The Schijndel food forest: a model for Europe's agricultural future

The Schijndel food forest: a model for Europe’s agricultural future

What if the food forest weren’t just a passionate gardener’s dream, but a full-fledged agricultural model? In Schijndel, in the Netherlands, that’s exactly what the Voedselbosbouw Nederland Foundation has been testing since 2019, on a 20-hectare plot. The ambition: to prove that a food forest can be profitable, productive and ecologically sound.

An agricultural answer to 21st-century challenges

The Schijndel project isn’t aiming for education or aesthetic demonstration, but genuine professional food production. Building on the Green Deal Voedselbossen signed in the Netherlands in 2017, it fits within a national strategic framework to develop a new generation of agroforestry — regenerative, economically viable and of high ecological value.

What is the Green Deal Voedselbossen?

Launched in 2017 in the Netherlands, this “green deal” brings together public institutions, scientists, companies and project leaders around a shared goal: supporting food forests as a recognised agricultural model. It eases access to farmland, funds pilot projects, structures scientific research and helps integrate food forests into national agricultural policy. Thanks to it, sites like Schijndel can get off the ground under conditions favourable to scaling up.

On farmland previously used for maize or ryegrass, the conversion is radical: the establishment of a productive forest ecosystem, designed on the principles of ecological succession and biomimicry. The food forest becomes a planned agroecosystem with multiple functions: food production, biodiversity habitat, carbon storage, climate resilience, and even recreation or education.

Rigorous design and built-in economic logic

The planting follows a rational approach:

• fine-grained analysis of soils and microclimates,
• earthworks encouraging biotope diversity (swales, mounds, hedges, wet pockets),
• planting of varied layers, mixing climax species like walnut or chestnut with fast-growing pioneers (alders, willows),
• integration of high-value edible species (blackcurrant, kiwiberry, wild garlic, plum, apple).

The plan expects gradual ramp-up, with profitability reached around year 7 and full economic maturity after 30 to 40 years. “Standard hectare” models are used to simulate yields, allocate crops, and maximise the system’s efficiency — all without chemical inputs or heavy mechanisation.

A long-term vision, backed by the numbers

The project is backed by solid partnerships:

• the province of Brabant, which owns the land, makes it available through a 20-year lease,
• the GOB (Groen Ontwikkelfonds Brabant) funds structural works and the initial planting,
• HAS Hogeschool supports research and scientific monitoring (biodiversity, profitability, carbon capture).

Financial projections confirm the long-term profit potential:

• first surplus year in year 7 (2024),
• full return on investment by year 14,
• gradually increasing yields through 2049 and beyond.

In practice, though, the project has had a few adjustments. In 2024, planting is roughly 75% complete, mainly at the Hardekamp site. The rest is under way, with participatory work days and plantings planned through 2026. This slight delay is due to technical, weather and logistical constraints — but doesn’t call the underlying momentum into question.

Produce is sold through short supply chains or processed (juice, compotes, teas, oils, etc.). Some of the output may also go toward experimentation, education or applied research.

A mosaic of functional landscapes

Two sites are involved in Schijndel: Boschweg (4 ha) and Hardekamp (16 ha), both bordered by natural areas. The design draws on food-producing landscape principles:

• varied hedges providing shade, biodiversity and wind protection,
• wet zones welcoming amphibians and beneficial insects,
• multiple layers with at least 4 vegetation strata (canopy trees, fruit trees, shrubs, ground covers),
• natural succession and non-intervention (no mowing or mechanical weeding).

This structural diversity is a lever for biodiversity: pollinators, birds, small mammals and fungi find refuge and food in this semi-wild, productive environment.

A living laboratory for regenerative agriculture

Schijndel is more than a field project: it’s a pilot site for a new vision of agriculture, at the crossroads of science, practice and education. Students, researchers, volunteers and farmers are involved in a spirit of co-creating knowledge.

It’s also a deeply strategic project: demonstrating that it’s possible to reconcile food production with ecological restoration, addressing economic and social challenges by working with natural dynamics rather than fighting them.

To go further

• Official website — Voedselbos Schijndel
• Voedselbos Schijndel project plan (2018)
• “In het grootste voedselbos van Europa komen landbouw en natuur samen” — Klimaatadaptatie Provincie Noord-Brabant, 2024