SUMMARY
Loonse en Drunense Duiden, located in the Noord Brabandt region in the southern part of The Netherlands, is a shifting sands zone that has been traditionally populated by small and medium sized farmers specialized mostly in vegetables and milk.
Circa 1995, the creation of a national park on the shifting sands zone posed serious environmental restrictions on the area, threatening the farmers traditional lifestyles and livelihoods. In response to |
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| that external threat, about 170 families formed the Duinboeren Platform, a foundation of organic and traditional farmers aiming to defend the environment and their livelihoods by influencing the converting process implemented by the government (adaptation to new environmental requirements).
The Platform developed several alliances that have allowed them to influence public policies and diversify their productive activities by promoting agro-tourism, offering health care services and developing a commercialization system of local products that rests on the increasing interest of consumers on local products.
The Duinboeren experience shows that is possible for small household producers to transform a threat into an opportunity by diversifying their traditional activities and positioning themselves as key stakeholders on the development of their community. |
