Watch the Tegenlicht broadcast Building with the farmer here

In ‘Building with the farmer’ Tegenlicht follows pioneers who work with local natural materials as arable farmers or in construction and are therefore part of the material movement – so that more polluting concrete and steel are not used in the future.

This movement of materials will bring new perspectives to farmers and builders, and it will also bring about the renewal of nature and a healthier living environment. Is it too good to be true? Not if it’s up to them and beginners.

For example Luc and Wout de Wit, who call themselves Farming Farmers. They grow different ‘building crops’ such as hemp in Utrecht, with which they build small bio-based houses. Drenthe farmer Koos Vos had to get rid of all his cows, but he can enjoy his job again by growing elephant and raspberry grass.

Farmer Koos grass can be used as an insulation material for construction. This means that bio-based building materials of natural origin can be grown throughout the Netherlands. Depending on the soil, this may include: straw, cattail, hemp fiber and bamboo.

Bio-based construction is not yet a major Dutch phenomenon. Julia Watson is an internationally renowned landscape architect who advocates for a better balance between agriculture, nature and housing around the world. In the woods north of New York she shows a wonderful example of nature construction that goes much further: the Fab Tree Hab, an experimental pavilion where people, animals and plants live together and which is partially raised by… willow!