Buma gave his speech Monday afternoon in the busy De Harmonie theater. There he mentioned the successes of Leeuwarden in recent years: the city has gained much more confidence and attracts many more visitors, mainly thanks to the many events, from Cultural Capital to Fuerza Bruta.
At the same time, interwovenness with the countryside remains very important for the city, Buma emphasized in the Frisian part of his speech.
,, Problems with yn oare troubles fan Fryslân spylje, geane ús hjir yn Ljouwert oan. Shrinkage, the discourse on it Fryske lnnskip, the problems that the farmers may get hawwe, dy reitsje ús ek. “”
Passages about agriculture were lost
In his pre-written text, Buma wanted to make a case for “future-oriented agriculture”. City and countryside are “inextricably linked” and luckily we are more aware of this in Fryslân than elsewhere. The farmers have also kept me busy during these first months. “
Buma shortened his speech as he spoke, eliminating some passages about agriculture from the text. Nevertheless, the mayor is behind the written statements, he told the LC afterwards.
,, You hear voices that fewer farmers should come, because the agricultural sector could not operate sustainably enough now. But how sustainable is it if forests are harvested elsewhere for agricultural land, while we would no longer use good land here? “”
“Task to feed the world”
,, Leeuwarden and Fryslân have a task to feed a world that will consist of 9 maybe 10 billion people. Fryslân is the ideal area for sustainable future-oriented agriculture. “
The province of Fryslân has an interest in agriculture, but Leeuwarden itself, the mayor emphasized: ,, The city also benefits: with the large dairy sector, the flour factories, and meat processing. VION shows that the meat substitute industry also has the future here. “
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