Edible production potential of food forests in the temperate zone

Food forests have recently received an increasing amount of attention since they are seen as a possible addition to the Dutch nitrogen-sensitive agricultural sector. Food forests are claimed to positively affect local ecosystem services while producing food for human consumption. Most of the effects and the edible production, however, lack...

In the middle of Delfland: The cultural landscape where agriculture and recreation coexist

This graduation project explores the implementation of integrated and sustainable land use planning as a crucial strategy for transforming the BPL MD region into a thriving and biodiverse area that benefits both humans and nature. By emphasizing landscape identity, water storage, the livability of meadow birds, and balancing recreational...

Flourishing Foodvalley: Pattern language as a co-design method to approach the transition towards circular agricultural systems in a hybrid landscape.

This thesis explores the possibility of circularity to regenerate the degraded agricultural systems of the Foodvalley region. The Foodvalley is a regional network organization, consisting of eight municipalities situated partly in the province of Utrecht and partly the province of Gelderland. Circularity is used to describe a way in which...

Global Material Stocks of Agricultural Field Machinery: Quantification of the Current In-Use Stock and Exploration of Future Pathways through a Material Stock Scenario Analysis

The growing demand for food production and the global developments regarding the intensification and mechanization of agriculture are likely to affect material use in the agricultural sector in some way in the future. This study addressed a research gap regarding the current and future material requirements of the global agricultural system, and...

Productive Symbiosis: Design of a productive landscape contributing to recreational value and an ecologically healthy and continuous habitat for people and wildlife

In this thesis project, a landscape architectural framework is made for a selected site in the Parkstad Limburg region. The design proposal for this region serves as a possible outcome of this framework, based on design principles and generic objectives. Parkstad Limburg used to be a wealthy region due to the thriving mining industry. The...

Between aspirations and reality: Making farming, food systems and rural areas more resilient, sustainable and equitable

This paper explores the connections between farm modernisation, rural development and the resilience of agricultural and rural systems. The paper starts by ascertaining why agricultural and food systems need to change systemically. Evidence from case studies in fourteen countries is used to explore the possibilities for, and drivers and...