Cultural Heritage and Participatory Landscape Design: management and design recommendations for circularity and multifunctionality in historical agricultural landscapes

The Netherlands is facing challenges in rural areas associated to climate change, biodiversity loss, the energy transition and the transition towards circular agriculture that will influence the countryside and its people. Circular agriculture and multifunctionality are presented as answers to reduce the current negative impact of agriculture on the environment. Although such solutions seem very recent, multifunctionality and circular agriculture were already common in the past. This research will analyse the solutions of the past considering the future of Dutch historical agricultural landscapes by testing the usefulness of former multifunctional and circular agricultural practices in the context of today’s challenges.