Angelien Hertgens
Innovator
Tuinderij De Stroom
Netherlands
Economic
Farming
Rural village
The innovation journey
Angelien Hertgens and Welmoet de Waard started TuinderijDe Stroom with 1 ha open land cultivation and they sold their products to 75 customers.The site was part of the care farm Philadelphia in Hemmen (Gelderland) as a small enterprice. In 2012, Linde Swart joined Tuinderij de Stroom and they moved to anew location close to Ecofarm Lingehof. Their plot is part of a larger farm focusing on only a few types of crops. Angelien, Welmoet and Linde focus on more specific types of vegetables. Both farms work help each other in times of need.
To grow healthier vegetables, the focus in this farm is on the biological use of the landscape, organic fertiliser, switching use of the landscape, and approximately 40 different types of crops. Volunteers and interns help, resulting in a community, coaching new farmers with volunteers and local owners. Recently, de Stroom invested in a high-stem apple orchard, an older race of apple trees and invited people to adopt a tree with the right to pick the fruit.
The innovation impact
The innovation is that the farm sells more than 450 bags of their vegetables and fruits called the Hemmense vegetable bag. Every Friday afternoon, the farm sells these vegetable bags with local and biological products like bread and cheese from other local farmers. The farm is now a local biological food hub in the area.
Their advice for everyone who wants to start an entrepreneurship like this is to ask local country estate/ landowners to rent a small parcel of land and make plans together to combine forces for the benefit of all. This can be the start of your farm.