ERIAFF Conference: Agriculture and horticulture hold tomorrow’s solutions
Sustainable growing – a well-kept secret
Feeding & Greening the City
Specialists from throughout Europe discussed the urgent challenges as part of the theme ‘Feeding and Greening the City’: cities and the global population are growing, the demand for food as well as prosperity are increasing and this is met with a limited amount of fresh water and raw materials. This leads to a number of issues. To what extent is urban farming a part of the solution? What is the balance between biology and technology? Which challenges do retailers face and how can the consumer help? What should we bring to the attention of Brussels and how can we move forward together? It is clear that production must be increased in the areas surrounding cities and that the entire process, from seed to package, is becoming increasingly sustainable.
The market demands sustainable production
A growing number of European consumers are seeing the importance of organic and healthy produce. Still, consumers and even retailers are often unaware that a good number of companies are already producing sustainably. The image of energy-draining greenhouses is still widely accepted even though continuously more greenhouses are working with energy-neutral systems, including the application of organic pesticides. “We want to bring the sustainable efforts that many producers have already embraced to the attention of Europe. These sustainable production methods can strengthen the operations of agricultural and horticultural businesses. At the same time, this also provides marketing opportunities by means of a sustainable image,” delegated conference hostess Adri Bom-Lemstra of South Holland.
An important role for horticulture in Brussels
The conference is an important step in giving horticulture a more important role in European agricultural policy and in European issues. The participating countries all agree: the sector has an exceptional amount of potential. Successful cooperation between American entrepreneurs, government and scientists is essential to finding solutions to the issues that the sector currently faces. The sector must be able to continue innovating in order to meet consumer demands as well as the increasingly strict European environmental legislation. Delegated conference host Jaap Bond of North Holland: “agricultural and horticultural businesses already have the solutions for large social issues such as sufficient and healthy food for a growing global population. The sector hosts huge opportunities to reduce emissions and the use of raw materials; investing in warmth and CO2 grids for example. In this way we can provide a significant contribution to the climate agreement. To realise this, horticulture needs increased financial and policy control. This is what we would like to highlight in Brussels.”
The Netherlands: leading country in horticulture
Sjaak van der Tak, mayor of Westland: “The Dutch greenhouse sector has a lot to offer European horticulture. In terms of sustainable production, we are leading the sector. In Westland for example, we grow a kilo of tomatoes using four litres of water while 20 litres is required in other places. We encourage our greenhouse horticulturists to share their knowledge and expertise within the ERIAFF network.”
European innovation collaborative
ERIAFF is an EU network that represents the concerns of Europe’s regions that recognise the importance of agriculture, forestry and the food industry. The goal of ERIAFF (European Regions for Innovation in Agriculture, Food and Forestry) is to promote innovative applications in these sectors.