Ecological Farming Landscape

A spatial solution for agricultural sustainability in the polders around Zoetermeer

Master thesis (2018)

Authors

J.M. Galjaard Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

G.A Verschuure (supervisor 1)
U.D. Hackauf (supervisor 1)
A.C. de Ridder (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2018 Joline Galjaard
More Info
expand_more

Published Date

03-07-2018

Language

English

Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

A large part of the Dutch landscape is used by agriculture, and the two are strongly related. However, the current agricultural system has problems with sustainability, leading for example to the loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, water pollution and high emissions of greenhouse gases. Besides ecological issues, economic and social problems are present as well. The current way of farming has turned the landscape in an industrial, monotone area, losing characteristic landscape elements.

The project explores in what way agroecology and ecological principles can provide a sustainable solution to agriculture on the landscape level. The polders around Zoetermeer serve as a case study, showing how the existing landscape can be used as a starting point for the spatial implementation of sustainable farming solutions. Linking ecological principles, problems of sustainability and different areas together, a toolbox for the design of the area is formed. The end result offers a perspective on the functioning and appearance of an ecological farming landscape, using the concept of diversity, connectivity and circularity.