Contradictions Faced by Dairy Farming Families in the Netherlands Viewed from a Long-term Perspective Centred on Energy and Resources

At the macro level, the Netherlands has become an agricultural giant thanks to its efficient, intensive farming practices. At the micro level, farmers are under pressure to make ever-larger investments and focus heavily on improving operational efficiency. This has led to a series of business decisions, which in
turn have significant macro-level effects on nature and energy use. When researching Western industrial agriculture, it is useful to place developments in a long-term perspective, in which available forms of energy, natural resources, technology, ecology and population growth play a crucial role. Sociologists
and cultural anthropologists who adopt a long-term approach regard a society’s ability to harness and control energy from its environment as the primary function of culture. As the amount of energy used increases, socio-economic structures evolve, and the use of new technologies offers new opportunities when pressure is placed on existing resources. Since 1950, the number of farms in the Netherlands has decreased by 85%, and a system has emerged that exerts pressure on the various participants. In the dairy farming sector, farming families are facing rising costs and encountering contradictions when it comes to government regulations, bank loans, and a wide range of societal challenges. This paper presents preliminary findings from an ongoing study based on public data, ethnographic research involving 34 in-depth interviews, and participatory observation. The first findings show that energy use in dairy farming has increased over the long term and that dairy farming families are adapting their business practices in response to efficiency requirements and the wider environment. Farmers need the support of society as a whole to develop new farming methods; they cannot do this on their own.