“Why grasslands?”: Insights from Farm Case Studies in the Netherlands and Flanders

The specific use of grasslands depends on factors such as location, land management practices and local policies. In the Netherlands and Flanders, grasslands are mainly used for livestock farming, especially dairy farming. The population density in these regions has led to increased competition for land. In both the Netherlands and Flanders there has been a trend of scaling up and intensification in dairy farming, to meet the growing and changing demand for food and animal protein production. This trend has been driven by high costs for land and labour and low costs for fertilizer and concentrates. Due to increasing competition for land and intensification, grasslands and grazing practices are under pressure in the Netherlands and Flanders. This may lead to additional losses, as grasslands not only provide high quality roughage, but also a variety of ecosystem services. The positive impact of grasslands through its services are gaining attention among Dutch and Flemish dairy farmers. Here we present the results of a survey conducted on ten commercial dairy farms in the Netherlands and Flanders that use grassland and perform grazing. The farms were not selected to be representative, but they do provide a portrait of the variable landscape in the region. Based on the multifaceted benefits of grasslands that resulted from the survey we emphasize the importance of preserving grasslands and grazing in the Netherlands and Flanders, fitting in with the theme of the conference “Why grasslands?”