The Floating Farm in the Port of Rotterdam, a Dutch project launched to show how food can be produced sustainably without tying up land, has taken another turn, according to co-founder Peter van Wingerden.
The farm had recently been put up for sale after a disagreement with the local environmental department, which said a newly fitted floor did not comply with regulations. The 28 Dutch MRI cows living on the structure were removed and were due to be sold, and milk production was to stop.
That plan has now changed. Van Wingerden confirmed the farm is not being sold and that milk and other dairy production are continuing. The cows have been moved to a few farms around 20km away, and a vertical salad-growing enterprise now occupies the basement of the floating structure.
From dairy to a mixed operation
The Floating Farm was the idea of Peter and Minke van Wingerden, who invested €4 million to build it with on-site feeding, milking, slurry handling and dairy production. It opened in May 2019 in the port as a futuristic answer to producing food sustainably without the traditional reliance on land. During its operation it produced milk and dairy products for local consumers, who could buy them from vending machines at the farm, and it drew hundreds of thousands of curious visitors from around the world.
According to Van Wingerden, the change was forced by the flooring dispute. He said the farm has the lowest emissions possible thanks to its modern technology and system, but that the rubber floor is German and has no certificate of compliance in the Netherlands.
Milk now arrives from a supplier about 20km away, a short transport distance, through a stainless steel pipeline installed from the quay to the farm. A regular dairy truck brings milk from the dairy for use twice a week, roughly 1,500L per batch.
Vertical growing below the waterline
The vertical farm is a fully controlled and automated growing space using three layers with conveyor belts, combining grow-room and warehouse technology. Four types of crops are grown there:
- micro-greens, harvested every two weeks;
- herbs, harvested every three weeks;
- leafy greens, harvested every four weeks;
- edible flowers, harvested every four to five weeks.
These crops are turned into tea, pesto, herb-infused salts and herb-infused whey, alongside the farm's Parmigiano cheese. The vertical unit sits below the waterline of the floating structure, which cools it, and Van Wingerden said it is performing well.
He added that the current setup is not the vision the project began with, but that the operators are coping with the system. The operation will have to leave the port in just over two years, because the entire area is due to become residential.