The Plant Empowerment Foundation, in cooperation with the Dutch diplomatic network in Canada, is organizing two live two-day workshops in Canada this May. The first workshop will take place from 16-17 May in British Columbia. The second workshop will be held in Leamington from 19-20 May. Growers and other horticultural professionals are welcome to participate in either of these workshops, which will be focused on sharing knowledge about the philosophy and how it can be put into practice. A team of six Plant Empowerment specialists will provide insights into various aspects of the plant balances, including climate control, lighting, pest management, nutrition, and plant health.
Plant empowerment
The Plant Empowerment philosophy helps growers worldwide to grow crops more sustainably and achieve higher yields. It takes the natural behavior and the growing power of plants as its starting point. The principles revolve around supporting each plant’s natural balances. This unique data-driven way of thinking facilitates increased production and better crop quality for growers, while also supporting more efficient use of valuable resources such as water, energy and nutrients. As a result, the Plant Empowerment philosophy provides a roadmap to both profitable and environmentally friendly horticulture.
The Plant Empowerment Foundation, its partners and the Dutch diplomatic network in Canada previously organized an online workshop in December 2021. It was attended by approximately 200 Canadian growers, investors and other horticulture professionals. In response to their positive feedback and the overwhelming demand for a live event, the organizers have now decided to hold a two-day session in each of Canada’s two major horticultural regions.
Training set-up and program
The workshop will cover the basic principles of Plant Empowerment in a combination of theoretical and practical sessions, alternately led by Peter van Weel, co-author of the book on Plant Empowerment, and the Plant Empowerment partners. They will present the latest insights related to the Plant Empowerment philosophy and the plant balances in the areas of climate control, lighting, pest management, nutrition, plant health and more.
A number of practical cases will be discussed in detail including, for example, a tomato project at BASF, where the implementation team achieved a yield of 121 kg/m2. Furthermore, various North American growers who are currently applying the Plant Empowerment principles in practice will outline their strategies and approaches in collaboration with the implementation partners.
Plant Empowerment