Day 2 of the Cities Leading Food Production-programme at VIV Europe 2026 in Utrecht opened with a powerful and urgent perspective on resilience. The workshops and roundtables explored how water, technology, data, design, and real-world crisis experience can help build stronger regional food systems. Practical solutions and honest lessons stood out throughout the day.

Food Security Under Fire

Nazar Bobitski, Director of the UCAB Brussels office, opened Day 2 with the seminar “Food Security Under Fire”. Drawing from Ukraine’s experience in the first months of the full-scale invasion, he made a crucial distinction: in crises, the problem is often not lack of food, but lack of access. In Kyiv, disrupted logistics, damaged infrastructure, power outages, and economic shocks made it hard for many — especially vulnerable groups — to obtain supplies. Key lessons included protecting logistics nodes as critical infrastructure, keeping market channels alive, mapping vulnerable groups in advance, and recognising that energy resilience is part of food security. Bobitski’s message was clear: food security in wartime (or any crisis) requires robust local systems, coordination, and proactive planning — highly relevant for European cities and regions.

Water: More Than Just H₂O

Independent researcher Laurens Hanemaaijer, member of the Vital Food Community, hosted an eye-opening workshop on water’s natural properties. He explained how structured water and natural flow patterns improve nutrient delivery, plant health, and system efficiency. Practical tools such as piezoelectric disinfection and electromagnetic treatments can reduce chemicals, clear pipes, and support better crop growth. For farmers and processors, this means lower costs and healthier systems by working with water’s intelligence rather than against it.

Water Has Structure — And That Matters

Most of us think of water as simple H₂O. But Laurens showed it’s more like a dynamic, living system. Water molecules love forming tetrahedral shapes (think tiny pyramids) and can organise into “coherent domains” — structured clusters that behave differently from regular bulk water.

This structure affects everything: how water carries nutrients, dissolves minerals, holds information, and interacts with living things. When water moves naturally — with vortices, meanders, and flow like in rivers — it stays healthier, aerated, and full of life. In our pipes and systems, that natural motion is missing, which causes problems like scale, biofilm, and inefficiency.

Cool Tech That Works With Water’s Nature

Laurens shared some impressive real-world solutions:

Piezoelectric disinfection: Apply mechanical stress (like vibration or ultrasound) to certain materials and they generate tiny electric charges. This can kill bacteria (4.5 log reduction of E. coli in 20 minutes) and break down over 90% of stubborn pollutants — all without harsh chemicals. One startup just raised €16 million to scale this for “forever chemicals.”
Electromagnetic fields: Magnetic fields help water form better clusters. Electric fields can do the opposite. Simple treatments using these principles have cleared fouled heating systems in three months, improved heat transfer, and boosted plant growth.

Why This is Important for All of Us

For farmers and growers: Better structured water can mean improved soil infiltration, stronger plants, and reduced need for chemicals.

For agribusiness and industry: Cleaner pipes, more efficient heating/cooling, and lower operational costs add up fast.

For policymakers and advisors: These approaches support Green Deal goals — cutting chemicals, saving energy, and building climate resilience — without massive infrastructure overhauls.

For students and young people: Water science is a growing field with real impact. From designing better irrigation to developing new treatment tech, there’s space for creative, practical careers here.

Laurens kept it grounded: we don’t need to reinvent everything. We can work with water’s natural intelligence — mimicking river flows, using mechanical energy, and respecting its ability to organise itself.

He’s putting together a graphic novel to make this knowledge more accessible (great idea!) and has a detailed white paper available for those who want to dig deeper.

The Takeaway

Water isn’t just a resource — it’s a partner. When we treat it poorly, systems get clogged and inefficient. When we understand and support its natural properties, everything works better: plants grow stronger, equipment lasts longer, and we use fewer chemicals.

If you work with water — on a farm, in processing, in policy, or just care about the future of food — it’s worth exploring these ideas. Simple changes in how we move, treat, and respect water can deliver big wins for productivity, sustainability, and cost.

What do you think — have you seen water behave differently on your farm or in your systems? Drop a comment. Let’s keep the conversation flowing.

Agroforestry That Actually Works

Bhim Bahadur Ghaley, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, and Evert Prins, researcher at the Louis Bolk Institute and actively involved with the National Platform Agricultural Experimentation Locations in the Netherlands. delivered two compelling workshops on agroforestry — highlighting its potential as a transformational approach to sustainable agriculture.

Ghaley’s research shows agroforestry is not just another farming method, but a smarter, more resilient system that delivers multiple benefits for productivity, economics, climate, and ecosystems.

Strong Productivity and Economic Case

One of the clearest findings is the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). Across European systems, agroforestry achieves an average LER of 1.36 — meaning it can produce the same output on 36% less land than monocropping. This efficiency comes from combining trees with crops in ways that make better use of sunlight, water, and nutrients.

Economic analysis from Danish systems shows agroforestry yielding around €704 per hectare annually, comparable to or better than monoculture. More importantly, the benefit-cost ratio is higher (€2.35 per euro invested vs €1.78 for monoculture). Even under a 33% drought risk scenario, agroforestry maintains a stronger return (€2.19). In 2023’s extreme dry conditions, it demonstrated clear yield stability compared to conventional wheat.

Research Driving Practical Solutions

Ghaley leads work in major EU projects, including the Reforest project (over €3 million, 14 partners across 10 countries and 7 living labs). These living labs bring together farmers, researchers, advisors, and policymakers to test and refine solutions in real conditions.

Additional work explores digital tools, IoT monitoring, satellite data, and even hydroponics and circular systems — all contributing to the broader goal of sustainable, multifunctional agriculture.

For farmers: Agroforestry offers diversified income, greater resilience, and better long-term economics.
For advisors and processors: It supports supply chains with more sustainable, traceable products and stronger environmental performance.
For policymakers and government officials: The data provides clear evidence to support updated subsidies, payments for ecosystem services, and policies that reward climate-smart practices.
For NGOs: Agroforestry aligns perfectly with goals around biodiversity, climate action, and rural development.

Ghaley’s work shows agroforestry as a practical, evidence-based pathway for the food transition — delivering food security, environmental benefits, and economic viability at the same time.

With living labs, digital tools, and strong international collaboration already underway, the foundation for wider adoption is in place. Policymakers, farmers, and organisations interested in regenerative solutions should take note: agroforestry offers proven benefits well beyond the farmgate.

From Small Beginnings to Nationwide Networks

Evert Prins gave a clear, down-to-earth overview of where agroforestry stands in the Netherlands and how farmers are making it work on the ground. Back in 2017, a small group of 15 dairy farmers started connecting and sharing knowledge about trees on farmland. Today, these provincial networks have grown to over 100 farmers across all 12 provinces. It’s a genuine bottom-up movement — not something pushed from above, but driven by farmers who see the practical benefits.

Evert explained that agroforestry isn’t one single recipe. There are eight different system types in the Netherlands, ranging from simple tree lines that support crops to more complex multi-layered food forests. The key is matching the right system to your farm, your soil, and your goals.

Making Money While Improving the Land

One of the most useful parts of the session was the discussion on revenue models. Evert shared four main strategies that farmers are successfully using:

Getting more yield from the same land
Cutting external inputs (fertiliser, pesticides) thanks to trees improving soil and microclimate
Earning from ecosystem services (like carbon)
Creating extra income streams by combining trees with other farm activities

He was honest: it’s not always easy. There are regulatory hurdles, knowledge gaps, and the need for better economic data. That’s why practical tools like tree selection guides and proper planting manuals are so important — they help reduce the common problem of young trees dying.

Experimentation and Real-World Testing

Evert Prins highlighted the Agroforestry Blueprint site — a living laboratory on a former poultry farm where they are testing and demonstrating multiple systems. Plans are in place to establish 21 different agroforestry setups next year across a larger area. This kind of hands-on experimentation is exactly what the National Platform Agricultural Experimentation Locations supports.

They’re also running field trials on crop yields near trees (especially in potato systems) and pushing for a national monitoring programme that would track results from around 1,500 pioneering farmers. Good data is essential if we want to scale agroforestry properly and convince policymakers.

Evert described agroforestry as a kind of “Swiss army knife” for Dutch agriculture — helping with climate adaptation, biodiversity, soil health, water management, and even animal welfare. Despite past policy setbacks, momentum is clearly building through farmer networks, experimentation sites, and growing collaboration.

Evert and his colleagues at the Louis Bolk Institute are showing that agroforestry isn’t just a nice idea — it’s a workable, scalable approach already being tested and refined by Dutch farmers today.

Short Food Supply Chains that Actually Work

Jan Willem van der Schans led an insightful workshop on short food supply chains and the important role of advisors. Jan Willem is actively involved in the European Horizon project COREnet and is co-founder of the Dutch Task Force Short Chain. With years of experience bridging research, policy, and practice, he offered a clear, realistic view of how short supply chains can succeed in today’s market.

He presented examples from across Europe, including:

Community-supported agriculture models
Standardised farmers’ markets in Italy
Successful supermarket collaborations in the Netherlands
Public procurement initiatives (schools, prisons)

One key lesson: standardisation often drives success. Clear quality, branding, and reliable supply help consumers recognise and trust local products.

Precision Farming at Scale

Jacob van den Borne shared how his operation manages thousands of hectares with a small team using drones, sensors, and the “Ground Control” platform. Real-time data helps make precise decisions that cut inputs, improve yields, and support soil health.

For Jacob, precision farming isn’t about buying every new gadget. It’s about doing the right action, at the right time, in the right place. He started seriously with the approach in 2006 and has steadily reduced overlapping work in fertilising and cultivation by more than 10%. That alone paid back the initial technology investment within a year.

The farm uses a powerful tech ecosystem:

A fleet of 15+ drones with multispectral sensors
Ground sensors and satellite data
All brought together in their own software platform called Ground Control

This system gives real-time insights into biomass, chlorophyll levels, water stress, and more. AI is now being trained on 12 years of data to provide even better irrigation and management advice.

Jacob doesn’t keep all this knowledge to himself. The farm runs the VDBORNE Campus — a real learning centre with field days, workshops, and a free e-learning platform that walks people through their 16-step precision farming approach.

He’s especially concerned about losing generational farming intuition (“Fingerspitzengefühl”). With only about 40 growing seasons in a typical career, farmers need better tools to learn faster. The Campus and digital tools help bridge that gap.

Jacob’s operation shows that large-scale farming and precision technology can go hand in hand with care for soil and sustainability. You don’t need hundreds of employees — smart systems and good data can make a small team incredibly effective.

For farmers and producers considering precision approaches, his key messages were:

Start with good data collection and learning from your own fields.
Combine technology with traditional knowledge — don’t replace one with the other.
Focus on practical results: lower costs, better timing, and healthier soils.
Share what you learn — the whole sector benefits when knowledge spreads.

If you’re curious to see it in action, check out vandenborneaardappelen.com and the VDBORNE Campus. Jacob and his team are openly sharing experiences to help more farmers move forward.

Precision farming isn’t science fiction — it’s happening now on real Dutch fields, delivering results that matter for profitability and the environment. Worth exploring for your own operation.

Blockchain for Trust and Transparency in the Food Chain

Asgeir Oskarsson of the BSV Association demonstrated how blockchain can rebuild trust through verifiable traceability, fairer payments, and reduced intermediaries.

The current system isn’t working well for everyone. Farmers typically receive only 9–12% of the final retail price. Over 5.3 million farms have disappeared in recent decades. Consumers often don’t know where their food really comes from, and trust in labels is low.

Asgeir explained that blockchain can help by acting as a shared, tamper-proof digital ledger. Every entry is permanent, verifiable, and doesn’t rely on a central authority. This makes it possible to track products from farm to fork with real confidence.

Key advantages highlighted:

Extremely scalable (over 1 million transactions per second)
Extremely low cost (fractions of a cent per transaction)
Users control their own data and identities

Alexander Mann brought the discussion to life with a vineyard case study in Virginia. Using hyperlocal weather sensors, one vineyard was able to limit frost damage to less than 2% crop loss, while neighbouring vineyards lost up to 60%.

By anchoring this sensor data on the blockchain, they created trustworthy records for:

Provenance and quality tracking
Consumer-facing vintage reports
Faster, more reliable crop insurance claims

This shows how combining sensors with blockchain can protect farmers’ income and give consumers better information.

Asgeir introduced the Common Source platform as a practical example already in use. It connects farmers, consumers, researchers, and cities in regional food networks. Users have verified digital identities they fully control. The system can reward participation with tokens and securely share sensor data, land information, and quality measurements.

A Tool for Bigger Change

Both were clear: blockchain is not a magic fix by itself. It’s infrastructure that supports community-driven solutions. It can help with:

Verifiable sustainability claims
Fairer payments and reduced risk for farmers trying new practices
Transparent data sharing between farmers, advisors, and policymakers
New business models that reward quality and transparency

They emphasised the need for collaboration — between farmers, cities, researchers, and technology providers — to build systems that actually work for people on the ground.

Designing the City: Regional Food Systems

Dirk Wascher (SUSMETRO) and Mark Frederiks (Common Source) hosted a lively two-hour roundtable called ‘Designing the City’. The session brought together a diverse group — farmers, researchers, city planners, tech experts, and people from Canada, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe — to talk about how we can use foodscape mapping, data, design, and collaboration to create stronger regional food systems.

The idea isn’t to force big changes overnight. It’s about understanding the current reality and finding smart, step-by-step ways to improve it — whether that means shifting some land use, supporting regenerative practices, or connecting farmers more directly with local markets.

Mark Frederiks added an important point: we already have thousands of small initiatives, living labs, and community projects around the world. The challenge is connecting them, learning from each other, and scaling what works. He talked about building networks of living labs — places where people test ideas, share data, and adapt quickly when crises hit, like during conflicts or extreme weather.

Participants discussed balancing local needs with broader markets, the value of living labs, and the importance of trust and cultural reconnection with food.

The conversation kept coming back to people. Tatiana from the Middle East reminded everyone that trust in local food isn’t automatic — consumers need to know how it’s grown and why it matters. Education, school gardens, and clear labeling can help reconnect people with their food.

Fadel from Africa shared examples from Nairobi and Senegal, showing how urban agriculture policies and efforts to balance city and rural needs can create more resilient systems. Ranko from Croatia emphasised that we can’t fix food systems in isolation — we need to connect them with education, tourism, health, and community life.

Practical Next Steps

The group didn’t just talk theory. They explored:

Using data to identify opportunities for local production and circular economy projects
Supporting farmers during transitions with better subsidies and risk-sharing
Creating regional food networks that balance local needs with export income
Building living labs as places for experimentation and learning

This roundtable made one thing very clear: we don’t need to wait for perfect top-down solutions. By combining good data, practical tools, farmer knowledge, and community energy, we can start redesigning food systems that are more resilient, fair, and connected to local realities.

Whether you’re a farmer, city planner, advisor, student, or policymaker, there’s a role for everyone. The session ended with a strong sense of possibility — and an invitation to keep collaborating, sharing data, and building these new food regions together.

If you’re working on food systems, regional development, or sustainability, tools like foodscape mapping, living labs, and transparent data platforms are worth exploring. The future of food is being designed now — and it starts with understanding our own places better.

Common Threads from Day 2

Day 2 highlighted practical approaches:

Plan for access and resilience in crises
Work with nature’s intelligence (water, precision tools)
Use technology to support transparency and better decisions
Design food systems at the city-region level through collaboration

The day left participants with concrete ideas and renewed motivation. Cities Leading Food Production continued on Day 3 with global perspectives and closing reflections.

We invite farmers, collectives, municipalities, NGOs, advisors, experts, and policymakers to stay engaged and help build living, resilient food regions together.

Let’s keep the momentum going.

Recap Day 2 Cities Leading Food Production at VIV Europe 2026