Lands on the outskirts of the city

In 1996, ERF started organic farming on 3,700 hectares of reserve land. These lands had not yet been issued after the termination of the large-scale agricultural business of Rijksdienst IJsselmeerpolders. The size of these lands is gradually shrinking, the vast majority of which lies on the edges of Almere, Lelystad, Dronten and Zeewolde. Since the start of ERF, we have also managed newly released land.

A fertile soil

ERF does everything it can to keep the soil fertile, so that the crops can grow well and stably. A first step in this is to prevent soil compaction, so that plants can continue to root well in the soil and rainwater can easily drain away. Soil compaction is caused, among other things, by ever-increasingly heavy machines that once again lead to an ever-increasing peak load on the soil. A large part of ERF's tractors and machines now have tracked undercarriages, which distribute the pressure over a larger surface area and therefore disturb the subsoil less.

Joint area development

By temporarily managing the land, ERF ensures low social costs. Municipalities in particular, but also other government authorities, can change land functions more easily in this way. It prevents land speculation and costs involved. Organic cultivation on otherwise fallow land ensures clean, fertile soil. This is useful for many different purposes. For example, the new Oosterwold district of Almere. Read more here about how ERF, the initiators and the municipality of Almere are working together in the development of this unique area.