Living Lab Almere: a gathering for urban agriculture initiators

4 August 2025

On July 24, local urban agriculture initiators and an international delegation from the University of Liège (ULiège), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and ASTREDHOR came together for FOODCITYBOOST, a European research project in which Almere serves as a Living Lab. Flevo Campus took the group to several urban agriculture initiatives in and around Almere. The goal? To strengthen relationships and create fertile ground for collaboration between Almere-based urban agriculture initiatives.

The Natural Pavilion & Utopia Island

Flevo Campus’s office, The Natural Pavilion, was the first stop of the day. There, director Filip Otten gave a short presentation about Almere and Flevo Campus. After a quick stop at the floating farm in Weerwater, the tour through Almere began.

VINDplaats Zenit

At VINDplaats Zenit, the researchers were warmly welcomed by board member Alfred and volunteer Arie. What makes this location special is that it can host both a neighborhood community garden and a creative hub, because building is not permitted there. The reason: archaeological finds from prehistory lie underground, dating back to long before Flevoland was sea and later reclaimed.

ONZE Community Gardens

Next stop: ONZE Volkstuinen, where entrepreneur Ron van Zwet manages around 1,600 greenhouse garden plots. From sopropo to tayer leaves, and from avocado trees to tomatoes in every color, it truly feels like a tropical rainforest. The researchers were amazed, as this type of community garden is quite unique worldwide. Because of the crop diversity, diseases do not spread easily and pesticides aren’t needed. Gardeners form a close-knit community, exchanging seeds, seedlings, and stories.

Oosterwold

After a great lunch at Odin Vliervelden, the group headed to the unique residential area of Oosterwold, an urban development project where 50% of the land must be used for food production. For international researchers, it’s a paradise: few places offer so many opportunities for urban agriculture. At Centrum Stadslandbouw Oosterwold, they spoke with initiators Jan Albert Blaauw and Jalil Bekkour about the challenges and opportunities of this distinctive project.

Stakeholder gathering at Burgerboerderij Oosterwold

To close the day, Burgerboerderij Oosterwold hosted a stakeholder gathering for everyone involved in or connected to an urban agriculture initiative in and around Almere. After a delicious “farmer’s broth” dinner by Deli Nomads, researchers collected input from local initiatives to support the next phase of the study. It was also a great opportunity to strengthen the urban agriculture network: there’s strong interest in collaboration and connection, and the conversations continued until the sun went down.

Almere as a Living Lab

In FOODCITYBOOST, the city of Almere functions as a Living Lab: an experimental space where urban agriculture initiatives are created, tested, and connected. In a city that is still rapidly developing, this creates opportunities to make local system change visible. In this project, Flevo Campus connects initiatives, institutions, and individuals. Gatherings like this help build a dynamic network that fuels innovation.

Want to learn more or get involved?

Want to learn more about FOODCITYBOOST, or join the urban agriculture network in Almere? Contact Guusje.