Mariëlle Keijzer
Innovator
Keijzer Agro
Netherlands
Environmental
Farming
Rural area close to city
The innovation journey
Mariëlle Keijzer, owner of Keijzer Agro in Lelystad (Flevoland) advances sustainable agriculture by reducing chemical pesticide hazards and blending organic and conventional farming techniques. Her family moved to the Flevoland in 1996 and she took over her father’s farm in her thirties. On her 54-hectare farm, she grows potatoes, seed onions, sugar beet, and winter wheat. Mariëlle and her father manage a 37-hectare organic farm, cultivating oats, barley, and alfalfa to boost biodiversity.
In 2022, Mariëlle addressed farmyard emissions by installing a Phytobac system to organically break down pesticide-contaminated wastewater, a method praised by the Deltaplan Agrarisch Waterbeheer (DAW).
The innovation impact
Mariëlle highlights the mutual benefits of combining organic and conventional farming. Facing challenges like wireworms and crop failures in her experimental organic farming, supported by provincial subsidies, she learns valuable insights for future practices.
She uses modern technologies like camera-controlled hoes and precise nitrogensampling to reduce chemical inputs and enhance efficiency.
She remains realistic about organic farming. She supports a balanced approach that integrates the best practices from organic and conventional farming to ensure resilient soil and sustainable production. Her forward-thinking and investments in environmentally beneficial infrastructure underscore her dedication to the future.
Mariëlle exemplifies a balanced approach to modern agriculture, merging innovative technologies with traditional practices to create a sustainable farming system. She serves on the board of Boeren voor Natuur Flevoland and the members’ council of Cosun, an umbrella cooperative of the Dutch agribusiness sector.