At first glance, the fields of Belgian organic farmer Diederik Steyaert appear to be suffering from drought. The soil surface looks dry, the temperatures are high and there is little evidence that the crops have received additional water. But dig just 5 to 10 centimetres below the surface and the story is remarkably different: the soil is cool and moist.
Steyaert, who farms in Ruddervoorde in Belgium’s West Flanders region, says he has not given his outdoor crops a single drop of extra water for 26 years. Even during periods of dry weather, his fields continue to produce healthy crops without irrigation. A 2026 report on his farm says the practice continues amid the current dry conditions.
Steyaert runs Bioboerderij De Zaaier, an organic farm covering about 11 hectares and producing a variety of vegetables and fruit. The farm began professional operations in 2001 and has built its farming philosophy around nurturing healthy, living soil instead of relying on artificial inputs.
“For 23 years, I haven’t given my outdoor crops a single drop of extra water,” Steyaert said in an earlier account of his methods. “And yet, every year I have beautiful harvests, and my vegetables are bursting with health and flavour. My secret? Managing my soil smartly and being content with what Mother Nature provides.”
The secret lies beneath the surface
Steyaert and his wife, Annelies, cultivate around seven hectares of vegetables, including potatoes, fennel, red beets and lettuce. They also operate a one-hectare picking garden and several greenhouses. Water is used sparingly in the greenhouses, particularly for crops such as tomatoes, but the outdoor fields are left to rely on the moisture naturally retained in the soil.
“We mainly supply our organic products to the wholesaler Biofresh or sell them in our own shop,” Steyaert said. “As an organic farmer, I never use pesticides or artificial fertilisers anyway. I work my soil in such a way that it always remains moist.”
Instead of synthetic fertilisers, the farm uses organic material including grass, leaves, straw, hay and other plant matter. This material is incorporated into the fields while the soil is disturbed as little as possible. Steyaert avoids conventional ploughing and says even weeds can play a role in helping the soil retain water.
His homemade organic fertiliser mixture is made from chopped plant material, leaves, grass, straw and hay. Nothing is wasted. The material is added to the fields in controlled quantities and incorporated with minimal soil disturbance.
The organic material is first piled up and allowed to decompose for one to two years. Rainwater is absorbed during this process, while the plant matter gradually breaks down into a dark, nutrient-rich material that is eventually returned to the fields.
This organic matter contains fibres capable of holding moisture, while bacteria, fungi and earthworms help create a network of pores and channels throughout the soil. These natural structures allow water to penetrate more easily while keeping the soil loose and porous rather than compacted.
Steyaert has demonstrated the effect of his approach by showing the apparently dry surface of one of his fields. While the top few centimetres looked parched, the soil immediately underneath remained cool and damp. A 2023 report on the farm similarly observed that the first 10 centimetres could appear dry even though the soil below remained moist.
Why he avoids disturbing the soil
Reducing soil compaction is another important part of Steyaert’s farming system. His farm uses GPS-guided tractors and permanent driving lanes, ensuring that heavy machinery repeatedly travels along designated paths instead of compressing large areas of the growing fields.
Looser soil gives roots more space to grow deeper and creates more room for water to move through the ground.
But Steyaert does not leave the surface completely untouched. He uses a hoeing bar fitted with blades that disturb only about the top two centimetres of soil.
According to his method, this breaks the tiny capillary pathways through which water can travel upwards and evaporate. The result is a dry upper layer that effectively acts as a protective barrier, while moisture remains stored deeper in the soil where plant roots can access it.
Building such a system, however, takes time. Steyaert says it can take about five years for a plot to accumulate enough organic matter for the benefits to become clearly established. His method therefore cannot simply be adopted overnight.
Creating a natural water reservoir
Steyaert’s approach reflects a broader principle in modern soil management: healthy soil can act like a natural reservoir, storing water and making it available to plants when needed.
Organic matter can increase the soil’s ability to retain moisture, while fungi, bacteria, earthworms and other organisms contribute to soil structure and nutrient cycling. Agricultural researchers and organisations increasingly view improving soil health as an important way of helping farms withstand periods of drought.
MVO Vlaanderen, which has documented De Zaaier’s farming practices, has reported that the soil improved over several years after the farm stopped using artificial fertilisers. Its organic matter increased, along with the soil’s capacity to retain water.
At De Zaaier, the goal is therefore not to keep the entire field permanently wet. Instead, Steyaert allows the upper layer to dry while protecting the moisture deeper underground.
That distinction is crucial. A field that looks dry from above does not necessarily have a dry root zone.
For Steyaert, the real measure of how well his farm is coping with drought is not the appearance of the soil surface, but what lies just beneath it.
