a.s.r., Rabobank and Vitens to join forces for a better soil management

Vitens, the largest water company in the Netherlands, Rabobank, the leading food and agri bank anda.s.r., insurer and the largest private agricultural landowner in the Netherlands, have a commoninterest that they will work towards: improving the soil for healthy agriculture. In doing so, the initiatorsare responding to the appeal by Minister Schouten of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in her SoilLetter to the Lower House to manage our soil in a more sustainable way.

Such a label, in the style of the energy label for homes, gives agricultural entrepreneurs much betterinsight into the soil they use and how they can manage it more efficiently and sustainably. The labelcan be a means of offering financial benefits to farmers who deal with their soil in a sustainablemanner. For example by offering more favourable interest rates to farmers who demonstrably managetheir soil better, rewarding more sustainable soil management through EU agricultural subsidies andthrough access to impact investors whose prime considerations are investments with a socialpurpose.

 

Next step
The initiators a.s.r., Rabobank and Vitens had already previously investigated the possibility of a soillabel. The dynamic soil label that the parties have in mind proved to be perfectly possible. However,more data from more relevant parties is needed. For example, the parties who have alreadydeveloped an initiative for improving the soil. Vitens, a.s.r. and Rabobank are now joining forces todevelop a dynamic soil label in which the expertise and data from all relevant parties come together. The initiators are now also calling on other parties to help develop the soil label. 

This autumn, theinitiators will organise a meeting with all existing and new parties. The aim is to achieve a trulydynamic soil label with all the available knowledge and data.Jelle Hannema, CEO of drinking water company Vitens: “Together with our partners, we are workingon achieving a clean living environment. In this context, we consider good cooperation with theagricultural sector to be very important. We do not have to purify everything that does not end up inour groundwater sources anyway. This initiative will enable us to keep our supply of drinking wateraffordable.”Dick van den Oever, Director of Landelijk Vastgoed (rural real estate) at a.s.r.: “It fits in with a.s.r.’s tradition as land investor to invest in something that has perpetual value. We lease the land we own tofarmers for a protracted period and it is in both our interests to use it sustainably. In light of this, wehave welcomed this initiative.

”Ruud Huirne, Director of Rabobank Food & Agri: “The soil label is an important instrument in helpingagriculture to become more sustainable. In this way we can help farmers who consciously opt forfarming in a different way. This is important for the level of support in society for the sector. Moreover,it also benefits these farmers themselves, because the measures we take are good for their own soil.”