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Developments in the delta
Accompanying the developments in land food
production, agriculture at sea also developed.
People switched more and more to plant-based
foods.
These developments led to major successes.
Between 2015 and 2050, the agricultural sector
doubled food production. It was possible to save
a large part of the Mississippi Delta using natural
flood protection involving the capture of much
larger quantities of sediment in the delta itself.
Land subsidence was brought to a halt in
Indonesia by regulating water supplies so that
the delta could be protected from flooding more
effectively.
The basis for success in the Netherlands
All these innovations began in the Netherlands.
That was no coincidence. The Netherlands was
seen as the planetary pioneer in the field of
adaptive delta management. It was one of the
first countries to make preparations for
sea-level rise and falling land levels. That is
because the Netherlands had, and still has, a
world-class research sector for water, sub
surface, energy and food supplies. Its institu-
tions worked together closely in these areas.
This was encouraged by a government that was
open to experimentation and a business sector
that saw the promise of investments in new
approaches to flood defences, water manage-
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Deltares Strategic Plan