Thriving in harmonious chaos

On an 8ha block in South Wairarapa is a sustainable ‘food forest’, with people lining up to get a taste of what’s on offer. Sustainable farmers Frank van Steensel and Josje Neerincx live in a world of organised chaos. Like nature, the Greytown couple farm in a way where finding an ecological balance is the goal.

Everything living on their property — people, plants, trees, animals, and insects – plays its unique role in an operation that produces nutrient-rich food while simultaneously enhancing the integrity of the land on which it grows.

Wairarapa Eco Farm, certified organic, is set in the Tauherenikau Plains in South Wairarapa.

Originally from the Netherlands, Josje and Frank purchased their 8ha section in 1996 when it was a barren paddock, and developed the farm over the years, planting shelterbelts, an olive grove, and building their eco-house from recycled materials.

The property is now a food forest abundant with grapes, olives, a berry orchard, and fresh produce growing in gardens and greenhouses.

Read the complete article here.