Chapter 1.3 Socio-technological system in de future

In what way can the socio-technological system change to answer the societal need for a 100% self sufficient Texel?

Agriculture

Texel is highly dependent on tourism causing a peak demand for products. Answering this demand, besides the overall local need is challenging; especially in the case of wanting to turn this sub-system into a self -sufficient one. A logical solution would be increasing the scale of the current companies, this however isn’t that easy due to the wishes of the municipality to keep 4000 hectares free for nature. Even is up scaling were possible, the disadvantages of no irrigation and high transportation costs, still make it difficult to compete with the agricultural sector of the mainland.

An opportunity however is Texel’s culinary; specific types of food and flavours for which the island is famous; the type of products tourists visit the island for. Focussing on these specialty products could be a solution; this does however mean (in the case of a self-sufficient island) that the diet of the locals will be drastically changed; eliminating certain products. By focussing on local production and consumption a closed circle should be easier to create.

In light of preserving the nature of the island and still trying to close the food circle, solutions for food productions should be sought in a new or different direction that currently applied on the island. An possible solution could be found in using the square meters that have already been taken from the nature; the roofs and facades of the buildings in the villages. Green roofs and facades could be implemented and turned into small scale food productions; either the production of foods for the persons in the respective building. But it could also be turned into a bigger system. A system in which the village is divided into several sections and people work together to produce missing products, eliminating the need to import products. This could be translated in implementing green houses on top of public buildings, to turn the production into a community event. Creating awareness and jobs at the same time.

Fishery

On the fields of fishery the following chances lie ahead:

- A stable consumer market at Texel for the fishermen

- Gaining more experience on certain ways of eco-friendly fishing, serving as an example for other countries, this could be subsidised by the government

This will require the following changes of their respective actors.

- The inhabitants will need to change to a more marine-based diet. What do they prefer? They should be helped in the kitchen as well.

- It should be made easier to change the fishing-technique, this should not be haltered by the European Union legislation

- On Texel itself it should be made easier to get your fresh fish from the fishermen.

- Investigation on how to get the oyster back.

- Investigation on how to get more involved in seaweed farming, this could be used a form of marine vegetable.

- Be able to handle the large increase of consumers during summer when many tourists come to the island and need food as well. Impact here is reduced though, because in summer more fishing is done than during winter, so the supply follows the demand in a certain way.

Cattle breeding

Since Texel is highly demanding on tourism, it is important to maintain the green field landscape and not let it totally be taking over by agriculture. Adjoining, Texel could look for ways to continue cattle breeding on the island itself, in a way that there is no need to import cheap meat from countries far away like New Zealand. Texel could promote their sheep meat as a high-quality product, a product that is produced in a sustainable way that could attack tourists to the island, like wine attacks tourists to the Bordeaux region in France.