Inspiring gatherings in the Hollandse Plassen region
.
October 12: Inspiration Session “Agroforestry Among the Cows.” The Story of the Bloemenweide Farm
Are you looking for inspiration on agroforestry among the cows? Come to Montfoort and get inspired at Ramona Schalkwijk’s Bloemenweide Farm. She’ll tell you about the steps she’s taken and plans to take. Klaas-Hemke van Meekeren will discuss the design and the zoning plan.
October 15: Inspiration session titled “From Harvest to Market in the Short Supply Chain,” at De Eenzaamheid Farm.
Are you an entrepreneur looking to take the next step with your agroforestry harvest product? Then come to Joost van Schie’s De Eenzaamheid farm on October 15 and be inspired by how he brings his products to market through a short supply chain. You’ll also have the opportunity to work with Marielle Gussenhoven in a session to develop your vision and strategy for bringing your product to market.
On September 11, 2026, the inspiration session was held at Polderlab in Oud Ade
Sander Roeleveld of Polderlab and researcher Fleur van Duin of LUMC took us on a tour of various examples of agriculture on peatlands and showed us how many possibilities arise when you view water not as a limitation, but as a starting point. We saw how a peatland pasture area can be more resilient to drought.
Introductory meetings were held in April and July, during which a great deal of knowledge was shared.
Read more reports about theprogram below.
Want to learn more or stay informed?
Sign up for the mailing list below.
Collaboration between Koperwiek and Food from the Forest LEADER project in Hazerswoude
The Food from the Forest Association Food from the Forest Kwekerij Koperwiek nursery are launching a LEADER project in Hazerswoude, in the Green Heart, in which they are working together to create a vibrant hub. The converted warehouse on the Koperwiek site will house a knowledge center with workspaces, meeting rooms, a professional kitchen, a cold store, and facilities for larger events.
In short: a place where knowledge about agroforestry and food forests and their marketing can be scaled up!
During the renovation, a two-year project will start this season in which we will work with three farmers and growers from the region to actually transform land into a system based on agroforestry or food forests, and to develop two harvest/product/market combinations. Food from the Forest a central role in this by supervising the pilots, connecting entrepreneurs, and sharing knowledge via the online platform. Planting and harvesting will be monitored and developed into practical learning experiences and recipes, so that other landowners can also learn from this. At the end of the project, the warehouse, which has been converted into a knowledge center, will form the physical heart of a growing network that continues to work on new inspiration and collaborative revenue models.
What's on the schedule?
On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, the Food from the Forest Association Food from the Forest Koperwiek Nursery organized two introductory sessions on agroforestry for farmers in the Hollandse Plassen region. During the sessions, we demonstrated how trees can benefit your farm operations, explained the rules and opportunities available under the CAP, and highlighted the benefits that trees and shrubs can provide.
Together with Kwekerij Koperwiek, we shared more details about the plans for the new knowledge center. There were inspiring presentations by young food forest farmer Simon Verboom, dairy farmer Jan Graveland of Grazige Weiden, and arable farmer and inspiration Johan Kruijthoff.
Arne Driessen gave a tour of the nursery.
Read the report (PDF) on these two meetings in April here.
On Thursday, July 9, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., the first meeting took place on product-market combinations as part of the LEADER project “Knowledge Hub for Food Forests and Agroforestry.” Food forest farmers, processors, entrepreneurs, and other interested participants gathered to find inspiration and exchange experiences. The central questions were: How do you set up a short supply chain? Which revenue models work well with food forests? And how do you ensure that a product truly meets consumer needs? “A good product starts not only with your own story, but also with the needs of the person who will use it,” was the message. It was a successful afternoon, concluding with drinks and a tour of the nursery. Here’s to exciting new product-market combinations in the Hollandse Plassen region!
Read the report here (PDF)
The growers' meeting in the Hollandse Plassen region took place on July 23, 2026.
Read the report on the growers' meeting here (PDF).
The renovation will really get underway in August.
Here are the initial sketches and mood board. (View the entire design as a PDF.)
We will be organizing field trips and inspirational sessions for the network of dairy farmers, crop farmers, processors, and growers in the fall of 2026.
- October 12: Inspirational workshop on “How can you turn the food forest harvest into a product people want to buy?” at De Eenzaamheid Farm in Warmond. Read more here and sign up.
- October 15: Inspiration event at the Bloemenweide Farm in Montfoort. Click here for more information and to register.
- On September 11, the inspiration session was held at Polderlab in Oud Ade
We learned how a peat meadow area can become more resilient to drought. Read the report here (PDF).
By the end of 2026, the pilot projects will be selected, and we will begin designing them and conducting GPS measurements.
At the end of this two-year project, the new multifunctional center will officially open.
A knowledge center where startups can thrive and the entire network can come together and receive training as often as possible.
We will then organize the project’s closing symposium, where we will share the results with a wider audience and the press.
And all the data is publicly available to everyone via the recipe tool on Voedseluithetbos
Would you like to join us?
Would you like to join this network and stay up to date on developments in the Hollandse Plassen region?
Fill out the form below, and we’ll add you to the mailing list so you can receive new invitations and updates about the project.
