Digital farm management specialist CropX has built a system to help Dutch farmers improve conservation practices on their farms and manage funding from government aimed at improving sustainable farming. CropX has built the system together with BoerenNatuur, an organisation of 40 farmer collectives across the Netherlands.

Using the digital system developed by CropX, farmers receive over 85 million euros yearly to adopt practices such as delaying the hay harvest to allow for nesting birds to complete their birthing cycle and creating borders with flowers to increase the available habitat for insects.

The relationship with BoerenNatuur began in 2013 with a pilot of 300 farmer participants, and as the capabilities of the system grew, so did the participants, which now number over 11,000 farmers, or around 20% of the farms in the Netherlands.

For BoerenNatuur, the digital recording and mapping system developed by CropX replaces time-consuming paperwork for the farmers and the collectives, the members of BoerenNatuur.

Evelien Verbij, director of BoerenNatuur: “We are very happy with the valuable input CropX provides on the different challenges we face. Together we are building a sustainable and efficient ICT system that supports collectives and farmers with their important work for biodiversity on farmland.”

“I am proud of our efficient collaboration with BoerenNatuur. This means that the available budget can be used for what it is intended: protecting biodiversity in the Netherlands,” said Janneke Hadders, CEO of CropX Europe.