From theory to practice  

The first weeks were devoted to acquiring theoretical knowledge about food forests. The students learned about the necessary steps to create a food forest and delved into the ecological and agricultural principles involved. They then focused on the specific case of the Science Park, breaking into nine groups to specialize in different facets of the project.  

Marinde Molenaar, first-year Future Planet Studies student, focused mainly on food forest management. “Basically everything that has to happen before a food forest can be established,” she explains. "You first have to make sure you come to the municipality with a good plan. We also want a board that is set up in a certain way. In our case, we chose a foundation with a supervisory board and a 'management board' linked to students. For example, you can take a board year with the food forest, just like with a student union.''  

The importance of food forests  

Food forests are essential in the fight against the effects of climate change, according to Marinde. "Our agricultural system is very vulnerable, one heavy rainfall, or just a big drought, can have a big impact on our agriculture. A food forest focuses on a constant agricultural system because you are establishing an ecosystem. That combination is very important and unique."  

Marijn van der Staay also a first-year Future Planet Studies student, focused on the spatial design of the food forest. "We had to think carefully about the location and space of a possible food forest on Science Park. For example, does such a forest belong to the university or to the city? And do you want everyone to be able to walk through it at all times, or should it be shielded? Does it have a recreational purpose, or should it be something focused only on food production? There are also a number of homeless people living near the future food forest, how can we include these people in our plan? There are many factors to consider.'' 

Marijn emphasizes that food forests are a sustainable way of producing food. "It allows us to move away from industrial agriculture, where you have to use a lot of pesticides and herbicides to grow food. A food forest is also more resistant to extreme weather, such as dry summers. It fits well into the system of a new, changing world."  

Learning by doing

Both students speak enthusiastically of the hands-on and interdisciplinary nature of the course. Molenaar: "the thing I liked most about this course was that it was so hands-on. We had several field trips across the country in the beginning, which was incredibly cool. I learned that something like a food forest is possible. There are bridges to cross, but if you want something, it's actually possible."  

 Van der Staay especially appreciated the interdisciplinarity of the project. "You could say of a food forest: this is only about agriculture, but it's about so much more. It's also about community and that you work in it together, and a piece of ecology. But also, how does a food forest fit in a certain place? I learned about all the different implications of a food forest and how to make something like that work."  

Both students are convinced that food forests can play an important role in the future of food production. The project at Science Park is thus not only a step toward a more sustainable future, but also a learning opportunity for future students and other interested parties.   

Create a Course Challenge  

The course 'Food Forestry: Experiencing the Future of Nature and Agriculture' is the winner of the Create a Course Challenge 2022 and was taught for the first time this year. The course was conceived by (former) students Sacha Brons and Wytze Walstra and further developed with teacher Jordy Willems and will also be taught again in the academic year 2024-2025.