[Original title: Bioproductie en ecosysteemontwikkeling in zoute condities. Kennis- en innovatieopgaven]

Policy Summary

1. All over the world fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce and agricultural areas are becoming brackish. Brackish areas are also increasing in temperate climate zones. This justifies greater attention for bio-production and ecosystem development in saline conditions.

Domestic, industrial and agricultural use of fresh water is increasing so quickly that water shortages can be expected all over the world. Surface water and groundwater in agricultural areas in many places in the world are becoming increasingly brackish and saline. Furthermore, salt deserts (caused by a lack of fresh water) and saline inland basins (causing by the level of saline groundwater rising as a result of leakage of drainage water) are being created. The salinification of groundwater and surface water throughout the entire coastal area of the Netherlands will increase as a result of subsidence, rising sea levels and possibly a different water policy. A new approach is needed that is based on the utilization of saline environments for bio-production and ecosystem development.

2. The cultivation of salt-tolerant crops on saline soil (saline agriculture) has significant social and economic potential that needs to be further explored and developed.

For the time being the prospects for halophytes as commodities for food, animal feed and fine chemicals on the world market appear to be limited. Certain products could serve as a surprising broadening of the range of vegetables in "western" markets. Some applications are suitable for regional markets anywhere in the world. Halophytes can also make a real contribution to achieving social goals like reforestation or replanting and ecological recovery of saline areas that have fallen into disuse, coastal development and protection, low cost biomass production for renewable energy, climate improvement and CO₂ sequestration. This approach requires an international context.

3. Knowledge development relating to the field of saline agriculture is relatively limited at both international and national level, it is not really focused and it has a marked scientific bent. This represents an opportunity for the Netherlands to play a significant international role in applied innovation-driven knowledge development.

The scientific literature on halophytes is extensive. The utilization of this knowledge is minimal. Knowledge institutes in many countries are involved in national salinification problems, but there are no major international research programmes or networks concerned with halophytes. Agricultural development programmes are focused on land use, crop expertise and irrigation management, and do not include the use of halophytes under saline conditions. This research has no priority in European programmes. Generally speaking Dutch agricultural and biological knowledge institutes are of a high level, are very application-driven and have widespread international networks. They are capable of rapid involvement in saline agriculture. There are moreover a number of Dutch enterprises (small and medium-sized businesses, consultants and multinationals) that can reap the benefits of certain innovations in due course.

4. It is desirable to develop the broad theme of "bio-production and ecosystem development in saline conditions" in order to seize the opportunities for the production of biomass and the development of ecosystems in saline conditions. Different activities can be formulated under this theme:

a. an innovation programme relating to: "Bio-production and ecosystem development on saline soils"

b. a foresight study of: "Bio-production and ecosystem development in marine and estuarine systems"

The innovation programme includes defining a number of challenging pilot projects. It is on the basis of the detailed definitions of these pilot projects that decisions can be made regarding which follow-up actions by LNV and other players, market players or knowledge institutes for instance, are desirable. Examples of pilot projects are: 1. A polder with saline seepage 2. Zeeland as a regional concept 3. Halophytes as biomass for energy purposes 4. Halophytes as raw materials for fine and other chemicals 5. Utilization of halophytes in salinity gradients of irrigation Systems 6. Utilization of halophytes in projects for integrated coastal protection and development

Collaboration between parties is a requirement when setting up and implementing an innovation programme. The government can initiate, but others (corporate sector, social organizations, knowledge institutes) have to recognize the urgency and be willing to invest in it. The innovation programme cuts across the areas of several ministries (Transport, Public Works and Water Management; Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment; Economic Affairs; Foreign Affairs-DGIS). It will take 6 to 9 months to define an innovation programme in detail.

It is not worthwhile giving consideration at this stage to physical research facilities (testing station or experimental farm) in the Netherlands for saline agriculture. The content and scope of the innovation programme need to be established first. There are moreover sufficient possibilities to dovetail with the existing research and innovation infrastructure.

The opportunities for bio-production and ecosystem development in saline environments also deserve closer scrutiny. As things stand now there is two little information about this area in the current knowledge infrastructure and further foresight is needed.