Barbara and Chris want to invest in a gentleman’s farm: “Connection with the countryside”

The idea is simple. Together they determine what is grown, pay a contribution and are then allowed to pick up their vegetables, fruit, eggs and meat at the gentlemen’s farm every week. But first, a one-time investment is requested.

“This allows a farmer to earn money with a fair salary,” said pioneer Anne van de Graaf recently still to NH News.

The village feeling

There is no lack of interest. About 180 households have already registered. One of the possible ‘investors’ is Barbara Stuart (59) from Wijdenes. According to her, how we deal with our food has completely gone too far. “We ship fruit and vegetables all over the world, while we can also keep it closer to home. This way we avoid a lot of pollution and emissions.”

The old village feeling, where healthy, fresh and local food is shared, was also something that she finds back in a manor farm. “Determining together what will be grown, and collaborating when necessary.”

Green fingers

When the time comes, Stuart is happy to help. She already has experience. She has been growing vegetables, fruit and herbs in her own vegetable garden for about seven years. Varying from strawberries to pumpkins and from snow peas to radishes. “With your hands in the clay. Delicious and it also tastes much better.”

She also doesn’t like a monoculture. “It is much better for the soil to grow different crops, because each plant returns certain nutrients to the soil, which means that it is less exhausted.” It also attracts other types of insects, increasing the biodiversity around the yard. “It’s much more natural and in balance with each other.”

Determine together

Chris Bakker (34) lives a few kilometers away. He lives in Hoorn with his girlfriend. The graduated sociologist is familiar with the idea of ​​Herenboeren, on which he wrote a thesis. “When I visited a number of gentlemen’s farms, the energy splashed off. This energy is created when people really feel they have an influence on their living environment.”

But Bakker knows how difficult it is to find good soil in West Friesland. Still, he remains hopeful. “The soil seems to be good here, which is worth a lot these days.”

In this way he came into contact with the pioneers in West Friesland. His motivation? Removing the financial risk from the farmer is the reason for Bakker, like many others, to invest in agricultural land.

Community feeling

But a fair sandwich for the farmer was not the only reason why he joined. Bakker himself has been closely involved with the Weerwoud foundation in Almere for a number of years, a project that focuses on food forests and urban agriculture. “A farm in an urban area is versatile. It brings people together, short chains are created, the food is fresh off the press and grown by a local farmer. That’s great for a city like Hoorn.”

Because forming a community appeals to him. “That way we experience farmers’ lives up close and the risks also affect us. That is instructive, that responsibility. Together we determine what is grown per season. In principle you are a consumer and producer in one.”

The search for land, and one or two farmers is still in full swing.