BoerenNatuur

About BoerenNatuur

BoerenNatuur is a Dutch association of 39 agricultural collectives that work together on agrarian nature and landscape management and nature-inclusive farming. It acts as a bridge between individual farmers who implement measures on the ground and the wider public system of provincial and national support.

The organisation positions itself as a practical network for a living landscape in which nature strengthens agriculture, with room for both food production and biodiversity. Its collectives coordinate area-based measures, field-level advice and project work so that farmers can contribute to habitats for birds, insects and other wildlife while keeping farming viable.

Core Values

• Nature and agriculture together: BoerenNatuur consistently frames its work as strengthening agriculture through nature, rather than treating them as opposing goals.
• Practical collaboration: The organisation relies on cooperation between farmers, collectives, provinces and other partners to turn policy goals into workable measures in the field.
• Biodiversity and landscape quality: Its work is aimed at creating landscapes with flowers, insects, birds and other wildlife, while also improving the ecological quality of farmland.
• Learning and expertise: BoerenNatuur values specialist knowledge, monitoring and continuous learning to improve agrarian nature management over time.

Unique Aspects

• A federation of 39 collectives: BoerenNatuur is not a single local project organisation but the national association of 39 agricultural collectives, giving it broad reach across the Netherlands.
• Large-scale ANLb involvement: The organisation states that its network covers 122,000 hectares and 13,000 participants in the ANLb system, showing substantial scale in collective nature management.
• Strong field-level structure: Its collectives sit between individual farmers and government, with field staff working directly with participants to choose measures suited to local species and habitats.
• Provincial collective network: In addition to the collectives, BoerenNatuur includes provincial umbrella organisations such as BoerenNatuur Fryslân, Zuid-Holland, Noord-Holland, Overijssel and Brabant to support coordination.