Two days at Ketelbroek, with Wouter Van Eck
Two days in the most diverse food forest in the Netherlands, with the man who imagined it: let nature do the work, and the garden becomes a haven for biodiversity that also feeds you.
Picture a farmed field like so many others. Now picture a forest that feeds you growing in its place. That is exactly what happened at Ketelbroek. Since 2009, Wouter Van Eck and his companions have planted 2.4 hectares of former farmland with what has become the most diverse food forest in the Netherlands. For two days, Wouter takes you along its paths.
Why Ketelbroek
Ketelbroek is an island of life in the middle of conventional crops. Hundreds of food-bearing trees, shrubs and climbers, and around them, a biodiversity that has flourished in an extraordinary way: birds, insects, fungi, small mammals… The forest was designed to show that you can grow a wide variety of food while letting nature take its course.
And the most surprising part: once established, it needs very little work. About half a day a week, for two people. Nature takes care of the rest.
With Wouter Van Eck
Wouter first taught at the university of Nijmegen, led food and farming campaigns for a major Dutch environmental NGO, then headed the Dutch knowledge institute on native flora. In 2009, he co-designed and planted Ketelbroek. Since then, he has given talks and courses on food forests, notably at Wageningen University, and supported many projects across the Netherlands.
He is a remarkable storyteller, curious about everything, with one sentence in mind when things get complicated: every time you start to worry, nature comes up with a solution.
What you’ll experience
- Walk the forest with Wouter and understand how it was designed, planted and left to grow
- Watch biodiversity at work: who pollinates, who regulates, who recycles, and why all of it works for you
- Taste and discover food plants you have probably never come across
- Understand water: Ketelbroek lives with a water table very close to the surface, and Wouter shares what it has taught him
- Leave with concrete ideas to welcome more life into your own garden, whatever its size
- Share meals and the evening with a small group of enthusiasts
Who is it for?
This immersion is open to everyone, and designed especially for people interested in biodiversity in the garden. You don’t need to be an expert or own a large plot: what you’ll see at Ketelbroek also translates to a city garden.
Practical details
- Two full days on site, Friday 21 and Saturday 22 May 2027
- In English, with French translation throughout both days
- The price includes both days, the lunches (organic and seasonal), accommodation in a shared room and Saturday breakfast
- Travel is not included: we help set up car-sharing and participants split the costs
- An email with all the practical information will be sent a few days before the immersion
The instructors
Wouter Van Eck
Co-designer of the Ketelbroek food forest · food forest pioneer in the Netherlands
Ketelbroek, a forest in the middle of the fields
2.4 hectares of food-bearing trees, shrubs and climbers, planted since 2009 on former farmland, a stone's throw from the German border. Our photos, taken during our visits with Wouter.
Our visits with Wouter
A question about this immersion?
Car-sharing, accommodation, translation or what the days look like: write to us, we'll be happy to answer.