"Westland is Urban Farming in the Netherlands, but we lack this vision"

According to Prins, there is a major global role for Urban Farming and the bio based economy. Every day 180,000 people head for the city. Many cities, given the logistics and fertile land, are located in deltas. The required food production must be achieved by closing the cycles and by reusing waste. "The Netherlands are also located in a delta," said Prins. "The Netherlands are basically a large, green city. Its green heart is Central Park and its Westland is Urban Farming." There are also ample opportunities to be found. 

There are, according to Prins, more challenges for global agriculture. One of these is attracting the younger generation. "Young people are not only the consumers but also the producers of tomorrow. They have grown up with automation. They think in pictures, digitally. We need to make horticulture sexy." During a visit to Strijp S in Eindhoven, a district focused on automation, she again realized how much talent there is in this area and how important it is to transfer some of it to horticulture.

Priva itself operates both in construction and in greenhouses. After the crisis in horticulture, construction has also come to stand still. "Even Dutch horticulture has ground to a halt," said Prins. "Revenue growth is not there, unless you go for a different market approach." 

The other strategy is to continue to develop in current markets: product diversification. Examples include activities in the air quality in primary schools and the Hoogeland project in which 400 homes are heated by one hectare of greenhouses. "That means we not only make a statement, but we also develop our own market."