What if the future of farming starts beneath our feet? René Jochems has spent more than forty years exploring exactly that. Born in Zundert and trained at MAS Breda, René built his expertise through hands-on work across multiple crops before specializing in plant health as a technical sales representative at Van Nederkassel. In 1996, he founded GroeiBalans, and quickly became one of the Netherlands’ leading voices on soil quality and soil biology—helping farmers understand that healthy soil is the foundation of resilient agriculture.

Since then, René has worked nationally and internationally as a consultant, pioneer, and educator in regenerative and ecological farming. He has trained thousands of participants over more than two decades, sharing practical knowledge on innovative soil methods that strengthen both productivity and biodiversity. René is also the author of Boerenwijsheid, bestaat het nog? (2011) and co-founder of the Centre for Soil & Health and the Agricultural Advisor of the Future training programme. His mission is simple but powerful: reconnect modern agriculture with the wisdom of living soils—and help farmers build a system that works with nature, not against it.