TransForum considers that the joint development of Metropolitan Agriculture should be seen as an appealing prospect for the Dutch agrosector. That perspective consists of an array of mutually reinforcing but different forms of production. Taken together they provide a solid basis for the production of sufficient variety in a sufficient number of differing manifestations as to link up effectively with the various social values. The shared element concerns the metropolitan nature of the various forms of agricultural activity, all of which take place in a metropolitan environment. The latter is characterised by a high and concentrated population density and major pressure on space. This creates specialised market opportunities, ranging from highly effective production to the combination of agricultural activities with health care and welfare, capable of development in such an environment alone.
Taken as a whole, the Innovative Practice Projects provide TransForum's ‘experimental garden', where it is possible to experiment with the development of the Metropolitan ‘bouquet' and to determine the critical success factors for the Agro Innovation System (for further information on this subject see under Vision).
Joint experimentation is not free of commitment, but means that TransForum wishes to develop new, sustainable value propositions together with entrepreneurs and knowledge institutes, government agencies, NGOs, the private sector and intermediaries.

The Innovative Practice Projects have been subdivided into three innovative strategies, each of which is intended to eliminate an obstacle towards more sustainable agricultural development, namely:

1. Vital Clusters
These result in new and mutual spatial link-ups of the value chains, thereby preventing developments from being confined to just one industry or sector/subsector.

2. Regional Development
This involves the recombination of strong economic activities as a driver for the Metropolitan agricultural area. It is also designed to curb the restrictions imposed on agricultural activity when developing attractive residential areas in the greater urban area.

3. International Agrifood Networks
This leads to the export of knowledge concerning both technical processing and chain management. The aim is to get away from the present restriction to primary production in the development of new possibilities for agriculture.

Innovative Practice Projects yield both practical knowledge concerning the three barriers noted above and usable competencies for generating that knowledge. The innovation strategy is aimed at experimentation with and the realisation of new 3P value propositions.  

The Innovative Practice Projects are listed below: