Farming in The Netherlands is interwoven with culture. With a growing need for sustainable agricultural measures due to climate change, many Dutch farmers feel forced to change their way of life. This has led to a lot of insecurity, resulting in national farmers’ protests and a big agricultural crisis which dominates Dutch politics.
This visual ethnographic film follows Mark Venner, a young farmer who practices agroforestry at the farm owned by his family since 1818 in Baexem in the province of Limburg. Before Mark, his father and his grandfather were running a dairy farm. When he stopped, his father agreed with Mark’s idea of turning the farm into an agroforestry farm. This way of farming consists of multiple sustainable agricultural practices that mimic nature to create a natural ecosystem, forming one of the possible agricultural solutions to climate change.
The film follows Mark in his work, but especially in his thoughts. We see and feel Mark’s passion for non-human nature. He is constantly questioning: what is the right thing to do as a farmer? We see him struggle with words, giving shape to his ideas without judging other farmers. Mark is not afraid to change; he shows that it is possible to practice a more sustainable form of agriculture in the middle of this crisis. Getting close to Mark, we feel he has a deep longing to be understood and a great wish to inspire people.
Trailer
Artist statement
Kiki Schollaardt (she/her) did a bachelor’s in Future Planet Studies at the University of Amsterdam and a master’s in Visual Ethnography at Leiden University. Bringing her knowledge from both studies together in her work, she aims to humanize the debates on sustainability – in the broad sense of the word. By focusing her work on people that practice ways of living that help towards a more sustainable future society, Kiki aims to inspire others through their stories.