During the last
weeks I read two books (written in Dutch) by Belgian author/journalist Chris de
Stoop. 'De bres' (the breach - 2000) and 'Dit is mijn hof' (this is my yard - 2015). I found them quite intriguing – especially because they deal with the perspective
of Belgian farmers regarding de-poldering plans and actions along the Belgian side of the
Scheldt river. Although what follows below is far from a review (you may want to read
this,
although it is in Dutch), a short outline of his story is presented below. To
start with the my main conclusions, drawn from the books: 1) de-poldering is not
typically a Dutch thing, and 2) when it comes to driving forces, it is not only
water/nature coalitions, but in this case also the harbour of Antwerp that
drives the practice.
Both of de
Stoop’s books deal with the region of Doel (or Waasland), located on the
western shore of the Scheldt river, and west of Antwerp and its harbour. Due to
its fertile clayey soil, this predominantly agricultural land yields some of
the highest production in western Europe in terms of livestock production and
potatoes measured per acre. In the 1960s and 70s, parts of the region were
still wetlands (for example, het Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe, located just
across the Dutch-Belgian border) which were planned to be drained, reclaimed
and added to the ‘granary of northwest Europe’.
But by the
1980s and 90s, the farmer communities started to be confronted with plans to use
this land in a different way: to enable the geographical expansion of the harbour
of Antwerp. Plans, politics and actions to de-polder and to turn farm lands
into docks and container terminals took hold, resulting in many farmers that were
expelled from their lands. This took a heavy toll on individual farmers (de
Stoop mentions at least one suicide) as well as the farming society as a whole,
who saw many of its members departing or quitting with farming entirely. He
describes the politics and games that are played in a very moving way, but also
as classic good guys versus bad guys way.
In the
1990s, ideas about ‘nature compensation’ following the harbour expansion, and
also allocating space for water from the perspective of water safety, were
added to the agenda of de-poldering agricultural lands. The de-poldering of the
Hedwige/Prosperpolder (on the Dutch-Belgian border), in which 900ha of
agricultural land in both countries is being opened up to tidal dynamics, comes
back as a case at several places.
On the upper map (source: http://www.kuleuven.be/pdl/uitstappen/2008doel.html)
with Doel as a central dot, you see the area is fully in use for agriculture,
with polders and canals adjacent to wetlands (het Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe
in the northwest). On the lower map (source: http://www.doel2020.org/index.php)
you see Doel as well, but now including existing (in blue) and newly planned
docks (in pink)/terminals following the expansion of harbour activities, at the
expense of farm land.
In his
books, de Stoop is very critical towards nature organizations. In the past, he
argues, nature organizations were partners of farmers in their continuous battle
against, for example, their expanding neighbour. This changed when nature
organizations stopped their alliance with farmers - nowadays, they partner with
the harbour of Antwerp itself. He argues that they follow an agenda of
searching for agricultural areas that can be (temporary) turned into natural
areas as compensation for the harbours’ expansion and dredging work to keep the
Scheldt at depth. Cynically, he adds, some of the new docks turn out to be
obsolete, and many new nature areas do not develop as desired, requiring additional
ecological engineering. Nature organizations, in their turn, argue that working
together with the harbour would give better and quicker results, compared to
resistance to any plan.
De Stoop’s descriptions
are clearly from the perspective of the farmers and in that sense biased and
dichotomized. But he does so with a purpose: returning to his homeland after
his brother passed away gave him the chance to take up the work in agriculture
again as well as explore how the farming community has experienced the plans
and actions to expel them, for over 20 years. What is most striking are the
political games that are played, as he describes the merciless measures that
are taken to get farm land free for other purposes.
I’m now
searching for books or viewpoint that tell the other side of the story ;p.