Pieter van der Valk: “The countryside is all the rage. Just look at everything that’s happening here!”
Chile, Canada, New Zealand, the United States – he travelled all over the world in search of answers. Answers to today’s major social issues. And he found them right here, right under his nose, in Friesland. “Here we have the knowledge, the contacts, the space, the people and the ambition,” says Pieter van der Valk, farmer and founder of Agricycling. “If we pull together, we’ll give agriculture a new outlook. A new future. And above all: the respect it deserves.”
Grandad’s little house
More nature, fewer emissions. More meadow birds, fewer livestock. More biodiversity, fewer endless plains. The agricultural sector lies at the heart of a debate that has become increasingly heated and turbulent in recent years. There is so much that needs to be done and so little that is allowed, that many a farmer has already hung up their clogs. But not Pieter. Certainly not Pieter. Because where others see obstacles, he sees opportunities. After all, just think about it: recycling nutrients from waste streams, including our own poo. Just as Pieter’s grandad once collected human waste in buckets to fertilise his fields. “You’ve no idea how valuable that manure is,” laughs Pieter, “and how indispensable our farmland is.”
Discover, experience, do
Pieter grew up in Workum, a town in the Frisian Eleven Cities region, on his parents’ farm. It was a childhood straight out of a storybook. With pole-vaulting competitions, homemade huts in the hay, and endless strolls through the fields. “Those long summer days when you lost all sense of time and space. Wonderful.”
After finishing agricultural college, Pieter decided to continue his studies. If possible, he wanted to do it his own way. Not just from books, but by discovering, experiencing and doing. He graduated in Indonesia and started university. Until it became too theoretical for him, and that job offer from AB Vakwerk came at just the right time. “I ended up staying with AB for ten years,” says Pieter.
“I’ve learnt so much about myself”
For someone who never shies away from a challenge, doubt set in after ten years.
In the meantime, the dairy farm had moved to Ferwoude and was running smoothly. The old site had been turned into a little holiday paradise, run by his parents. “I was getting restless, wanted to discover new things, develop myself further,” says Pieter. Moreover, agriculture was the subject of quite a lot of debate. “I wondered what my role in that was. What could I do to tackle those social issues?” Thanks to an international scholarship from Nuffield, he had the chance to travel all over the world, searching for answers. “An amazing time,” says Pieter. “I learnt so much about myself.”
“A circular economy – that’s what it’s all about”
But also about the challenges facing his sector. “Shared challenges,” Pieter nods. “Because while farmers may be at the heart of the debate, we all have a part to play in the solution. Everyone. Not circular agriculture, but a circular society – that’s what it’s all about.” Pieter gathered a number of fellow farmers to dissect all the challenges. Layer by layer. Right down to the core. “Gradually, we discovered how we could restore the balance between the economic and ecological values of agriculture.” Agricycling was born.
Back to the Future
The buckets of manure and urine that Grandad Van der Valk used to fertilise the land have long since disappeared with the installation of sewers. They were replaced by artificial fertilisers, concentrated feed and pesticides. The focus shifted to the end product, rather than the soil. “It’s a shame, really,” says Pieter. “Because it’s only on agricultural land that waste streams can be broken down into minerals. These minerals are then converted back into food or a raw material.” In short: our soil is the place where everything ends and everything begins again. “If we were to modernise that ancient recycling system, we wouldn’t need all that artificial fertiliser and concentrated feed anymore. It’s our chance for a new kind of circular agriculture,” explains Pieter. “Towards a circular society.” With Friesland as the ultimate testing ground.
“In Friesland, we have the expertise, the contacts, the space, the people and the ambition”
Pieter van der Valk
“Look at all that’s going on here”
And let’s not forget that Friesland is, quite simply, a rural area. It’s teeming with valuable farmland here. “And that’s in the city’s interests too.” With his recycling programme, Pieter is not only addressing social issues, but also the image problems facing the agricultural sector. “It’s time for younger generations to see that farming is sexy again: the countryside is hot. Just look at everything that’s happening here in Friesland. We’re building the future here.”
From a suit to overalls
Three days a week spent on Agricycling, the rest of the time farming. That’s the idea. “But I usually fail miserably,” laughs Pieter. Still, there’s nothing quite like taking off ‘the smarts’ after a jam-packed day of work meetings and walking into the barn. “I find peace amongst the cows. It’s my therapy, my yoga, my ‘zen’ moment.” A place where you lose all sense of time and space. The sort of place you only find in Friesland these days.
About Agricycling
Agricycling is a modern farmers’ cooperative that recycles nutrients from natural waste streams – such as green and garden waste, food scraps, and human urine and faeces – via agricultural soil, converting them into new raw materials. The Frisian cooperative is now expanding into Groningen, Limburg and North Brabant. Agricycling’s aim is to promote the efficient use of raw materials for a new circular agricultural system.
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