Nieuwe Vroenten aims to break through the inertia of the Dutch rural landscape, particularly in regions dominated by industrial farming. The project by Jaap Korteweg, LOLA Landscape Architects, Gezond Boeren & Wonen, Rabobank, P2 and Arcadis envisions transforming 1,000 hectares of rural land into healthy, sustainable landscape that combines food production with energy generation, nature and living spaces.
Vroents are lands that are used and managed cooperatively by a group of people who hold the right use to it. The landscape is developed together and with landowners, current and future residents, and enthusiasts. Within the cooperative, different business models provide a good financial base for anyone who wants to invest and contribute. For example, current landowners can join the cooperative, and profits from the housing developments will benefit it.
In order to establish a landscape for working, living and agriculture, that gives as much as it takes, the agricultural industry needs the transition to animal-free farming. This shift will increase calorie productivity, which in turn will free up a third of the land for conversion to nature, creating space for 2,000 homes of various types. The biobased model shows the possible future landscape in North Brabant if the principles of Nieuwe Vroenten are followed.
By creating a tangible, exemplary agriculture and residential landscape that functions within the planetary boundaries of food and energy, Nieuwe Vroenten demonstrates the beauty and feasibility of the protein transition.
