What Thais can learn from Dutch agritech | Seven Peaks

Introduction

The Netherlands, a small country with limited agricultural land, is the second-largest exporter of agricultural products globally in value just behind the USA. This seemingly impossible feat is the result of a decades-long, firm focus on Agritech and integration of modern technology into farming. The Dutch approach is seen as the gold standard for building sustainable, productive and climate-resilient food systems.

Thailand with a deep-rooted agricultural history wants to update their farming sector under the 'Thailand 4.0' initiative. The Dutch agritech can provide key insights into innovation, cooperation, and technology uptake. The core of this transformation is the idea that good leadership and the right digital tools are essential to global food security, a topic on which experts like Renier Bueno frequently share their knowledge.

Agriculture in the Netherlands

Water management in Holland

Roughly 55% of the Netherlands is used for agriculture, much of it was reclaimed from the sea and protected by polders, dikes and dams. About 26% of the country is below sea level, but instead of seeing this as a limitation, The Dutch turned it into their biggest strength. Which is developing one of the most advanced water management systems in the world.

At the core of this system is the Waterschappen (Water Councils), which are democratic institutions dating back to 1255 (1778). They are responsible for irrigation, drainage and flood protection, to ensure that farmers can control their water levels and grow crops in areas that would normally be underwater.

Water management alone does not explain the Netherlands' extraordinary productivity. Limited land has driven farmers to pursue maximum yield per hectare. For example, Dutch greenhouse yields can reach up to 500 tonnes per hectare, compared to 60-80 tonnes for Thai open-field farming. The efficiency comes from controlled-environment agriculture using hydroponics, automation and AI-driven monitoring systems that can adjust lighting, temperature and nutrients in real-time, reducing water usage up to 90% compared to traditional farming.

Circular agriculture

A cornerstone of Dutch policy is circular agriculture, an approach where waste becomes a resource. Instead of needing to rely on chemicals, they reuse organic waste, water and energy within the agricultural system. Livestock manure is converted into biogas or fertilizer, greenhouse rainwater is captured or reused and food waste is transformed in to compost or animal feed. 

The model lowers environmental pressure, cuts costs for farmers and improves soil health over time. Since 2018, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture has actively promoted circularity as a national strategy, embedding it across farming policies and sustainability programs. 

The Triple Helix

Innovation in the Netherlands is reinforced by a collaboration structure known as the Triple Helix Model. The model connects universities, governments and industries. At the center of the network is Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and they are ranked as the world’s leading agricultural university. WUR hosts Food Valley, which is a region that brings together startups, corporates and researchers to co-develop sustainable food technologies, smart farming systems and agritech-innovations for global markets.

The model works because the collaboration is established. The Dutch government is funding R&D and providing innovation-friendly regulation, while universities are contributing cutting-edge research and businesses drive the commercialization. The results is a fast process from laboratory to real-world implementation. Technologies like AI-assisted monitoring, autonomous greenhouses and circular farming are not just invented in the Netherlands but are also exported globally.

High-Tech Farming Practices

Land scarcity and strict environmental standards have fueled innovation across Dutch agriculture. Breakthroughs include:

1. Autonomous Greenhouses – AI-driven robotic systems perform seeding, planting, and harvesting with minimal human input.
   
   
2. Sensor and Data Technology – Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and drones collect real-time data on soil, weather, and plant health, enabling precision dosing of water and nutrients.
   
   
3. Vertical and Urban Farming – LED-based hydroponic systems now enable food production inside cities, independent of outdoor climate conditions.
   
   

Specialized Agritech applications has become a vital part of the process, with a goal of giving farmers data they can use to increase crop production.

Thailand's agritech

Thailand is also known as the "Kitchen of the World," but now they face the task of updating its agriculture to improve sustainability. Even though they have strong agricultural traditions, they struggle with climate change, pressure on natural resources and low productivity compared to Western countries. With the Thailand 4.0-policy the government aims to transition from traditional methods to a system that uses data, automation and sustainability.

Focus is not only on higher margins, but also efficient use of water, soil and energy. Technology is an important part with tech such as drones, AI and applications that give farmers real time information about weather, market prices and crop health.

Key Challenges for Thailand

Despite strong ambitions, Thailand’s transition to smart agriculture is constrained by several structural challenges:

1. Fragmented Land Ownership – Small plots limit the scalability of modern technologies.
   
   
2. Aging Infrastructure – Irrigation canals and rural roads often date back decades and cannot support precision farming.
   
   
3. Limited Irrigation Coverage – Only about 20% of farmland is irrigated; the rest depends on rainfall, leaving crops vulnerable to droughts.
   
   
4. Restricted Access to Finance – Many smallholder farmers lack formal land titles or credit history, making it difficult to secure loans for modernization

However,  the AgriTech startup network is growing quickly, with local talent and skill being vital. The insights of experts in the field, like Rachata, show the value of a deep grasp of the Thai context to create effective technological solutions. Their insights emphasize that technological solutions only work if they are supporting the local knowledge, culture and economy. 

Differences and Opportunities

The differences between the Dutch and Thai agricultural sectors are major, and they clearly present chances to learn.

What Thailand Can learn from the Dutch

1. Build a stronger Triple Helix Network

Thailand should deepen collaboration among universities, government and private industry. Creating something such as “Food Valley Thailand” Where innovation can move quickly from lab to market accelerates progress.

While the Thai government promotes the Triple Helix under Thailand 4.0. The current system is hierarchical rather than horizontal. Universities and ministries act as recipients of innovation rather than co-creators. This slows down knowledge transfer and limits cross-industry learning. By establishing partnerships and nurturing trust among stakeholders, Thailand can strengthen knowledge spillovers and scale innovation beyond pilot projects.

2. Expand Circular Agriculture 

Circular agriculture turns waste into opportunity. Thailand has already introduced this under its Bio-Circular-Green model, but the current efforts remain concentrated among large corporations. But small and medium farms are often lacking the infrastructure and expertise to implement circular systems

The Dutch show that circularity succeeds when it is embedded across all layers of the agricultural ecosystem, from policy and research to on-farm operations. Thailand can replicate this by creating shared waste-to-energy hubs, promoting composting and biogas technologies and funding practical training programs for small farmers to close the loop at the community level

3. Prioritize 'Deep Tech' and Financial Inclusion

The Thai transition needs more than just importing foreign machinery. It requires the creation of local Deep Tech products, from advanced robotics to AI-powered crop analytics, to reduce dependence on imports.Platforms like Ricult and EasyRice already Simultaneously, access to the technology should be democratized. Building digital  show how local innovations can merge data analytics with field-level applications to boost both efficiency and decision-making. Platforms are important here, not only to raise output but also to financially support small farmers by giving them better market access and credit. The way of using technology for financial inclusion of farmers is a well-established model for success in the region.

4. Modernize water management and irrigation systems

Another lesson Thailand can learn from the Netherlands is water management. When water is properly managed it can turn scarcity into a strength. Dutch farmers can regulate water levels with extraordinary precision. The result is that land that would otherwise be flooded or unusable can sustain intensive and high-yield agriculture. 

Thailand faces a different water challenge. Only about one-fifth of Thailand’s farmland is equipped with irrigation systems. The rest are depending on unpredictable rainfall, which is leaving crops and yields vulnerable to droughts and floods. Many of the current irrigation canals and rural infrastructure are decades old and just insufficient for supporting modern precision farming. 

Thailand can begin by investing in smart irrigation networks that combine data analytics, satellite imaging and local water councils such as the “Waterschappen”, to manage their resources more effectively.