We are once again bringing together researchers, designers and spatial thinkers for a four-day studio exploring the spatial impact of the food industry in the Netherlands.
This workshop examines how animal protein production has shaped the Dutch landscape and asks what a post-animal protein future might look like. This year, our team will be joined by Lotte Embregts, from Strootman Landschapsarchitecten and Joran Lammers from the University of Leiden.
Despite its small size, the Netherlands has become one of the world’s largest exporters of meat and dairy. Maintaining this position has transformed landscapes both at home and abroad, from rainforests cleared for animal feed to a Dutch countryside dominated by monocultures and mega farms housing millions of animals.
The consequences are increasingly visible. Nitrogen pollution, biodiversity loss, degraded water systems and public health risks are all tied to this intensive model of agriculture, even though the sector represents only a small share of the national economy. This raises an urgent question: what if we stopped producing meat and dairy at this scale?
In this studio, we will examine the food system as a spatial project and imagine how the Netherlands might look if industrial animal farming were radically reduced or abandoned. Together, we will map existing systems and explore new scenarios for the Dutch countryside. This studio is open to anyone interested in food systems, landscape and spatial change. Join us in May to rethink the future of the Dutch landscape.
