{"id":38464,"date":"2025-02-12T20:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T19:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/permakultur-landwirtschaft.org\/?p=38464"},"modified":"2026-03-16T20:52:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T19:52:50","slug":"from-dairy-farming-to-agroforestry-demo-at-the-heesakkers-family-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/permakultur-landwirtschaft.org\/fr\/from-dairy-farming-to-agroforestry-demo-at-the-heesakkers-family-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"From Dairy Farming to Agroforestry | Demo at the Heesakkers Family Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Heesakkers, a Dutch farmer, has transformed his dairy farm into an agroforestry system since 2020. His farm, Janmiekeshoeve, is located in the southern Netherlands and spans 18 hectares of sandy soil. His agroforestry system consists of over 14,000 trees and shrubs planted in curved rows to maximize sunlight exposure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key aspects of John’s agroforestry system include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Multi-layered planting: Trees and shrubs are arranged in different layers to optimize sunlight utilization. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Crop integration: The goal is to grow arable crops or vegetables between tree rows, though currently grass is harvested for cows. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Fruit production: The trees and shrubs are selected for human consumption. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Challenges faced: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Establishment: Dry weather in 2020 necessitated an underground irrigation system. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Market development: There is currently no established market for agroforestry products. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Financing the project: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. Initial subsidy from the province. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Income from a small enterprise with mother cows. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Carbon credits: 20-year contracts with front-loaded payments to support the early years. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        John advises aspiring agroforestry farmers to: 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        1. Visit other farms for practical examples. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Consult resources like Mark Sheppard’s book Restoration Agriculture In Practice. Restoration Agriculture<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Utilize online resources and local agroforestry networks. https:\/\/www.agroforestrynetwerk.nl<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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