Nick Lee Fellowship Report
Part of what makes Jan and Barbara's fish special is that almost immediately after being caught in the net, they are retrieved and individually killed, bled, and put on ice.
This helps preserve the freshness of the fish, especially compared to some commercial fishing operations, where fish may slowly suffocate or otherwise die in the nets over the course of many hours.
Follow nickatcodman on Instagram
to see the video version of each of these photos.
Without pesticides and other chemical methods, organic farms turn to physical strategies for pest and weed control.
The mat underneath the strawberry plants help minimize the growth of weeds and the mesh cages help protect blueberry plants from birds.
For hundreds of years, a network of windmills at Kinderdijk have made the area inhabitable by harnessing energy from the wind to manage the flow of water.
When she's not fishing or running their restaurant, Barbara also works with policymakers and engineers on sustainability projects.
One project is a fish migration channel, which will eventually connect the saltwater in the sea with the freshwater on the other side of the dike.
To keep the inland water fresh (and usable for farming), the channel will weave back and forth, creating a sort of saltwater gradient.
Another form of water management is dredging, which removes sediment from the bottom of a body of water.
In order to move his houseboat, Jan needed to dredge the mud from underneath. Here, muddy water is being pumped into a tarp, which traps the sediment while allowing the water to flow back into the canal.
Animals also play an important role on the farm, though fruits and vegetables are the main product.
Horse manure serves as fertilizer, a bee colony helps pollinate crops, and chickens are fed plant waste.
Bike infrastructure in urban areas in the Netherlands
