The major changes needed in the European farm systems are leading to high-rising conflicts, but the fact remains that different crises in the climate, food, housing and biodiversity systems ask for new approaches to farming. There is also demand among groups of farmers for alternative business models to the business-as-usual intensive farming.  

One of such solutions that is gaining increasing interest is the integration of a combination of eco-friendly housing and the production of bio-based materials, while also giving space to environmentally friendly crop production, and to nature.  

Our living farm project, an initiative from the ASI Research Innovation Programme, explores the potential of business models that integrate these functions (housing, crop production, nature, bio-based material production) for farmers and/or landscapes. There is a need for incentives that reward the public goods that such models would provide, making these business indeed viable options, attractive to farmers who consider moving away from intensive production systems. The project also explores the role of both governmental and financial sector actors in promoting this multifunctional business model for farmers.  

The collaboration between different sections at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) (Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy Analysis, Environmental Geography), the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE) , and a financial sector partner, continues, with joint supervision of 3 BSc and 3 MSc students, research proposal development, and planned activities to further explore research opportunities in pilot locations. 

Click here to view the project poster (presented at the ASI Innovation Meetup)