Last June a delegation of around thirty Korean stakeholders visited the Netherlands to gain and share knowledge on energy efficiency and sustainability in greenhouse horticulture. The delegation included (major) technology companies, investors, growers and the Government. The delegation visited several Dutch companies and attended the Greentech horti-tech exhibition in Amsterdam.
Worlds apart, similar challenges
South Korea and the Netherlands are almost 9000 kilometers away from one another. At the same time shared histories and similarities in terms of societal challenges bring the two countries closer. This holds true for the horticultural sector as well. Both South Korea and the Netherlands are dealing with the challenge of labor shortages and finding the right energy mix for greenhouse horticulture. Tailoring solutions in this industry is a matter of (international) cooperation. The innovation mission was as much about experiencing the latest technologies in horticulture, as it was about showing the strength of ecosystem cooperation.
Seeing is believing: research, seed sector and high-tech growing
The program kicked off with a visit to the greenhouse horticulture research site of Wageningen University & Research in Bleiswijk. The facilities in Bleiswijk are used for research purposes, in collaboration with the private sector. On site in Bleiswijk the delegation visited several glasshouses, one of these was the so-called KAS2030 (greenhouse 2030). The aim of this greenhouse is to explore ways to produce in a fossil and emission free way. This is increasingly important for Dutch growers, as in the coming years, greenhouse horticulture entrepreneurs will have to decimate their natural gas consumption and ultimately reduce it to zero. Similar challenges exist in South-Korea. A visit to the trial greenhouse of vegetable seed company Rijk Zwaan gave an insight into state-of-the-art cultivation techniques and hybrid lighting.
In North-Holland the delegation visited Agriport A7, Royal Pride and Growy in Amsterdam. At Agriport A7 the integration of large-scale greenhouse horticulture, agribusiness, logistics and data centers showed the strength of cooperation when it comes to scaling energy efficiency and horticultural production. Proof of this we saw at Royal Pride, a large-scale growing company of vine tomatoes and cucumbers. During the last private-sector visit to Growy, the delegation got an insight into scalability and commercialization of vertical farming.
Read more at agroberichtenbuitenland.nl