Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the wetness of the dairy grasslands of the Scheldt’s estuary (Flanders) through the lens of political ecology. In particular, it looks at the contentious role of the locally elected waterboards.

Paper long abstract:

“How wet ought the grasslands be?” is a polarizing question in the dairy farming region of the Scheldt’s estuary. Located at the interplay between continuously shifting lands and tidal flows of water, this region has been forged through centuries of encounters between humans and waters with practices such as drainage or tidal intermittent irrigation. After WWII, the advent of industrial agriculture and the imperatives laid down by the CAP encouraged the most intense drainage phase to date resulting in the disappearance of 75% of wetlands (Decleer et al., 2016).

Lately, the multiplication of droughts and flood events, alongside the rise of an environmental discourse, have led to a shift in water management policies towards giving more space to water. The grasslands are re-imagined by the authorities as potential sites for water storage or for controlled flooding. They are also increasingly narrated as semi-wet habitats that will enhance biodiversity and attract tourists. Many farmers have been expropriated from their land to implement this shift.

This paper builds on long-term fieldwork following dairy farmers as they tend to the grasslands and encounter their waters. In particular, it will focus on the contentious role of the locally elected waterboards. Existing since the Middle Ages, these boards are strongly entangled with the farming communities, ensuring that people’s feet remain dry and that grasslands remain accessible to tractors. With the newly agreed-upon Blue Deal, the Flemish government plans to dismantle these boards on the grounds that they are outdated.