Critics of land reclamation must learn from the vast experience of the Netherlands, the mother of all reclaimed land in the world.
There is a Dutch adage: “While God created the earth, the Dutch created the Netherlands.”
The Netherlands became the world’s second largest exporter of food and agricultural products, next to the United States of America, because of the vast land it reclaimed from the sea, which turned fertile for agriculture and grazing cows.
The Netherlands’ efforts to control and conquer its landscape were driven by its aggressive need to create land for dairy and agricultural production. The development of the Netherlands’ system of dikes and reclaimed lands were driven by its need to keep its feet dry and survive.
The Dutch had always controlled and conquered water for their own economic benefit. Like colonization, which led to a massive expansion of Dutch land overseas, water management and land reclamation was a process of domestic expansion.
EPC contractor Netherlands-based Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., a leading global dredging contractor and marine services provider, was hired by the City of Pasay to build its iconic Manhattan project on Manila Bay because of its vast experience with huge reclamation projects.
More than 50 percent of the Netherlands is below sea level, and a system of dikes has been in constant use for many years to reclaim and to protect the land.
The Dutch created a system of dams and dikes, land reclamation and water drainage, in total the largest hydraulic engineering project undertaken in the twentieth century.
Huge areas of reclaimed land were closed off with dikes some 20 miles long. The soil on the reclaimed land, once desalinated, were found to be fertile and suited for cow grazing and agricultural production.
Because of this, the Netherlands became the world’s second largest producer of agricultural products.
In addition to the fertile soil, the land is flat. The Netherlands enjoys temperatures and a moderate climate suitable for farming. Therefore, crop growth and livestock and poultry raising are done with the utmost ease and effectiveness.
They employ robots to pick up fruits and to process vegetables. Their focus is on sustainable farming, keeping in mind the environment and their social responsibility.
The Netherlands is keenly focused on educating its agricultural and other work force in the latest technology and research. Its universities engage in agriculture studies, education, and research. The world’s biggest food and beverage companies have their research and development laboratories in the Netherlands.
The country is in central Europe which is an ideal spot geographically for exporters.
The country also has exceptional infrastructure and the most remarkable logistics and supply teams. This has led the Netherlands to become the second largest exporter in the world.
The Dutch nation has become an expert in the trading sector. They have developed a sustainable and profitable agriculture sector which has made them No. 2 in the world.
The Netherlands’ agriculture industry had a net worth of 85 billion in 2021. It exports its food products to far-flung areas, like its organic eggs to America. Germany receives 25 percent of all its agriculture imports from the Netherlands.
Today, around 27 percent of the Netherlands is actually below sea level. This area is home to over 60 percent of the country’s population of approximately 17 million people.
The Netherlands is approximately 41,543 square kilometers, while the Philippines is 300,000 sq. km., making the Netherlands seven times smaller than the Philippines.
A large part of the Netherlands is highly susceptible to flooding. Time will tell if the North Sea Protection Works are strong enough to protect the country from the onslaught of a storm surge like that experienced by Filipinos with “Yolanda.”