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Michiel 2005 / Photos

Thousand Islands

The area around Broek of Langedijk consisted of thousands of little islands which were created by digging ditches and using the earth and slip to create islands. The islands were very fertile and they were used to grow green produce. Land consolidation and rationalisation of farms put an end to this small scale farming in the early 1970s. The land was used for (expensive) houses and also for farmland, but without the islands. The area around the Oosterdel pond remains the original islands.
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5 comments

Michiel 2005 said:

The vegetables were grown on these islands and auctioned in the auction hall. The farmers used the canals to sail to the auction hall.
11 years ago

Michiel 2005 said:

Indeed. In the 1960s and 1970s the government pursued a policy of land consolidation and rationalisation of farms, so the smallholders disappeared.
11 years ago

Michiel 2005 said:

I learnt about the enclosures in school during the lessons about English history.

The driving force behind the (European) policy of enlarging farms (and farm subsidies) was Sicco Mansholt, a farmer himself. Later he regretted it when he was influenced by the Club of Rome.
11 years ago

Michiel 2005 said:

Dispossessed is a bit strong, farmers were compensated and if you want to make a proper living from farming, you need a large farm. Don't forget small-scale farming was a hard living.
11 years ago

Michiel 2005 said:

Totally different time, post-war Holland had a functioning law system. And farms had to be enlarged to make a decent living. Investing in machinery also only made sense if your farm is of a sufficient size.
11 years ago
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