
vegetables all year round. The country’s farming profits slightly increase every
passing year, and it is no surprise that the Netherlands is one of the largest
agricultural producers in the world.
Case Study by Luiz Felipe Godinho