Today was Day 12, and our last day of programming in the Netherlands. To begin our day, we met at 10:10am and took a tram to the Floating Farm. The Floating Farm is a dairy farm that houses 26 cows and floats on water. It is a private project created by two Netherlands locals. They created this project to propose a solution for feeding the world’s ever-growing population. As of now, there are 8 billion people in the world, and this number is only projected to grow. With climate change also becoming a growing issue, farming on land is becoming less reliable and less sustainable. The Floating Farm offers a solution to this issue by taking up very little land space, as well as implementing many sustainable strategies into their business model.

The farm is comprised of a 25 by 25-meter platform with 3 levels, as well as some space on land for the cows to graze. The farm is not entirely on the sea because the cows need the extra space, but it does take up significantly less space than a typical dairy farm. The first level of the farm houses the cows. On this level, milking and feeding are automated. Interestingly, the cows choose when they want to get milked. They also choose between being on the platform and being on the land. This choice given to the cows helps keep them happy and healthy, making for a sustainable farm. The cows are also fed a combination of hay and food waste from local grocery stores. In The Netherlands, there is about 900 kilograms of food waste produced each year. If it is not recycled or used in some way, it just gets burned, releasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. So, the Floating Farm will buy some of this food waste and feed it to the cows. This helps to reduce waste, pollution, and carbon emissions from the burning of food, and therefore makes the farm sustainable. We got to see all of this in action, and even take some silly photos of the cows!

The middle level of the farm is where production occurs. Here milk is pasteurized, and dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, and cream are created. These products are then transported, using electric vehicles, to grocery stores and to the Floating Farm store. The products are never transported very far so as to not waste energy. Additionally, any transportation is done so through electric vehicles. This helps to decrease carbon emissions as much as possible, further contributing to the sustainability of the farm. The last level of the farm is mostly used to age cheese. However, there is a small plant farm in this lower level that grows fruits and vegetables under LEDs. This is to test if vertical farming on a floating farm is feasible. There are plans to expand the floating farm to grow plants in addition to producing dairy.  

The Floating Farm is a very fun and interesting project. They really prioritize sustainability. In addition to everything discussed above, the Floating Farm produces about 65% of their own energy from their solar panels. They also use their roof to recycle rainwater and water their plants with it. It is extremely sustainable as they do their best to minimize energy use and carbon emissions. They also make sure to recycle as many resources as possible to reduce waste. I think it is a very innovative solution to combat climate change, and create a more sustainable way to produce food.

After visiting the Floating Farm, we visited RDM. This is a massive warehouse that many people, including students and entrepreneurs, use as a creative space. They use this space to work on projects and businesses, and while touring, we got a glimpse of some of them. One of the most interesting projects I saw was a business called Coastruction. This business 3D prints coral reef bases that can be placed in oceans to encourage the growth of new coral. It helps to replenish ecosystems that have been destroyed from human activities or from climate change. It is so important for the ocean environment to have healthy coral, as it acts as a habitat for many marine species. The technology to produce these coral reef bases was intriguing. The 3D printer will lay down a layer of sand, print one layer of the print and let it dry. It then adds another layer of sand, 3D prints another layer, and repeats the process. The sand acts as structural support, but does not stick to the 3D printed object. In this way, interesting and fun shapes can be created.

One we finished our tour of RDM, we had some free time before having our farewell dinner. After dinner, I headed back to the hotel to rest, pack, and get ready to go home.