Sunflower beds can be seen across hundreds of hectares in Flemish Brabant just outside Brussels. The brightly-coloured, heat-resistant plants are attracting passers-by and now account for more than 60% of sunflower cultivation in Flanders.
Around 33.5 hectares of sunflowers are currently being grown in Flemish Brabant, more than double the area recorded in 2024, according to figures from the Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries reported by VRT.
"The popularity of sunflower cultivation has been increasing throughout Flanders in recent years, but it is primarily a Flemish Brabant story," Els Gils of Praktijkpunt Landbouw Vlaams-Brabant told VRT.
Between 2023 and 2025, Praktijkpunt Landbouw Vlaams-Brabant ran a project examining how sunflower cultivation could become a profitable, climate-resilient option for local farmers.
However, those you might see in the fields surrounding Brussels are not necessarily for commercial use; many are so-called wildlife mixtures, in which farmers combine grains, herbs, and flowers.
They do this because the combination provides more food and shelter for farmland birds during winter and attracts pollinating bees and butterflies. It also keeps the soil damp and prevents nutrients from being washed away during heavy rainfall.
A bee pollinates a sunflower. Credit: Belga
Sunflowers planted for commercial use remain relatively small in Flemish Brabant. However, farmers are becoming increasingly interested in selling them commercially due to the plant's ability to withstand heat and dry weather, VRT reports.
A farmer interviewed by the broadcaster said he planted two hectares of sunflowers as part of his crop rotation and to give the soil a break. Rather than receiving a subsidy for the field, he harvests the flowers and sells between 30 and 40 bouquets a day.
If you are passing through the province by bike or car, you'll no doubt see the bright, colourful fields, which are part of the farmers' strategy to draw you to their farms, where you might leave with other local produce, such as potatoes or cherries.
Sunflower seeds also provide farmers with another source of income. However, large-scale sunflower oil production has yet to take off in Flanders.
