Authored by FLEVO, edited by RFF
Flevo Campus (FLEVO) was established in 2017 by the municipality of Almere and the Province of Flevoland, in cooperation with Aeres University of Applied Sciences and Wageningen University & Research. In the first years of its existence, the focus of its activities was mainly on the city region of Almere. Since its corporatisation into an independent institute in 2021, its working area has gradually expanded. From 2025, the Flevo Campus’ name will change to Food Pioneers.
As a pioneer in food, Flevo Campus tries to contribute to a healthy and sustainable future by placing food at the forefront, broadly defined as food innovation. Entrepreneurs, researchers, educators, policymakers, and citizens are engaged early to foster widely supported change. The various collaborations of the Flevo Campus therefore come together in one common goal: the Plate of Tomorrow. All substantive activities of the campus ultimately relate to what is on our plate tomorrow. The concept of tomorrow’s plate serves as a metaphor for the entire food chain. The method and content of the Flevo Campus themes are aimed at initiating change in the chain from that plate.
In this way, Flevo Campus ensures that researchers, entrepreneurs, educators, citizens, and students collaborate on new solutions for a healthy and sustainable food system. It is the venue where innovations in urban food issues are collaboratively studied, improved and implemented. This is achieved by conducting action-oriented trans-disciplinary research within so-called action labs, where issues are addressed together with partners in the food chain so that innovations directly impact the plate of tomorrow. One of the themes that is important for the plate of tomorrow is agriculture because working on the plate also implies that (new) raw and food materials are needed, preferably on a local basis.
How FLEVO is Boosting Urban Agriculture
FOODCITYBOOST offers Flevo Campus the opportunity to not only extend its network with new innovative food producers in and around Almere, but also to better appraise their contribution to the city’s food system. A key area of Flevo Campus focus is Oosterwold, a new peri-urban district of Almere in which urban agriculture is the backbone. But other parts of the city region also offer innovative food producers, from community and school gardens, food forests, and a greenhouse complex with allotments to professional Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms.
As part of FOODCITYBOOST, Flevo Campus organises three kinds of activities with its Living Lab of local food producers.
First, some are participating in data collection for an LCA (which is included in work package 3 of FOODCITYBOOST). For a year, these participants meticulously collect all data relating to food production at their location.
Second, Flevo Campus will reflect with the food producers on local food policies, and how these can contribute to strengthening the Almere food system.
Third, the Living Lab is used to collect data on the social and economic contribution of urban agriculture.
All-in-one, three activities not only contribute to strengthening the Almere urban agriculture network but also places the Living Lab Almere in a European context through cooperation and comparison with the 5 other Living Labs of FOODCITYBOOST.
