Foto: Markus Spiske (Unsplash)

How can we sustainably produce food in the Netherlands in the future? That question is central to CropMix, a five-year research programme involving more than 70 scientists, 25 arable farmers working together and 35 partners (such as companies and local authorities). The focus is on crop diversity: combining different crops in one field, for example through strip cropping. This promotes biodiversity in fields and can help us become less dependent on pesticides.

Towards a more sustainable food system

Although there are an awful lot of key partners participating in CropMix, it is impossible to make the transition - also called transition - to a more sustainable food system a reality without involving society. And, while what people think is very important and sometimes even a prerequisite for more sustainable food production, research often focuses precisely on producers or institutional parties, such as farmers or the government.

The role of consumers

Therefore, in CropMix we also explore the role of society in this transition to more sustainable agriculture. Here, we often talk about consumers making choices when buying food. Unfortunately, it is difficult for consumers to know where their food comes from and how it is produced. This is because of the growing distance between consumers and their food and because of intervening parties, such as supermarkets or the catering industry.

Producer and consumer at the same time

To include the point of view of consumers within CropMix, we want to know how we can connect food producers (such as farmers) and consumers, and what knowledge we can give (back) to society to make the food system a little more understandable again. It is just difficult to determine if and what knowledge is currently 'missing' from consumers.

But, in the Netherlands, we have a unique group of people who are food producers (farmers) and consumers at the same time, because they grow their own vegetables and fruits and eat them: the kitchen gardeners! We expect that they have gained interesting knowledge and experience in growing crops, which they use (unconsciously) in their choices as consumers. For instance, do they make different choices in the supermarket than someone without a vegetable garden? We would love to discuss this with vegetable gardeners.

Join us!

People garden for many reasons, such as exercise, fun, or food supply. But we expect that as a kitchen gardener, you subconsciously have a relatively large amount of knowledge about food. By sharing your knowledge, together we can ensure that our food system becomes more resilient, healthy and sustainable. The knowledge will be included in the outcomes CropMix, contributing to a future-proof food system. But sharing your experiences can also help in the more equal assessment of knowledge from practice. By doing so, you also support the importance and preservation of allotments and garden parks, now and in the future.

So, do you have a kitchen garden and want to share your knowledge with us as a consumer and producer? Then participate in an interview and help us discover where important entry points lie to accelerate the change towards a sustainable food system. Sign up without obligation via the button below or send an email to c.a.bodewes@vu.nl.

You can also contribute by filling out the survey below (Dutch only).

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