The first floating farms

The port of Merwehaven is looking great at the end of autumn. The former port site of around 100 hectares located north of the Nieuwe Maas was once one of the most dynamic ports. After losing its splendor in the 1970s, it was given a new look by becoming a new office and residential area. It is in the middle of cargo ships, cranes and containers that the Floating Farm agricultural project was created in May 2019. And it is here, under the water table, that Daslook cheeses, very popular with the Dutch, rest in a perfect climate until they are fully matured.

To shed light on the extent of the success of this farm, Peter Van Wingerden, CEO of Floating Farm Rotterdam, says “with around 40 cows on the farm, we are able to produce 320,000 liters of raw milk every year. We divide it into pasteurized milk, pasteurized yogurt, and we also sell some raw milk - it is allowed in the Netherlands to sell it directly from the farm.”

With an engineering background and a passion for sustainable, technology-based food production, Van Wingerden says he “wanted produce healthy food close to consumers, reduce long transport lines and times between production and consumption, and show consumers in a transparent and educational way how to produce healthy food.” As for water culture, he explains that the choice of construction on water is based on the pragmatic idea of climate adaptation. With this solution, no matter how much rain falls or how much sea level rises, we will always be able to produce healthy food.”

A key part of the design process was also to have a modular building that would be extremely scalable. Van Wingerden points out that the structure “can go deeper under water and much higher on the water. We can make it as scalable as we want it to be. There is a lot of space on the water so that's not a problem. And that goes for a lot of cities.” In just 2 years since the start of operations, the Floating Farm team has been able to “prevent food loss, reduce food transport, and improve food quality.”

With a circular diet composed of organic waste coming from the city, cows also adapt to geography. “For example, our cows are fed brewery grains from several breweries in Rotterdam, sound from windmills in Schiedam, grass from nearby sports fields, and potato peelings from a local processor.”

In collaboration with a livestock comfort solutions company, this farm is in a position to offer its cows better living conditions. “Cow beds are made of flexible, sturdy materials that can be adjusted to the cow's wishes. In addition to these cow beds, the farm also uses robots for automated milking, feeding, and monitoring herd data.

Since the start of its activities in 2019, production has been organized according to two sales channels: first, customers could come directly to the farm to buy their dairy products, and second, the team distributed to various restaurants and retailers across the Netherlands - over 23 boutiques, retail outlets, and retail stores. Following the global pandemic, the team had to adapt and create new distribution channels.

After 2022, the projects are rich and multiple. “The idea is to replicate this model with poultry to produce 2 million eggs per year on an area of 2,000 square meters. We are also thinking about producing vegetables where we will produce aromatic herbs and salads, etc.” In addition, the team is in discussions with other cities, affected by similar problems, to redesign the relationship with food and build other floating farms.