Stichting Stimuland

About Stichting Stimuland

Stimuland is an independent Dutch organization focused on rural development and the vitality of the countryside. It works with agricultural entrepreneurs, residents, and public authorities on issues such as livability, sustainable agriculture, climate action, and the energy transition.

The organization positions itself as a bridge-builder between people, policy, and practice. It supports bottom-up initiatives, facilitates area-based processes, and helps turn ideas into practical, workable steps for a future-proof, socially connected, and ecologically resilient rural area.

Core Values

• Human scale: Stimuland emphasizes listening carefully, working with personal attention, and keeping the human dimension central in every process.
• Trust and connection: It sees trust as the basis for cooperation between residents, farmers, and authorities, and as essential for shared responsibility and durable solutions.
• Action-oriented thinking: The organization values practical follow-through, turning analysis into concrete next steps rather than stopping at reports or plans.
• Equality and participation: Its approach is based on equal collaboration, bottom-up initiative, and meaningful participation from the people directly affected.
• Sustainability and balance: Stimuland aims for a countryside where economic vitality, social cohesion, nature, and biodiversity are in balance.

Unique Aspects

• Independent bridge function: Stimuland explicitly presents itself as an independent intermediary between residents, farmers, and governments, which is central to its role in sensitive rural transitions.
• Broad rural scope: Its work spans four clear themes—livability, sustainable agriculture, climate action, and the energy transition—allowing it to connect different rural challenges in one integrated approach.
• Practice-based farmer support: The organization offers independent, confidential, and free coaching for farmers and farm owners on topics ranging from biodiversity and succession to permits and non-farming activities.
• Regional rootedness with national reach: The team is described as being rooted in different rural regions, while the organization works across the Netherlands.
• Dedicated methods and tools: Stimuland uses named approaches such as WaardeWijzer and Rol & Positie, and also develops practical concepts like the Agro-Carrousel to share knowledge and build networks.