As mental health in the Netherlands continues to deteriorate, entrepreneur Kim Taylor is choosing a radically different direction. After twenty years working in the climate and cleantech sector, she herself ended up with burnout. The rat race, pressure to perform, and the constant sense of urgency took their toll. Her recovery began in nature – and that now forms the foundation of Little Dutch Farm, a regenerative farm and social enterprise that today announces its new foundation offering free garden therapy to people currently stuck on mental-health care waiting lists.
Mental distress in the Netherlands continues to rise
The need is urgent. New figures from RIVM, the Trimbos Institute, and others show that the mental health of Dutch citizens is steadily worsening:
- Four in ten Dutch people struggle with anxiety or symptoms of depression.
- One in four adults has a diagnosed mental health disorder.
- Psychological pressure is rising especially among young people and women.
- The number of people on mental-health waiting lists increased by nearly 25% in just two years, reaching more than 108,000 in 2024.
Long waiting times and limited access mean that symptoms escalate while support remains out of reach.
Kim Taylor: “It’s not just us who are burning out – our systems are burning out too”
After her own burnout, Taylor began to see a deeper pattern. Not only individuals, but organisations and systems are unsustainable. “We’ve all become part of structures that deplete the earth while depleting us at the same time. I believe regenerative leadership – working in rhythm, listening to what’s needed, creating space for recovery – is essential for the future of both people and society.”
Drawing on her background as a cleantech leader and CMO in fast-growing scale-ups, Taylor now guides companies, teams, and professionals in regenerative leadership and nature-based coaching: working with more focus, more resilience, and deeper connection to the natural world.
Little Dutch Farm: a healing place in an overstimulated world
Little Dutch Farm is designed as a healing garden:
- a permaculture vegetable garden
- a food forest in development
- horses and other animals
- an orchard, pond, and quiet restorative spaces
- rhythm, colour, and calm as guiding design principles
Visitors experience what Taylor discovered herself: nature slows, softens, and restores. Nature coaching, garden therapy, and leadership programmes take place here in direct connection with the earth, the seasons, and simplicity. Professionals find clarity and renewed energy; vulnerable participants experience safety, attention, and a sense of perspective.
Launch: Little Dutch Farm Foundation
To make the healing power of nature accessible to everyone, the Little Dutch Farm Foundation has been established. The foundation focuses on people who often fall through the cracks:
- individuals on mental-health care waiting lists
- people with limited financial means
- lonely or isolated older adults
- residents with mental or emotional challenges who haven’t yet found suitable support
Starting 14 January 2026, the foundation will offer free garden-therapy programmes for people on GGZ waiting lists. In small groups, participants work in the garden, among the trees, with their hands in the soil – a low-threshold, warm form of support that doesn’t wait until the situation escalates.
Social entrepreneurship: businesses help fund healing places
Little Dutch Farm operates as a social enterprise:
- income from team days, leadership programmes, and nature coaching finances places for vulnerable participants through the foundation
- anyone can contribute by donating a tree or shrub – a living investment in a resilient future
A call to the Netherlands
Taylor sees a clear shift: people feel that things must change. “Nature is not a luxury – it’s a basic necessity for mental health. We need to build new systems where recovery, connection, and rhythm are central. Little Dutch Farm aims to be an example of how things can be done differently.”
Little Dutch Farm on Social Enterpise NL: https://social-enterprise.nl/lid/little-dutch-farm/
