VARM Simulator

The VARM simulator is an innovative virtual reality (VR) serious game co-created by VU Amsterdam and the University of Twente (UT), incorporating insights from two FOSC Eranet projects: SALAD and Trustfarm. It has gained recognition through features in the Partners for Water podcast, The Salty Intruder, and the Climate Breakdown Podcast series.

The idea for the VARM simulator originated during the FOSC Eranet meeting in Bari, when we envisioned translating project results into an interactive VR experience. During a hackathon co-organized by FOSC Projects (including Katarzyna Negacz, Osama Naser and Cristobal Marin-Rojas), the IVM VR Lab with Ana Clara Cassanti and Sanchayan Banerjee and Rick Hogeboom from UT, the concept evolved into a virtual farming game, merging agricultural, biodiversity, water, and climate insights into a cohesive challenge.

The primary objective of the VARM simulator is to convey cutting-edge research on sustainable agriculture and salinity issues exacerbated by climate change in an engaging and accessible format. It targets stakeholders such as students, farmers, and policymakers. To democratize science, students participated in a two-day hackathon to co-design the game. The winning team—Andres Lot Camarena, Li Pan, and Tim But—developed the simulator under SALAD and IVM team’s guidance.

The VARM simulator debuted at the FOSC meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco, where policymakers and funding agency representatives explored its features, experimenting with crop management, soil treatment, and salinity challenges under climate change scenarios. It has since been played by Argentinian farmers and VU alumni in Bogota, Colombia. This month, MSc ERM students used it as part of the Food Governance and Sustainability course. Additionally, the VARM simulator will be showcased at the eduXR Amsterdam workshop and then made publicly available.