Tessa Laarman

Onlosmakelijk Verbonden

Or else we will farm together?
 

Farming is one of the ways in which humans occupy their place in the ecosystem. In recent decades, the Dutch agricultural sector has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry. Growth in scale and intensification not only have a major impact on the sector but also on the landscape and its natural systems.  

Our national government, in various formations, has shown that it can only come up with technical conditions and rules for the agricultural transition. However, what we need is a longer-term vision, a dot on the horizon. My project Onlosmakelijk Verbonden (Inextricably Connected)  shows the way to a collective agricultural transition.

My personal fascination lies with the connection between people and nature. This led to my graduation assignment, the central question being: ‘How can agricultural transition strengthen the landscape and establish a renewed relationship with its users and inhabitants?’

Thanks to research, experiences and conversations with farmers and other organisations, three principles for agricultural transition are emerging: water- and soil-driven, regenerative and from the collective, the pre-conditions for a new or improved form of farming. The Eemvallei, part of the province of Utrecht, was a testing ground for a landscape and spatial approach to agricultural transition. By focusing on the qualities of the different landscape types, the natural gradient of the landscape is restored. Four types of farmers with new or different forms of agriculture are introduced.  

Using a holistic approach, it provides insight into how our landscape is locked in a system of money, politics and power. However, the plan presents itself as a promising perspective that connects nature and agriculture and thus addresses the relationship between people and nature. The plan shows that all spatial tasks should be considered integrally.The interventions increase the resilience of both the natural and the agricultural system. 

In addition, the plan serves as a guide and inspiration for further development and future vision for the rural area and agricultural transition. The relationship between people, nature and agriculture is a symbiosis that forms the basis of our landscape. The project emphasises that nature and agriculture cannot be separated. 
 

Graduation date: 4 December 2024
Graduation committee: Roel van Gerwen (mentor), Ziega van den Berk, Pieter Veen
Additional members for the exam: Marieke Timmermans, Remco van der Togt