An inspiring session with one of the innovators of Dutch greenhouse horticulture, Ted Duijvestijn, and his vision of the future and how students play a major role in this.
Within the project ‘Connected circularity: the study and design of transformative pathways towards a biobased economy’ (Flagship 3: Collaborative design of transformative pathways towards a bio-based circular economy - WUR), a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Wageningen University & Research explored possible pathways towards a biobased circular economy. Circularity and a biobased economy are crucial for a sustainable future, but they are far from easy to achieve. It requires a so-called transformative change: that is a fundamental change that is not only technological, but also requires changes in organisation, behaviour, market and institutional practices. The research team looked back at successful and less successful circular and biobased initiatives, in order to learn lessons and identify mechanisms and barriers. Also, interventions have been made in current running initiatives, which help to deepen, broaden and disseminate them.
The BU Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower bulbs of Wageningen University & Research has chosen to organize an inspiring meeting for students from higher and vocational education in the Greenport West-Holland, in the style of the Dutch television program ‘College Tour’. The meeting was held on November 14, 2022 and the main guest at this meeting was Ted Duijvestijn. Ted is a tomato grower, innovator, ‘practor’ at Lentiz vocational education, and active in many triple-helix networks, including the Greenport. At his company, Ted has worked on various innovations in the field of circular and biobased greenhouse horticulture, including the development of boxes with fibers from tomato stems. Eric Poot of WUR interviewed Ted about his experiences, his vision for innovations, and the role of students and education. Also, students asked questions.
Source: wur.nl/en