November 24th an announcement was made about three entrepreneurs wanting to start an ecologically and economically sustainable food forest in Diepenheim. Agriculture will be combined with nature in such a way that food can be produced in a more sustainable way while biodiversity is protected, following the principles of permaculture. The Green Knowledge Portal facilitates this project and has hired, together with the entrepreneurs, an independent consultancy group consisting of Wageningen University students to provide support and expertise to the project: Farm Oriented Consultancy Services (FOCS).
At FOCS, we believe in the agro-ecological paradigm. We are convinced that the food production system needs to change. Our mission is to advise farmers in the transition to a more sustainable and socially just agriculture. We base our work in the three core tenets of permaculture: care for the earth, care for the people and return of surplus. Our experts in different disciplines evaluate the role of plants and animals within the system and the interactions between them in order to create a sustainable farm.
The entrepreneurs’ passion for permaculture and FOCS’ focus on sustainable agriculture made ‘The new permaculture farm in Diepenheim’ a perfect project to provide help with. FOCS will focus on the design and planning of a food forest where animals are also held. A feasibility analysis will be performed on the inclusion of several combinations of animals. We will provide a guideline on how to implement the permaculture principles for this specific project, so that this project can be an educational example of a profitable Dutch permaculture farm with animals.