Rineke Dijkinga
Activities:Agroforestry
Founder:Rineke Dijkinga
Launched:2017
Location:Sellingen, Groningen
Introductie
Healthy soils are the foundation of a healthy Earth – and of our own health. After all, we are not only what we eat, but also what our food ate. With her agroforestry project, Dutch orthomolecular therapist Rineke Dijkinga seeks to create a vital food system rooted in reciprocity. “We cannot keep taking forever – we also have to give back. That is how we come back to balance with nature”.
One of the fields of grain at the agroforestry project of Rineke Dijkinga. Photo by: We Are The ReGeneration
“Regeneration lies at the core of nature. A depleted soil can become fertile again once we stop exhausting it. Our bodies work in exactly the same way”, says orthomolecular and naturopathic therapist Rineke Dijkinga. “Every night, our bodies repair the damage our cells accumulate during the day. But to carry out that repair, we need sufficient rest and nutrients – and most of us don’t get either. We only take and consume: from our bodies and from nature. That balance needs to be restored.”
For sixteen years, Rineke has helped her clients do precisely that. She worked with people who had become stuck in the medical system and were often told they must learn to live with their symptoms. “While the cause was usually quite simple: too much was being demanded of the body in relation to what it was being given in nutrients and lifestyle”, she explains. “At a certain point I thought: I can keep addressing individual deficiencies, but where do they actually come from? That led me to agriculture and soil – because soil is the foundation of our food and therefore of our health.”
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A plant that receives no artificial fertilisers or pesticides is full of life force
The unsprayed apples on Rineke’s land. Photo by: We Are The ReGeneration
Life force
Healthy, living soils contain more bioavailable nutrients, meaning more nutrients end up in crops – and ultimately in our gut. Moreover, a plant that is not fed artificial fertilisers or pesticides is full of life force: to sustain itself, it must produce a wide range of protective compounds – so-called polyphenols. “Together with fibre, polyphenols are essential for our gut health”, says Rineke. “When we consume enough of them, our gut thrives – and with it our brain, immune system, hormonal system and overall vitality. All of these depend for at least eighty percent on what happens in our gut.”
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Nature does its own thing, and all we can do is follow its wisdom
“Our immune system, hormonal system and overall vitality depend for at least eighty percent on what happens in our gut.” Photo by: We Are The ReGeneration
Rineke at Heerlijk Westerwolds Land. Photo by: We Are The ReGeneration
Agroforestry
To contribute directly to soil health, Rineke decided to close her therapeutic practice in 2017 and purchase a piece of arable land together with her husband. In Sellingen, in the Dutch province of Groningen, together they began working with agroforestry – in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research. “I sometimes joke that this is how I became the first orthomolecular farmer in the Netherlands”, she laughs.
At Heerlijk Westerwolds Land, the ‘health value per hectare’ for soil, people, animals and planet is the guiding principle. That means learning to listen to nature, Rineke discovered. “As a regenerative farmer, you can make all kinds of plans – but if your ecosystem is not yet fully balanced, you constantly have to revise them”, she explains. “Nature does its own thing, and all we can do is follow its wisdom – just as Indigenous people have done for thousands of years. I find it deeply impressive that they consider seven generations ahead in every decision. If we did the same, we would end up with a very different agricultural and healthcare system”.
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You end up with healthier, more productive employees
Adopt a local farmer
Rineke also sees opportunities at a societal level to support local farmers and growers. She suggests that canteens in large, sustainable companies could ‘adopt’ a local farmer. “That way, people develop awareness of local and regenerative food through their work – and you end up with healthier, more productive employees.” Hospitals, schools and other public institutions, she argues, should start doing the same. “Citizens get good food, farmers receive a fair price, and with that, renewed perspective”.
Meaning
Working with regenerative food has a healing effect, Rineke observes. “Take people out into the fields for half a day and see what happens to their stress hormones and immune system. Or spend a day foraging and then prepare something to share with others. Honest, pure food aligns so deeply with our original system. It restores not only soil and gut health, but also the sense of meaning we so deeply long for.”
Want to know more about nutrient density? Read our interview with leading expert Dan Kittredge.
