Beladon: Agricultural Innovation Through Floating Farms

Abstract

This case is about Beladon, a Dutch property company led by Peter van Wingerden. Wingerden and his wife, Minke van Wingerden, launched the world’s first “floating farm” in Rotterdam in 2019. A floating farm refers to a dairy farm that floats on water, with cattle residing on it. van Wingerden created these farms from an environmental perspective to reduce the distance between the food source and its consumption and control transport-related pollution. Experts are concerned about the concept of floating farms as this new type of farm implies that land-based dairy is so dysfunctional that marine alternatives had to be generated. Moreover, they believe that floating farms might not be a natural environment for cattle. Is van Wingerden correct in progressing with the development of floating farms? How is he making these farms sustainable?

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