De Landgenoten
De Landgenoten is a Belgian cooperative and foundation that pools capital from 1,500+ citizen shareholders and donors to purchase Flemish agricultural land, which it leases on career-long terms to certified organic farmers at approximately €550/ha/year, permanently safeguarding land for organic use.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersAntwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What De Landgenoten does
De Landgenoten is a Belgian social-purpose organization operating as a dual legal structure: a cooperative with social object (cvso, founded April 2014) and a private foundation (stichting, founded October 2014), both headquartered in Antwerp. The organization pools capital from Belgian citizens to acquire agricultural land in Flanders and lease it on career-long terms to certified organic farmers, who would otherwise be priced out of a market where average farmland reached €66,288/ha in 2023 and approximately 25 farms close per week. Citizens participate by purchasing cooperative shares at €250 nominal value (with an additional €10 per-transaction operating contribution) or by making tax-deductible gifts (from €40/year, 30-45% tax reduction) routed through the Koning Boudewijnstichting-managed Fonds Vrienden van De Landgenoten, where 80% of every gift euro is invested directly in land purchase. Farmers pay a loopbaanpacht (career-pawn rent) of approximately €550/ha/year, and the dual legal architecture ensures land remains permanently designated for organic agriculture, with assets transferring only to similarly-purposed entities upon dissolution.
The business operates a community-led GTM motion: ~1,500 citizen shareholders are recruited through the website, workshops, ambassador programs, events, and word-of-mouth, while farmers are sourced through direct outreach, a network of ~45 active farms, and sector partnerships with Bioforum Vlaanderen, Hefboom, VELT, and The Food Hub (all represented on the board). Beyond capital deployment, the organization has built out ancillary service modules including paid workshops (GRONDetafel at €2,400, 'De zaak van de grond' at €350, film screenings at €450), an ambassador training program, and a public land owner advisory toolbox targeting the ~53,000 ha of Flemish municipal farmland. The technology stack is intentionally minimal — a self-serve digital shareholder register (aandelen.delandgenoten.be, developed by StartX), Mailchimp newsletters, and standard social channels — reflecting that the core value proposition is legal-structural and community-based rather than technology-based. Revenue, while not formally disclosed, is generated through lease income, the 20% operational slice of donations, share transaction fees, project subsidies, sponsorships, and the workshop service line.
De Landgenoten firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- De Landgenoten
- Legal name
- De Landgenoten
- Website
- https://delandgenoten.be
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- De Landgenoten is a Belgian cooperative and foundation that pools capital from 1,500+ citizen shareholders and donors to purchase Flemish agricultural land, which it leases on career-long terms to certified organic farmers at approximately €550/ha/year, permanently safeguarding land for organic use.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
De Landgenoten industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable agriculture land cooperative
- NAICS
- Lessors of Other Real Estate Property (53119)
- SIC
- Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Conservation & Protected Land Brokerage (Easements, Land Trust Sales) (BPAJADAH), Soil Carbon & Regenerative Agriculture Removal (Soil Organic Carbon Credits) (EUABAFAG)
Keywords
Where De Landgenoten is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Antwerpen, Antwerp
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
De Landgenoten business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Share capital (aandelen): Citizens purchase shares in the cooperative (cvso) at €250 per share (with €10 extra per transaction for operating costs). All share capital is invested directly in the purchase of agricultural land. There is no financial return on shares; the return is societal (maatschappelijk rendement). Shares are freely transferable.
- Gifts (schenkingen/giften): One-time or recurring gifts to the 'Fonds Vrienden van De Landgenoten' managed by Koning Boudewijnstichting. Of every €100 donated, €80 goes to land purchase and €20 to operations. Gifts from €40/year are tax-deductible for Belgian donors (30-45% tax reduction).
- Land lease income: Farmers who work Landgenoten land pay a career-pawn rent (loopbaanpacht) calculated as non-indexed cadastral income × regional coefficient × 1.5, averaging approximately €550/ha/year since 2020.
- Service provision for land owners: The cooperative provides services to private land owners, including advice on sustainable land management, and facilitates property transfers or emphyteusis agreements (minimum 27 years, maximum 99 years).
- Projectsubsidies en sponsoring: Additional funding comes from project subsidies and sponsorships to support the organization's operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | A-share (A-aandeel) - open to natural persons and legal entities |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | B-share (B-aandeel) - reserved for legal entities with aligned vision |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly recurring gift |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | One-time gift |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Career-pawn rent (loopbaanpacht) for farmers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
De Landgenoten product offering
Product offeringCore offering
De Landgenoten sells cooperative land shares (€250 each) and accepts tax-deductible donations to collectively purchase agricultural land in Flanders, Belgium. Acquired land is held permanently for organic agriculture and leased back to certified bio farmers through career-long tenure agreements (loopbaanpacht) at approximately €550 per hectare per year. The organization also provides advisory services and workshops to public and private land owners on sustainable land management.
Product overview
De Landgenoten operates as a dual-structure organization (cooperative + foundation) offering a suite of products and services centered on collective agricultural land ownership and sustainable farming access. Core offerings include grondaandelen (land shares at €250) enabling citizens to co-own agricultural land, and giften (donations) with 80% directed to land purchase. Service modules include workshops (GRONDetafel, presentations, film screenings) for community engagement, an online Digitaal Aandeelhoudersregister platform, and training programs (Ambassador Training, Basic Training). The organization connects farmers with land through long-term usage agreements while preserving land for organic agriculture permanently.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fonds Vrienden van De Landgenoten: A fund managed by the Koning Boudewijnstichting that facilitates tax deductibility of donations.
Products and services
- Grondaandelen (Land Shares)
- Giften (Donations to Fonds Vrienden van De Landgenoten)
- Land Lease (Loopbaanpacht) for Organic Farmers
- Public Land Owner Toolbox and Advisory
- GRONDetafel (Ground Table Workshop)
- Workshop: De zaak van de grond
- Filmvertoning: The Land for Our Food
- Digitaal Aandeelhoudersregister (Digital Shareholder Register)
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% of every gift euro is invested directly in agricultural land purchase
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use De Landgenoten
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
De Landgenoten technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
De Landgenoten partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Voedsel AnderscoreCollaborated with Voedsel Anders and FIAN to publish a policy note on 'toegang tot grond' (access to land), analyzing barriers to agricultural land access in Flanders and formulating policy recommendations for the Flemish government.
- FIANcoreCollaborated with Voedsel Anders and De Landgenoten on a policy note analyzing barriers to agricultural land access in Flanders and formulating policy recommendations.
- UCSIAminorUCSIA co-organizes meeting days for church land owners (kerkfabrieken) together with De Landgenoten and Ecokerk, focused on sustainable management of agricultural land inspired by Laudato Si'.
- EcokerkminorEcokerk co-organizes meeting days for church land owners (kerkfabrieken) together with De Landgenoten and UCSIA, focused on sustainable management of agricultural land inspired by integral ecology.
- BIOFORUM VLAANDERENcoreBIOFORUM VLAANDEREN, represented by Sophie Weyn, sits on the Raad van Bestuur (Board of Directors) of both the cooperative and the foundation De Landgenoten. BIOFORUM supports and represents the organic agriculture sector in Flanders.
- HEFBOOMcoreHEFBOOM, represented by Piet Callens, sits on the Raad van Bestuur (Board of Directors) of both the cooperative and the foundation De Landgenoten. HEFBOOM is a support organization for organic farming.
- THE FOOD HUBcoreTHE FOOD HUB, represented by Cid Van Veerdegem, sits on the Raad van Bestuur (Board of Directors) of both the cooperative and the foundation De Landgenoten.
- VELTcoreVELT, represented by Zanna Vanrenterghem, sits on the Raad van Bestuur (Board of Directors) of both the cooperative and the foundation De Landgenoten. VELT is an association for ecological and sustainable living.
- Boeren&BurenminorFarmers associated with De Landgenoten sell their produce via Boeren&Buren, a network of people who buy directly from local farmers. This supports short-chain sales for Landgenoten-supported farms.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
De Landgenoten competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Commonland: International organization restoring degraded landscapes through long-term (20+ year) partnerships integrating farming and ecology. Comparable long-horizon land restoration ambition, though operating at landscape rather than farm-plot scale.
- Soil Capital: Belgium-based regenerative agriculture finance and certification business. Adjacent in mission (supporting transition to sustainable farming) but commercial in structure; could complement or compete for organic-farmer mindshare.
Direct peers
- Terre de Liens: France's leading citizen-funded farmland trust, using cooperative (La Foncière) and endowment (La Fondation) structures to acquire agricultural land for organic and peasant farmers. The closest direct analogue to De Landgenoten's model and the most established European proof point.
- Aardpeer: Dutch initiative structuring collective ownership of farmland for regenerative and organic agriculture. Directly comparable community-led land trust model serving a neighbouring low-country market with similar land-access challenges.
- Kulturland e.V. German cooperative that lets citizens purchase shares (Genossenschaftsanteile) to finance organic farmland acquisitions, with farmers receiving long-term usage rights. Operates an almost identical financial and legal model to De Landgenoten.
Others
- Access to Land network: European network of organizations facilitating land access for agroecological farmers, including Terre de Liens, Kulturland, and many community land trusts. De Landgenoten is a member; useful peer for benchmarking against the broader European movement.
Broad incumbents
- Boerenbond: Belgium's largest farmers' union, representing agricultural interests across regions. While not a land trust, it engages on land access, succession, and farm viability — the same structural issues De Landgenoten addresses — and has a far broader policy reach.
- Farmland LP: US investment fund acquiring conventional farmland and converting it to organic. Comparable transition-to-organic theme but operates for profit and at much larger scale; demonstrates capital-scale alternatives to De Landgenoten's nonprofit approach.
- Bioforum Vlaanderen: Flemish sector organization representing the organic agriculture value chain. Bioforum sits on De Landgenoten's board and operates as a broader industry umbrella, with overlapping goals of expanding organic farming but a wider remit than land acquisition.
Regional players
- Regional Landschappen en Streeplandgoederen (RL): Flemish regional landscape organizations managing land for ecological and agricultural value. Comparable focus on sustainable land stewardship but typically focused on nature reserves and landscape, not specifically on farmer tenure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
De Landgenoten social profiles
Digital presenceDe Landgenoten financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
De Landgenoten leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
De Landgenoten funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
De Landgenoten M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about De Landgenoten
What does De Landgenoten do?
De Landgenoten sells cooperative land shares (€250 each) and accepts tax-deductible donations to collectively purchase agricultural land in Flanders, Belgium. Acquired land is held permanently for organic agriculture and leased back to certified bio farmers through career-long tenure agreements (loopbaanpacht) at approximately €550 per hectare per year. The organization also provides advisory services and workshops to public and private land owners on sustainable land management.
Is De Landgenoten a public or private company?
De Landgenoten is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was De Landgenoten founded?
De Landgenoten was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is De Landgenoten based?
De Landgenoten is headquartered in Antwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does De Landgenoten make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Share capital (aandelen) is the primary driver. The others are gifts (schenkingen/giften), land lease income, service provision for land owners and projectsubsidies en sponsoring.
Who are De Landgenoten's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Commonland and Soil Capital. Direct peers are Terre de Liens, Aardpeer and Kulturland e.V.. Access to Land network is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Boerenbond, Farmland LP and Bioforum Vlaanderen. Regional Landschappen en Streeplandgoederen (RL) is listed as a regional player.
Does De Landgenoten have an API?
No public API is recorded for De Landgenoten.
What industry is De Landgenoten in?
De Landgenoten's product category is Sustainable agriculture land cooperative. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAC, Land Trusts & Protected Areas, with a secondary code of AFAMAMAH, Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services. Its NAICS code is 53119 and its SIC code is 6532.