A growing world population together with changing global climate and dwindling natural resources have made the future of dairy farming in the Netherlands complex and uncertain. While consumers demand increased production volume, quality, and production chain transparency, at the same time Dutch citizens demand more sustainable agricultural practices. How do we educate the next generation of dairy farmers with the right knowledge and skills to be able to tackle these challenges and run sustainable dairy farming businesses? In our project for FrieslandCampina, we try to answer this question by investigating how well agricultural education aligns with the demands on the farmer of the future. We focus mostly on entrepreneurship and sustainability as two key elements of future demands on Dutch dairy farmers. By talking to experts from education institutes, business and organisations in the dairy sector we analyse the current state of dairy farming education and pinpoint how business and education can work together towards a happy future for the Dutch dairy industry.
Sanne Riemsma
Robin Vos
farmersofthefuture@gmail.com
