What drives you to be part of the Robin Food Coalition?
When thinking about the collaboration between the Transitiecoalitie Voedsel (TcV) and the Robin Food Coalition (RFC), the joint project The Hidden Bill immediately comes to mind. We have worked—and continue to work—intensively together to create an economic analysis of the transition toward a sustainable agricultural and food system. This study was conducted by Deloitte and has gained significant traction in the media and public debate.
A valuable synergy has emerged through this partnership: while RFC focuses primarily on promoting organic farming and employs a more activist approach, we focus on the transformation process of the entire agri-food system. We deploy tools that fit the specific phase of the sub-transition we aim to accelerate—from regenerative agriculture to local food chains, and from regional processes to fair economic models. Our strength lies in connecting parties and "mainstreaming" sustainable practices to ensure they become accessible to everyone. This is beautifully complementary, as evidenced by our work on The Hidden Bill.
How do you believe food and agriculture can make a positive contribution to people and nature, and what role do you play in that?
By definition, food is positive because it nourishes people; therefore, agriculture is also positive. However, both production and consumption generate negative effects that—as the Deloitte study shows—can outweigh the benefits. The challenge is to make the net balance positive. This is possible through regenerative farming that restores soil and nature and permanently sequesters carbon. It also requires a shift in eating patterns: more plant-based diets and fewer, but higher-quality, animal proteins. This can significantly reduce the burden of disease caused by unhealthy diets.
Furthermore, we believe a different food system can create "social capital": connections between farmers and citizens, among citizens themselves, and between urban and rural areas. These connections represent real value. The underlying pattern is that what we value most (a healthy planet, healthy people, healthy relationships) has been squeezed out over the last 40-50 years by extreme market-driven thinking. Food has become an anonymous commodity produced at high volumes and low prices, while values like landscape, biodiversity, and animal welfare are not reflected in the price.
In current circumstances, "contributing positively" means creating values that are currently not accounted for in the price. This doesn't happen automatically; producers and consumers must be rewarded for doing the right thing. This is a major shift: the current system makes it easy and cheap to do the wrong thing. We see that these positive contributions are possible on a smaller scale through regional initiatives, organic farming, and niche projects. The supply is there; now we must create sufficient demand through different price structures and regulations. The rise of these initiatives shows that policymakers need not be afraid to steer toward sustainability. The macro-analysis by Deloitte confirms it: "The Netherlands Inc." will be better off if we build a food system that is positive for nature and people.
How can we support you in that role?
The question is rather: how can we support each other? Our greatest challenge is scaling up successful examples with limited resources—turning niches into the mainstream. We can help each other through:
Joint Lobbying and Communication.
Financial and Strategic Partnerships: Collaborative efforts between TcV and RFC can help find funds to roll out projects that prove sustainable agriculture is economically viable.
Knowledge Exchange: RFC excels at setting the agenda and creating social pressure; we can "translate" the resulting insights into collaborative ventures and government action, and lobby for them.
What personal mission brings you into the world of sustainable food and agriculture?
In the 1970s, I read the first report to the Club of Rome, The Limits to Growth. This led me to study environmental science in Wageningen, and I have been on a mission for a greener world ever since. I spent 30 years focusing on the energy transition because climate change is a terrifying problem. However, the energy transition is a "piece of cake" compared to the food transition. The latter involves such diverse goals, impacts, social convictions, and change strategies that I have increasingly shifted my focus to agriculture and food.
Eight years ago, I co-founded the Transitiecoalitie Voedsel with Willem Lageweg and Natascha Kooiman to do whatever is necessary in each phase of the transition to drive and accelerate the process. Sometimes that means throwing a stone in the pond, sometimes creating partnerships. Tackling the complexity of the food transition is a massive intellectual challenge, but above all, an unprecedented societal necessity. As a coalition, we should strive for our own dissolution (once the goal is met), but I fear that—to quote the Club of Rome—we are exactly on schedule, and our efforts will be sorely needed for some time to come.