The Dutch agriculture sector has grown considerably in the last few decades, largely due to the expertise of its farmers and the adoption of advanced production techniques. Seventy percent of available land in The Netherlands is under cultivation, although the number of farms fell by 15 percent between 2000 and 2004. Large farms today account for half of total agricultural production, up from only a third of production a decade ago. An aging population of farmers, fewer Dutch young people following their families into farming, and a trend toward larger, more efficient corporate farms is behind the trend.

The agri-food complex covers all economic activities in production, processing and distribution of agricultural products (food and non-food) of domestic and foreign origin. It is of major importance to the national economy and represents a gross added value of approximately three percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), down from 10 percent a few years ago. Dutch agriculture also occupies a strong position on the international markets and produces a wide range of high-quality products, providing work for some 230,000 workers – a third of them involved in dairy farming. Increasingly, farm workers are imported from other countries – the majority coming from Poland.

This is just a sample of what you'll find in the complete Netherlands guide.