“At Warmonderhof, it’s important to me to learn how to farm in harmony with nature. That’s what I call future-oriented food production. Here we learn how we can strengthen the bond between animals and humans, and how we can help the earth become healthy again.”

“It’s important to learn how to farm in harmony with nature”

Åsa (18) is a third-year student at Warmonderhof at the time of this interview. She is studying to become a biodynamic farm manager.

“I grew up on a mixed biodynamic farm in Norway. I really wanted to go to a biodynamic agricultural school, because that’s the way I want to farm. There’s only one school in Europe that offers that, and that’s here in Dronten. Connection is also a key theme for me. For us as future workers in agriculture, but also for other people, it’s important that we connect, and keep connecting, with the earth and with the animals; that we make that connection stronger. That will help us resolve the world’s climate situation.

It has to be mixed

Learning by doing: that’s what Warmonderhof is about. It’s too early to know if I want to take over my father’s business. I want to discover other places first. I want to travel, work on other farms. And maybe I’ll want to follow another course. Eventually I do want to go back to Scandinavia to farm. But it has to be a mixed farm, with cultivation and livestock. I think it’s important that everything works with everything else.”

The exchange of knowledge here is huge

I actually applied to Warmonderhof from Norway without even attending an open day. When I arrived here at the beginning of my first school year, it felt really good straight away. I’d never expected to have such a strong connection to the land, the animals and the people here. The knowledge exchange between teachers and students is tremendous, as well as between the students themselves. It’s wonderful to experience how much the first-year students can learn from the third-years who supervise them. And your personal development gets a boost too. Here you get the chance to work in wonderful companies and learn from everyone who works and lives here.”

Warmonderhof has monthly open days. Are you interested in the possibilities for you at our school? Please take a look in our agenda for the next open day.