What if farming could heal the land instead of harming it?
Our vision
AGRICULTURE AS A FORCE FOR REGENERATION
We envision a world where farming restores ecosystems, supports thriving communities, and creates genuine economic opportunities for everyone involved.
A future where the land we use for food production actually heals itself, where farmers prosper through working with nature rather than against it, and where healthy soil grows healthy food for healthy communities.
Our story
De BosBoerderij (Dutch for “The Forest Farm”) was founded in 2023 when Bruna San Roman and Suzanne van der Velde met at Fresh Ventures Studio.
Bruna led a team in the tech sector. Suzanne advised companies on environmental issues. Both reached a turning point in their careers. They no longer wanted to advise or develop – they wanted to roll up their sleeves and work directly on climate solutions.
That brought them to Fresh Ventures Studio, a programme that helps entrepreneurs develop systemic solutions for agriculture and food. There, they both arrived with the same question: how do you bring ecosystem restoration and food production together?
When they discovered syntropic farming, everything clicked. Mimic natural forests. Produce food. Restore soil, biodiversity and water. Create meaningful work. All at once.
What began as exploration quickly became a mission. Prove this works in the Netherlands. Make it accessible to farmers, landowners and communities ready for change. And show that this way of farming is good for both the earth and the people who work with it.
How we work
We’re doers. Rather than just advising, we develop production sites ourselves. We connect this with monitoring and research to prove what we see in the field: that this way of farming can be both ecologically restorative and socially regenerative.
Our business model is built on true partnership. We co-invest with landowners through long-term contracts, sharing both the risks and rewards. We manage the land directly, train the next generation of Forest Farmers (BosBoeren), and document what works and what doesn’t. We connect with partners to sell our produce and create opportunities for people to reconnect with meaningful land-based work. This operational approach is crucial for systemic change: we needed to demonstrate the model works in practice, not just on paper.
We’re a steward-owned company, which means our mission always comes first: profits serve our purpose, not the other way around. In the future, our employees will become co-owners, because the stewardship we practice on the land should extend to how we govern ourselves.
De BosBoerderij works alongside its non-profit sister organisation The Forest Farms Institute (FFI).
While De BosBoerderij develops and operates syntropic farms, FFI works on broader systemic change through awareness, inspiration, education, and mobilising people for action.
Our team and collaborators
Research & Innovation
We don’t just farm; we build knowledge. Every plot is a living laboratory where we monitor soil health, biodiversity, water cycles, social impact and economic viability.
We collaborate with research institutions to document what works, share our findings openly, and develop tools that make syntropic farming more accessible. From custom machinery to monitoring protocols, we’re building the infrastructure needed to scale regenerative agriculture beyond our own farms.
Our produce & products
Our farms produce diverse, regenerative food- from (perennial) vegetables and herbs to berries, fruits and nuts. We work with partners who value quality and share our commitment to regenerative systems.
Every harvest proves that farming can be both productive and restorative, creating healthy food from healthy soils.
Plots & locations
Our syntopic farm plots are growing across the Netherlands. We’re currently managing operational sites in South Holland and developing locations in Noord-Brabant and Gelderland.
Together, these sites will restore more than 3 hectares in 2026-27, with plans for over 70 hectares in development.
Partners & supporters
GROWING REGENARATION TOGETHER
Our work is made possible by partners who believe in the power of regenerative agriculture. With their support, we’re restoring degraded land, training BosBoeren, and demonstrating that farming can heal ecosystems while producing food.
Every partnership helps us scale our impact and move syntropic farming closer to the mainstream.
Join the movement
Are you interested in making a difference with syntropic farming?