Ministry LNV and Salt Farm Foundation launch knowledge centre for Saline agriculture to help with food shortage and struggling farmers
An initiative supported by the Dutch Ministry, the knowledge centre - “Saline Agriculture Worldwide” has been set up to share open source knowledge to the farmers around the world. The knowledge centre is targeted towards farmers who are struggling with issues such as salt- accumulation and drought on their farmlands.
"Worldwide around one billion hectares of farmland is considered non-arable due to salinization. With the knowledge we now have about cultivation methods and selecting salt-tolerant crops, this farmland can be used to produce food. Many countries simply need this knowledge in order to produce.
Hence, we support the start-up of an institute that makes sure this knowledge is shared worldwide. A major contribution to global food security!" – Carola Schouten, Dutch Minister of Agriculture
This website was launched last week (28 June 2018) by Drs. A.H. (Aldrik) Gierveld - Deputy Director General Agri and Nature, Director European Agricultural and Fisheries Policies and Food Security, at The Hague. The online platform – www.salineagricultureworldwide.com is intended to increase knowledge and awareness about the possibilities of cultivating crops in salt-affected farmland amongst farmers and other stakeholders around the world.
The mission of knowledge centre: “To increase global food security and more effective water management- through the export of Dutch knowledge and technology.”
The website consists of information on the issue of salinization and on the solution, namely Saline agriculture. A video guide on how to perform soil analysis is also put up on the website.
Furthermore, we have listed out a number of crops that have successfully grown under saline conditions. Other relevant contents such as news and scientific publications related to Saline agriculture are available on the website. All the information therein will be continuously updated based on the data collected from our test field and other projects.
Moreover, we are making the basic information and guides available in multiple languages. This will help us to efficiently reach policymakers, NGOs, extension workers, farmers and other stakeholders around the world.
In addition to the website, the platform offers the possibility of offline activities.
Salt Farm Foundation offers among others:
- Online platform: increasing awareness and access to knowledge
- Education and training facilities on Texel
- Project packages for training the farmers in affected areas around the world
- Internship & masterclasses
- Conferences
- Presentations and tours for businesses, policymakers, and universities
- Collaboration with education- and research institutes
