Innovation Boetcamp 2021 on Texel

Amped has been working with Texel farmers for over 3 years to establish regenerative agriculture and shorten the chain on and around the Wadden Island. The local farmers have united to form the Dapper. Texel collective and this collaboration is increasingly bearing the proverbial fruits.

One of the carriers of the ambitions are the young people we connect to the future of the island. Talented students, young and driven people who want to contribute to the food transition, through research assignments, internships and also project jobs that we (Amped & Local2Local Talents) initiate and facilitate together with Dapper. Texel, knowledge institutions, student communities and partners.

From these activities flowed the Regeneration Workshop Texel, set up and led by Iris Nekeman. Regeneration Workshop Texel connects the sustainability issues of Texel entrepreneurs and farmers with the fresh perspective of these up-and-coming talents.

Iris organized the first Innovation Boetcamp with Lotte Tange of Zeewaarts in September 2021.

The workshops were so practical that the students could count on a boost in their social entrepreneurial skills.

During the weekend, based on the identified needs and issues, the talents got to work with local entrepreneurs on:

• coming up with creative agri-tourism solutions;
• shaping a marketing plan for nature-inclusive oat drinks;
• a business case for realizing regenerative sheep farming;
• possibilities to use local residual streams on the island as building materials and even more possible issues!

The entire weekend was also dedicated to personal leadership development, an ultimate combination of self-development and making a positive impact!

Day 1: meet the case study owners
The Boetcamp started with a creative workshop where everyone could draw a piece of Texel and identify with it.

• Biobased Building incl food supply for the Netherlands’ most sustainable nursing home on Texel: Omring Thuiszorg
• Business case for a nature-inclusive oat drink i.c.w. Dapper. Texel
• Promoting agro-tourism i.c.w. De Krim Texel

In the evening was a delicious dinner provided by the Wads Smaakhuus, also an initiative of the partners on Texel.

A culinary hot stew of Texel vegetables with a delicious (vegan) gravy. And of course there was delicious Texel beer and chatting about our different backgrounds and the future of our food system.

Day 2: inspiration tours
The participants in the three case study groups visited various inspiring places and met Texels who were relevant to the respective case study.

Day 3: formulating solutions for case studies
Omring Thuiszorg was very impressed with our solution for a bio-based, food-integrated solution: a garden where elderly and young people come together to garden and make products from the harvest (such as vegetables and jams).

A touching moment was when the 3 interns from De Krim gave advice to Vincent Lab, who is going to take over his parents’ bulb farm. They showed what fun activities he could realize with tourists. It gave him hope for the future and the feeling that he was not alone.

The nature-inclusive, Texel oat drink has now actually been made, by Berdet as an internship assignment. She researched for Dapper. how to process oats into a tasty product. Together with Dapper.farmer Jan-Willem Bakker and his family, we were allowed to taste the first samples of the real Texel oat drink on their beautiful sheep farm the Waddel. That was no mean feat, really super tasty! Want to know what oats have to do with circular farming? Then read more about Dapper’s granola!

The first edition of Innovation Boetcamp was a great success, the ambitions have only grown, so has our cooperation with educational institutions and student communities, so in 2022 we will go for it again!