How can protected cropping contribute to a more sustainable food system in the future? By 2030 we can expect that:
- Food production will need to have increased by 70%, to feed 2.3 billion additional people.
- At the same time food production will be more vulnerable to extreme weather events as a result of climate change.
- Food security will be high up the political agenda.
- Increasing food prices may have been a factor in triggering social unrest.
With these and other pressures to be considered, sustainability is an imperative for the future of our food system. Certis Europe is a leading supplier in the speciality and high value crop market sector, providing customers with access to product choice and solutions to build and protect their business. Protected cropping, i.e. crops grown in a managed environment, usually under plastic or glass, and protected from the natural elements, is a major contributor of high value horticultural crops from salad crops, vegetables and soft fruit, through to ornamental plants and flowers. It is a system that allows for a more sustainable approach to crop management, in particular pest control.
There have been significant developments in protected cropping over the last 50- 60 years, and Certis has been involved in the development of Integrated Pest Management programmes and innovative technologies which have contributed to moving the industry forward.
But how will it develop in years to come? Will more and different crops be produced under cover to protect production against the vagaries of the climate? How will the parts of the industry heavily dependent on fossil fuel energy sources, e.g. in Northern Europe, meet the challenges of sustainability? How can suppliers prepare to respond to the new order and changing needs of the industry?
Certis decided to extend its perspective for development and strategic direction and to explore the role that the company might adopt in a sustainable future, that would ensure its long-term commercial success. Having identified critical trends that will shape the future for the company Certis embarked upon an exercise to explore what the future of protected cropping might be and the contribution it could make to a sustainable food system in 2030.
Our overriding objective has been to underpin our company strategy with a robust set of assumptions and sound thinking that will allow us to identify and pursue our strategic goals and make future investments with confidence to be fit, as a business, to respond to the demands of what will be a very different protected cropping industry in 2030.
Click here to read more about our fascinating exploration of the future of protected cropping: