Understanding water governance from a citizen perspective

Farmers’ dilemmas in a future retention area

Abstract

In this article we discuss the dilemmas of citizens in the Overdiep polder in Noord-Brabant
Province, a ‘Room for the River’ project in the Netherlands. Confronted with government
plans for using their polder for water retention during peak river discharges, they took the
initiative to redesign their polder to make it suitable for water retention in a way that also
made possible continuation of their agricultural enterprises. Their plan would achieve the
principal project goal: reducing the water level in the River Meuse. A second objective was to
improve ‘spatial quality’. An additional objective was to strengthen the agricultural structure
in the polder by expanding farm size. Contrary to what has happened in other Room for the
River projects, the plan developed by the residents of the Overdiep polder was actually
accepted by the government and implemented. However, planning and implementation also
caused dilemmas, tensions and conflicts. While initially most farmers supported the plan,
gradually the community became divided. Some farmers decided to move out, others wanted
to stay, while a third group was indecisive. Based on case study research, this article provides
insight in the dilemmas of farmers who are facing a transformation of their polder into a
retention area. The farmers’ motivations to stay or to move out and the problems they face in
moving out can be understood by analyzing their interests and actions and the role of the
national and provincial government in the project. Finally, the impacts of the farmers’
dilemmas on water governance practices are discussed.