A food forest as an inspiring oasis between monoculture fields

‘They work for us,’ joked Wouter. ‘They are a bit difficult to manage, but they help enormously in maintaining the water level. When the surrounding fields suffered from drought in recent years, our forest simply continued to grow.’ This is also because the vegetation of the food forest and the soil retain water better than an almost bare field.

The story of the beavers in Ketelbroek is a good example of how things work in a food forest. It is a story of doing things differently, of stubbornly persevering, of thinking in terms of possibilities instead of getting stuck in rules. After all, the local water board (waterschap) is not necessarily happy with the beavers, whose dams in the ditch thwarted its plans. As mentioned, they are difficult to manage.

When pioneers want to do something new, it often goes as it went with the beavers. The rules are not adapted to the situation, and it takes a great deal of perseverance and inventiveness to find ways to make your project succeed.

In this respect, the situation of Ketelbroek is very similar to the situation of many of Both ENDS' partner organisations, who are also pioneering sustainable food production, but where the system is not geared towards this either. Wouter himself found inspiration for Ketelbroek in the tropics, where food forestry, or agroforestry, is a common method of food production, albeit fragmented and on a small scale. Traditional forms of land use are often under pressure there due to a lack of funding, uncertain land rights and land grabbing for agro-industrial production.

But our partner organisations are not letting that discourage them. They often just start, convinced that they are doing the right thing. And it is precisely by showing that it works that they can convince others to join in. This is how it works in the Sahel, where communities show their neighbours that Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) really works to green the arid landscape, thereby also increasing food security. This is how it works in Nicaragua, where Luz Marina Valle shows members of her community what she is achieving with her food forest. This is how it works in India, where the Aadhimalai Producer Company, a collective of indigenous women, is demonstrating that non-timber forest products do indeed have economic value.

As Wouter van Eck puts it: ‘You just have to do it, and others will follow.’ This has worked extremely well in the case of food forest Ketelbroek. Michelin-starred restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel is a regular customer for the original ingredients that Ketelbroek offers, and there are more interested parties. Food forest farmers are now eligible for a so-called ‘hectare allowance’ that farmers receive, just like “normal” farmers. They can also claim subsidies for the natural value they have created. And now food forests are springing up all over the Netherlands, often under the guidance of Wouter's Food Forestry Foundation Netherlands.

In short: Ketelbroek is a very inspiring place that shows how things can be done differently. How nature and food production can go hand in hand, instead of fighting each other. Just like in the Sahel, Nicaragua and India. It's great to be able to see something like this with my own eyes in the Netherlands. And last but not least: the beavers have found their place within the Food Forest, where they have created a beautiful piece of nature all by themselves and now live with their entire family.