Activities

In order to increase the resilience of their crops, Klompe Farm is testing crop companionship on their land, expanding flower and grass-herbs lanes between crops. They are now implementing lane farming (with cash crops), including a minimum of 3 biodiversity lanes in between the crop lanes. The seed mix for the biodiversity lanes has been specifically elaborated to enhance natural pest control and natural pollination. Currently they have 6 cover crop lanes in the field with 6 seed mixes specifically selected to enhance nitrogen fixing, rooting depth, soil biology and organic fertilisation.



In addition, they are developing a recipe for homemade biofertiliser based on whey-water. Whey-water is a residue from cheese making, which is very rich in amino acids which contribute to the biological balance in the soil.



Finally, Klompe Farm is cooperating with the Soil Heroes Foundation which is developing a practical toolbox for farmers to learn about regenerative farming and how to apply regenerative practices on their land. The toolbox, amongst other resources like the recipe for the biofertiliser, will include a guidebook with step-by-step instructions on how to implement the 20 core principles of regenerative farming, as well as requirements in terms of financial investment, machinery, headcount, skills and knowledge.



These 20 core principles have been selected based on the following benefits:

• Increase in soil organic matter

• Better balance in the interactions between different minerals in the soil

• Increase in biodiversity in and on the soil



This toolbox will be shared with farmers across Europe by April 2022.

Additional comments

The Klompe Farm is a Dutch family farm located just 20km south of Rotterdam. The Klompe family has been farming regeneratively for more than 7 years. Out of the 360 hectares of the estate, more than 100 hectares are now farmed regeneratively. Such large-scale experiments in regenerative farming are very rare in North Western Europe, which makes the Klompe Farm a front-runner.

Additional information

The biodiversity lanes offer a great habitat for insects and foraging species like bumblebees, butterflies and wild bees, benefiting natural pollination. They also provide nesting places for birds, resulting in a more complex biodiverse ecosystem that contributes to natural pest control.



In addition, the mixes of plants used for the lanes favour nitrogen fixing, root depth, soil biology and organic fertilisation. This reduces the use of artificial soil inputs and insecticides, enhancing the mineral balance and organic matter in the soil. Furthermore, soil microorganisms are less disturbed and can thrive.



Concerning pests, as biodiversity increases thanks to the flower and grass-herbs lanes between crops, the natural pest regulation improves as well. These strips and margins are very appealing for pollinators, birds, spiders, beetles, hoverflies, parasitic wasps and lacewings that help to keep pests such as snails and pest insects under control.



In order to monitor and quantify the natural pest control and natural pollination levels, Klompe Farm collaborates with the University of Amsterdam and it is also involved in a Netherlands-based national butterfly project (BIMAG). Finally, the Klompe farm estate is part of the EU project FABulous Farmers, that aims to raise awareness about the benefits of field margins and biodiversity lanes on biodiversity levels.



Concerning biofertilisers, in 2019 the farm started to brew their own biofertiliser by using fermentation processes to produce a liquid of metabolites (organic products produced by bacteria and fungi). The outcome was promising so in 2020 the recipe was improved by enriching it with other types of nutrients, namely whey-water. Whey-water is a residue from cheese making which is very rich in amino acids, so very nutritive and good for the biological balance in soils. For this purpose, Klompe Farm started a partnership with a neighbouring farm producing cheese, to use their whey-water. The aim in 2021 is to test more biofertiliser recipes and get lab analyses on the amount and type of nutrients, to develop a guide with different biofertiliser recipes for different purposes.