Sustainable Dairy Chain 2030

The purpose of the working package Integral Measures is to merge the existing expertise on sustainability on dairy farms. In research, often just the effect of a single measure on one sustainability issue is considered. In practice, however, all the different aspects and issues are present on the dairy farm, and a measure that benefits one aspect (climate, for example) may negatively impact another aspect (nitrogen emissions, for example). A solid merging of expertise and an approach that avoids perverse stimuli to reach an optimal sustainability approach is lacking. Moreover, there are significant differences between businesses and entrepreneurs.

This package shows the effect of measures on the total of sustainability goals on the dairy farm, including the farmer’s revenues model. For different types of businesses, it shows what measures may be taken to contribute to the SDC goals, what effect they may have and how they impact the financial results. The impact at a national level is shown, as well as how the ambitions for integral sustainability of the dairy sector may be achieved.

In this working package, we explore the options dairy farmers have to motivate their workers to work on the integral sustainability of the business, for example by collaborating with regional governments to investigate what options there are, and how barriers hampering implementation may be removed.

To this end, current knowledge about potential interventions from the field of behavioural sciences is used an translated to the agricultural practice. Possible barriers preventing behavioural change are mapped and solutions sought. The approach we develop aims at intrinsically motivating and fostering understanding, in the entrepreneur, suppliers and advisors. This requires a business model that fosters sustainability. Options for collaboration that could yield better revenue models are investigated.

In de Living Labs, we apply the fundamental expertise from the abovementioned working packages and develop this further into practical cases. Three Living Labs have been launched:

1. Home Made proteins: this Living Lab aims to improve protein management in dairy farms, striving for a 65% production of the required proteins on the farm itself. This means good feed and good cultivation. See project page (in Dutch) for more information.
2. Species-rich grassland: There are two main types of species-rich grasslands. Extensive and productive. In this Living Lab, these two types are compared to standard production grasslands in collaboration with the Louis Bolk Institute, to assess their contribution to biodiversity and ecosystem services. We also aim to discover what factors are vital to agricultural production and what possible risks and opportunities they offer for animal health and milk quality. For more information: Nick van Eekeren.
3. Increased life expectancy: Increasing the lifespan of dairy cattle benefits all the sustainability issues in the SDC. Much is already known, but not much progress has been made in practice with regards to the average cow’s life expectancy. In part, this is due to external factors such as the introduction of phosphate rights. Still, other factors contribute as well—for example, the lack of a shared perspective among farmers, suppliers and advisors. This Living Lab focuses on the role of the entrepreneur and suppliers/advisors and their interaction that could lead to an increased life expectancy. It is not so much about technical improvements, but about better collaboration towards reaching the goal.