Urban Test Farm Emmen

The ‘Delftlanden’ is a residential development area, located on the outskirt of Emmen, between the city and the surrounding agricultural countryside. Since the market conditions changed, developments have slowed down. The project employs undeveloped areas as a temporary test lab for sustainable farming. Unlike many urban farming practices, this project does not only focus on community building. It aims to develop real knowledge on new production models, while looking into the possibilities to combine farming with recreational functions. By doing this, Delftlanden tries to connect residents in the city with the farmers in the countryside. The test lab is run by a collaboration of residents and people from local associations, supported by the municipality. The Stad-Land-Bouwerij in Emmen is a test lab, where practical research is done on sustainable cultivation methods and possibilities for shared-use, based on agro-ecological principles. The entire lab is organized around a central test farm. The open fields are planted with diverse crops and mixed cattle. New ways of production are tested and combined with different ways of recreational use, in order to optimize the organization of our rural landscapes. To optimize applications of urban farming, small scale production methods are tested within the existing neighborhoods.