The Netherlands is the globe’s second largest exporter of food as measured by values, second only to the United States. Its significant achievements are a result of its commitment to sustainable agriculture through the use of advanced technology. For example, farmers can worry less about the weather as 80 percent of the cultivated area in Westland is under greenhouses. Moreover, generator converts natural gas into electricity for lighting, and by-products such as heat and CO2 are captured and used to warm greenhouses and boost plant growth.
Drones and other tools are also used to assess the health of individual plants and determine exactly how much water and nutrients they need to thrive. Therefore, crops can grow year-round and in every kind of weather. In terms of sustainability, farmers in the Netherlands have reduced dependence on water for crops by almost 90 percent. They have also nearly eliminated the use of chemical pesticides on plants in greenhouses. For poultry and livestock, produced have decreased their use of antibiotics by around 60 percent.