At 45, Sonja van Uden lives in a small Dutch village just five kilometres from the farmland where she’s launching her boldest project yet. After working as a freelancer, Sonia has spent the last four years designing an innovative land-use model that combines agriculture, nature, and temporary living, all in one place.
“I wanted a different kind of life”, she says. “Years ago, I lived off-grid in a small cabin in Norway, surrounded by nature. That experience completely changed how I viewed society and land. I came back to the Netherlands wanting to recreate something similar, but in a way that would also contribute to this place, where I come from”.
That desire sparked Landdrift Foundation, an initiative that challenges conventional land use in the Netherlands. “Here, everything is divided: you either have farmland, or nature, or a place to live. You can’t combine them. That separation is written into law”, she explains. “What I’m doing is bringing those elements together in one shared space. It’s never been done here before”.
The idea may sound simple, but putting it into practice is anything but. “People struggle to understand the concept”, Sonia admits. “Farmers, municipalities, even neighbours, they’re used to thinking in fixed categories. It takes time to explain that what I want is not chaotic, but a model for more flexible, sustainable living”.
One of the most significant barriers has been access to land and money. “You either buy it, which is extremely expensive, or rent it — but then the landowner must share your vision, and that’s rare,” she says. “And the income models for land use today are mostly bankrupt. There’s very little financial logic to support new ideas”.
Sonia doesn’t come from an agricultural background, which has also raised eyebrows. “People see me as an outsider, and there’s scepticism. Like, ‘Who is she to question this system?’ That makes it even harder to get a foot in the door”.
But it hasn’t stopped her. It’s what fuels her drive to build something radically different, not just for herself, but for others looking for alternatives. “I think it’s challenging as a woman to find space in innovation, especially in rural areas. That’s why we need more support, not only financial, but in the form of coaching, networks, and being taken seriously”.
The GRASS CEILING project became a key source of support. “At first, I wasn’t sure if I fit in, because it was so focused on agriculture. But it’s been great. We support each other as women, and that matters”. What Sonia enjoys most about her work is the challenge it presents. “No day is the same. I’m trying to do something that hasn’t been done before, and that means solving a lot of problems creatively. I love that process, the inventiveness it requires”.