“I think people in the caregiving sector often talk too much. I believe that the farming mentality of getting a job done in collaboration with others, and talking now and then during that process, is very beneficial for the target group of health care recipients: people with a burnout, people with dementia, people with mental disabilities and people with a mental vulnerability. Here at Warmonderhof, they call that ‘becoming human in agriculture’, and I support that 100%. In fact, it applies to all of us, no matter what our background.”

“Sometimes it’s better to go out into the country to get work done.”

Martha Boer (60) is a first-year student at Warmonderhof at the time of this interview. She is studying the vocational course in biodynamic cultivation.

“In addition to my three-day job in health care, I’m doing an internship at the Eemlandhoeve Vegetable Garden in Bunschoten-Spakenburg as well as following the course here at Warmonderhof – a perfect combination. After spending a few days discussing all kinds of tricky situations with people, I can’t wait to get my hands back into the soil. That’s how I see my future too: as a combination of care and agriculture.

My classmates have a lot of life experience to share

At Warmonderhof I learn a lot about the soil and how everything works. I learn about the difference between conventional, organic and biodynamic. I meet friendly people, and at the same time, I learn a lot from them. They have so much real-life experience and knowledge about their working farms. And the teachers are great too. They teach in such a dynamic way that I don’t need to go to the theatre!

It is precisely this farmer’s mentality that’s so helpful

I did my first internship at Herenboeren. I thought: I’m going to try to keep up with the men. And that’s how I became much stronger. I’m now doing an internship at the Eemlandhoeve Vegetable Garden in Bunschoten-Spakenburg. That’s an organic mixed farm with many peripheral activities such as a tasting room and the ‘Mansholtcampus’ where they think up new agricultural developments: fascinating. And funny, too: at one point I looked up while I was planting and saw a bride in her wedding dress dash past through the cabbages and corn.

I think sixty is the perfect age to retrain.

When you’re as energetic as I am, and you’re still able to do all this, you accept it with both hands! I spent my youth in the province of Drenthe as a child of a farmer on a small mixed farm. I spent so much of my time there hoeing and weeding. We also had dried flowers, which we had to do on our knees. Even though I later moved from the Drenthe countryside to the Gooi area as an adult, I never forgot the land. Ask me about the position of the corn and I can tell you the lengths of different spots. And now I’m doing this course.

I prefer to work and live with others on a nice farm

My dream for the future is a care farm where I provide agricultural supervision. I saw a blueberry farm for sale somewhere recently and said to my classmates: what if we could build ten tiny houses on it? I would prefer to work and live with gardeners and caregivers on a nice farm, for example that berry farm, combined with dried flowers and providing care. Where we and they can just live without making a distinction between the employees. I believe very much in the healing power of agricultural work. I think many caregivers are a little tired of all that care jargon. That they would be better served working in agriculture than talking about their problems round a table with the caregiver. I wouldn’t call it a care farm either, but a ‘bloom farm,’ where everyone can bloom.”

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