Herenboeren Lingezegen Grootstal

Herenboeren Lingezegen-Grootstal is a cooperative farm on two sites, Lingezegen in Elst and Grootstal in Malden, owned by about 300 households from the Arnhem and Nijmegen area, who share everything it grows.

Three farmers employed by the cooperative grow vegetables, potatoes, grain, fruit and herbs without synthetic fertiliser or chemical pesticides, with the organic rules as one of their starting points. The farm holds no organic certificate; what qualifies it here is that growing without synthetics, together with its work on soil health and biodiversity. Eggs and meat are planned for later but there are no animals yet that we could confirm.

Joining means becoming a co-owner: each household pays a one-off contribution to set up the farm, with single-person households paying half, and then a weekly contribution per person for running costs. In return you collect your harvest share at the farm every week in the season, mostly vegetables and fruit, sometimes with herbs, grain or potatoes, at whichever of the two sites you choose. Members can also help on the land or join a working group. The cooperative asks you to come to a tour first, held almost every Saturday from 11:00 to 12:00, though you can also register directly.

The farmers are on the cooperative's payroll with a fixed salary, so their income does not depend on what the harvest fetches.