Climate is changing agriculture, the Netherlands begins growing rice

Climate change is bringing a new reality to Dutch agriculture. For the first time, farmers in the Netherlands are growing rice, a plant that until a few years ago seemed impossible to grow in this country.

In the Netherlands, farmers have raised cattle for hundreds of years, while now climate change is opening up new opportunities.

The aim is to produce around three tonnes of rice, while researchers are testing around 30 varieties brought from different countries, including Russia, China, Japan and Uzbekistan.

Researchers believe that growing rice could also help with one of the Netherlands’ biggest environmental problems: peatlands that are drying out and sinking.

Around a tenth of the country’s territory consists of peatlands, which have traditionally been drained for use as pasture for livestock.

Beyond the ecological aspect, the project could also create a new domestic product. The rice being harvested this year comes from a variety from northern Japan, which so far seems to have adapted best to Dutch conditions. The first tests have yielded positive results and the rice could be used for sushi, while researchers also see the possibility of producing sake, a traditional Japanese drink made from fermented rice.

The experiment is seen as an example of how agriculture can adapt to climate change, turning an environmental problem into an opportunity to try crops that were previously not considered possible in the Netherlands.