Once, before I became a farmer, I made a long trip on my bike to Istanbul. I looked at the farmers along the way. When I reached the Eastern European countries, it struck me how the farmers were standing with their feet on their land, working together, living on the land. What a difference with farmers in Western Europe, who I saw working alone, driving a tractor. Then I decided that I wanted to be a farmer with my feet on the ground.

When I came back they told me that it wasn’t possible. You need a multifunctional farm, perfect crops, high tech material and an expensive bookkeeper to be profitable. But I just wanted to make a living by doing agriculture. They explained me that farmers incomes are not only determined by the weather but also by wholesalers and foodchains. I decided I didn’t want to start in the traditional agricultural business “bigger and more”, I wanted to do it the human way, on human scale, with my feet on the ground.

So I took a risk. I bought a piece of land and started a Community Supported Agriculture farm. A farm where I could grow crops indeed, but also a farm that is connected to the land and to the community, where there is a “cultural and social life”. People pay me a fixed amount of money every year and then they come to harvest whenever the vegetables or the fruits are ready. I talk to my people, when they are on our land, we harvest together, we talk about the future of the farm, the transformation to a fully organic farm. And the children learn that strawberries don’t grow in the winter.

This way I don’t need high tech material or a bookkeeper. The bookkeeping is transparent so people can see what happens with their money and how much money I make. We don’t have to pay food-chains or wholesalers or transporter operators.

I believe we have found a way of dealing with the complex world of agriculture. It is possible to survive as a farmer with your feet on the ground. By agriculture on human scale.