Biography

My early childhood years were spent in the Peel region of North Brabant, an area known for its rural and natural surroundings. The family farm where I grew up was a diverse agricultural enterprise, combining fruit cultivation and later poultry farming, arable farming, and horticulture. As a young adult, I quickly found my rhythm in the variety of the work and in my studies at the Secondary Agricultural School. Although I loved the outdoor life, around the age of 24 I began to notice that the world I knew so well was becoming smaller for me. Despite my love for the work, I felt deep inside that the practical farming life was not my path. This realization did not come suddenly, but grew gradually, eventually leading me to an important decision.

As I also began to experience increasing physical complaints, I decided to leave the family farm. Instead of continuing along the familiar paths, I chose a new direction: natural medicine and later classical homeopathy. This choice felt to me like a logical continuation of my earlier work, because the principles of medicine and agriculture have always been closely connected. After all, food is not only nourishment, it is also medicine, and medicines can often be found in our food. By delving into naturopathy and homeopathy, I began to understand how deeply the connections between health, agriculture, and nature itself are rooted.

Around the age of forty, I reconnected with agriculture, after having gained extensive experience in healthcare as a practicing classical homeopath. As the saying goes, “blood will tell,” and with a broader perspective and new insights, I began to reconnect with the world of farming—a world I had never truly let go of. This renewed encounter led to several international pioneering projects, focusing on soil health and organic fertilization. My interest in sustainable agriculture, which respects both the health of the soil and that of people, eventually brought me to the intersection of agriculture and public health. This became the focus of my work: process facilitation, consultancy, and education, with the aim of restoring the connection between these two fields while raising awareness of these crucial themes.

Agriculture and public health are inseparably linked. Just as medicine increasingly recognizes that symptoms of illness often point to underlying causes, a similar shift is taking place in agriculture. There is a growing awareness that a circular, organic approach to food production is more sustainable and resilient in the long term than traditional, linear methods often aimed at control and suppression. The term “organic” as the counterpart to conventional farming is, however, misleading. Organic is nothing more and nothing less than the interconnectedness of nature, upon which agriculture depends.

Organic principles once formed the foundation of modern agriculture, but with the emphasis on efficiency, these principles have often faded into the background, leading to a disturbed biological balance. Instead of maintaining ecological equilibrium, nature was often seen as something to be conquered rather than something with which we should work in harmony.

Now, at the age of 62, I look back on the decision I once made to leave the family farm. It was not an easy choice, but I increasingly realize it was the right one. Agriculture in its current form has functioned well for a long time, but the limits of what is ecologically responsible and healthy for both the planet and humanity have been reached. It is time for a transition, a change of course. This requires not only a vision for the future but also a deeper understanding of what has happened in the past and how we can learn from it. I feel fortunate to have had the privilege of witnessing these developments up close. This enables me to contribute in a balanced way to the resilient agriculture of tomorrow. My work is realistic, sometimes confrontational, but always focused on seeking the truth.

Just as my father and grandfather instilled in me a love for agriculture and showed me the way, I now try to inspire and guide others toward a more sustainable farming system. I do this work both nationally and internationally, and I am active in various political and organizational networks. Along this journey, I enjoy connecting people and organizations committed to the future of agriculture and public health. Despite the travels and projects, I always feel at home in my current place of residence, Arnhem—here, where city and countryside are never far apart...