Drive for nature-inclusive agriculture

The Port of Antwerp issued the RfP, aimed at farmers on the Left bank of the Scheldt, with its partners in the Great Saeftinghe Border Park. The Border Park and Port of Antwerp have now set up an Agriculture Innovation Fund as the next step. This fund will support farmers who are willing to adapt their agricultural practices so that while still generating an economic return they also create added value for wider land-use objectives, both for landscaping and for nature protection.

Port of Antwerp CEO, Jacques Vandermeiren, explained: “As a port we aim to play a pioneering role in the field of innovation. With our contribution to this fund we want to support an innovative and sustainable model of agriculture. This not only opens up an avenue for the economic development of the farmers, but also boosts the synergy between port, agriculture and nature in this area.”

The Border Park was established in an area of 4500 hectares, using the agricultural land stretching across the border between Belgium and the Netherlands, and between the Scheldt and the port.

Since 2017 Port of Antwerp has collaborated with Flemish and Dutch farmers to develop harrier-friendly crops which are a win-win both for the economic objectives of the farmers and for the ecological objectives of the port.

Nature-inclusive agriculture makes optimum use of the natural environment, incorporating it into the business model. This form of agriculture has a positive effect on biodiversity and actively contributes to the quality of the natural environment, making it possible to restore the habitat of protected species such as the Western marsh harrier.