"Ivar has a plan and very clear vision. Despite doubts from those around him, he is persistent in what he wants and persevered with his idea. That is typically French. Ivar is also colouring outside the lines of the traditional farm with his approach!" the jury's comments said.
Tea, beans and soya: my goal is to grow as many of these products, extinct in the Netherlands, locally again.
After completing his International Food & Agribusiness studies at HAS green academy in 2021, Ivar picked up his parents' farming business, but in a different way. He farms with a short chain, local products and a lot of innovation. He does so under the name Ekoto, based in Etten-Leur.
'I started researching innovative crops. Think of tea grown in the Netherlands, vegetable proteins and beans grown before the war. A lot has been preserved in seed banks and my aim is to grow as many of these products that have become extinct in the Netherlands locally again. That way, we won't be dependent on, say, tea and soy proteins from abroad'.