<h3style="color: #396d7e;">Designing the Natronaut Project: Values in Mind</h3>
<pstyle="color: #333;"> When designing and brainstorming the final project, the Natronaut team always kept social and moral values in mind. It was indeed extremely important to ensure that the work aligned with the broader societal and ethical context in which it is situated.
</p>
<pstyle="color: #333;"> The Netherlands has been facing a nitrogen crisis, which has quite important social implications. Indeed, rising tensions have been observed between governmental regulation and the agricultural community. While the government only wants to help in the mitigation of the nitrogen crisis, it puts agricultural workers in a difficult position. In fact, farmers have been facing stricter and stricter regulations and they found themselves under increasing pressure to decrease their nitrogen emissions, but they also have the need to work to maintain themselves financially. This has led to various protests and widespread social unrest.
<ahref="https://ejatlas.org/conflict/nitrogen-crisis-and-farmers-protests"target="_blank"style="text-decoration: none;"onmouseover="this.style.textDecoration='underline'"onmouseout="this.style.textDecoration='none'"> Farmers protest, 2019, The Hague</a>.
</figcaption>
</figure>
/>
<pstyle="color: #333;"> [Farmer’s protest, 2019, The Hague]
</p>
<pstyle="color: #333;"> Natronaut seeks to act as a mitigation force between the two stakeholders. The goal is to contribute to environmental solutions, without having to vilify the farming community. Focusing on the bioremediation of nitrates, an alternative is proposed, which ensures that economic and social burdens are not too hard on farmers. This reflects the overall commitment that the group has to find socially responsible solutions to problems and to prioritise collaboration over conflict.
