“I specifically chose this specialisation because I was interested in what would happen if we could adapt and improve aspects of water management. What is technically possible? What are the costs and benefits of various measures that farmers can take to increase water availability? The cost aspects and the financial consequences of different water management measures were examined. Then, we looked at the possibilities from a policy-making point of view, whereby a certain measure might have great potential on a regional scale but might not work at all for an individual farmer.”
“I became increasingly intrigued by the motives of farmers. Why do some invest and others not? I discovered that these aspects were nearly impossible to put into a model and went beyond a cost-benefit analysis alone. That question stayed with me throughout the Master's programme, which is why I then opted for a PhD at WUR where I studied the value of water in the Netherlands and in Tasmania.”
“The time that I studied at VU was a great time. We were with a small group of students and had a very close bond—blues nights at the Maloe Melo, skating on the Jaap Edenbaan and studying together. I still see some of them. That’s priceless.”
“In the first year, we had both earth science and economics courses. In the second year, I did both my internship and thesis with Prof. Pier Vellinga. I learned from him that as a researcher you can contribute to the societal debate. We had great discussions about where the role of researchers begins and where it ends. That is an important issue in the climate debate, as well as now in the approach to Covid-19. He also contributed ideas that I ultimately worked out further in my PhD ‘Farmers as water managers’, where I focused specifically on learning together and discussing the value(s) of water.”
“The consultancy work I do now at Aequator Groen & Ruimte builds on my PhD. In the Netherlands, we’re looking for opportunities to make our landscape more climate-robust. This requires cooperation between policymakers and farmers. There are still many things to discover, to experience and to learn when it comes to this. There will be more to the story of ‘farmers as water managers’ in the coming years.”
As far as Melle is concerned, the next few years will therefore be all about learning together in order to better manage together. Melle created a podcast from his thesis. Chapter 5 is about the value of water. Listen to it here (the conversation is in Dutch).