Nine in ten people in Flanders believe the region should produce enough food to feed itself, although 42% say they know little about farming and the crops grown there.
The findings come from a new iVOX survey released at the start of Dag van de Landbouw in Wellen.
Compared with the same survey last year, support for food self-sufficiency in Flanders has risen by ten percentage points. The Boerenbond farmers’ union believes growing geopolitical uncertainty is a key factor behind the shift.
At the same time, four in ten Flemish people admit they know little about farming in the region. According to Boerenbond and Landelijke Gilden chair Lode Ceyssens, 40% cannot name a single farmer, a third do not know that soya is grown in Flanders, and only 14% are aware that quinoa is also cultivated there.
Even so, 60% said they would like to learn more about agriculture and horticulture in Flanders.
Ceyssens said Dag van de Landbouw is an ideal way for people to get to know local farms. On Sunday, 50 agricultural businesses across all Flemish provinces will open their doors to the public.
The Boerenbond expects more than 100,000 people to visit the farms and horticultural businesses taking part.
During a visit to Welroy Fruit in Wellen, Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns said the survey showed that people in Flanders value their food, but that barely half know a farmer in their area. He said events such as Dag van de Landbouw are therefore important and expressed hope that visitors would also support local produce in shops and farm stores.
The issue comes as a policy plan presented this week showed that by 2040 the current agricultural area in Flanders is expected to fall by 17,000 hectares to 765,000 hectares.
Ceyssens said that, in addition to the 750,000 hectares of farmland included in the Beleidsplan Ruimte Vlaanderen, another 15,000 hectares of the 30,000 hectares set to be de-sealed and restored could also go to agriculture. He welcomed that development, but said it was even more important to ensure that the land could actually be used by farmers and that legal measures were needed to guarantee this.
He also said major problems remain with the permitting system. Referring to an earlier survey among farmers, Ceyssens said one in three expects to stop farming by 2030, with uncertainty over legal security and permits cited as the main reason.
