Greenhouse farming suffers from a poor image in the media. Reports regularly appear in the news in which critics question the sector's right to exist. In doing so, they often point to the dependence on migrant workers and abuses surrounding their housing. Incidents involving chemical pesticides are also sensitive. 'If there are abuses, we should dare to call each other to account about them as colleagues'. That was the opinion of most of the more than 70 young people who gathered in Dongen on Thursday 17 October during a meeting of Tuinbouw Jongeren Nederland.
The young people gathered in an attic room of Natuurlijk Klein Dongen, an organic nursery specializing in tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. "But we also have a vegetable garden, food forest, and a shop with organic products," said owner Alfons van den Hoek. Led by the chairman of the day Kristel van Veen, a lively panel discussion took place with guest speakers Maria Geuze of Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) and journalist Maureen Blankestijn of the Financieele Dagblad. The panel also included flower grower Wouter Duijvesteijn of Beyond Chrysanthemum and director Jelte van Kammen of vegetable cooperative Harvest House.
Anonymous products
Geuze (SFYN) pressed those present to face the facts by listing a series of negative news reports about greenhouse horticulture. Over the past two years, those reports have dealt with issues such as water pollution, light pollution, greenhouses taking up space needed for housing, poor working conditions, use of chemicals, greenhouses where you cannot see from the outside what is happening inside, and products from greenhouses on sale anonymously (with no explanation of origin or method of cultivation).
Regional product as calling card
According to Geuze, greenhouse horticulture needs to engage much more in constructive dialogue with the environment and show what the sector stands for. "Once a year Kom in de Kas (Come in the Greenhouse) is not enough. Open up your company to the public more often. Do more on social media, because that's how you reach young people. See if you can sell a special product in your region, perhaps with several growers, as a kind of calling card." Perhaps the most important tip was, as an industry, not to just broadcast and tell a nice story. "Who do you want your story to land with? Build a relationship with that target group and remember that a relationship is reciprocal. So you also have to show interest in your surroundings and know, for example, what a young person's dream is."
What journalists want to know
Blankestijn (FD) listed some current topics and explained how journalists approach them. At the time of high energy prices, she said, journalists wondered how healthy the sector still was. "After the Lower House elections, the question was how it was possible that the PVV could count on so many votes in the Westland region, even though a lot of migrant workers work there. When politicians talked about the housing shortage, the question of why space is needed for greenhouses and not houses came up naturally." And the oft-cited statements of top executive Klaas Knot of De Nederlandsche Bank also came up, in which he criticized the use of migrant workers.
Seeking solutions
The two speakers' speeches elicited reactions from the audience. Many young people agreed that the sector should raise its profile towards society. During the panel discussion, Chrysanthemum grower Duijvesteijn said that the greenhouse horticulture sector should do a better job of explaining what a greenhouse can do in terms of energy. "But we also need to find solutions for the use of poison and the use of migrant workers."
Not responding 'manly'
Van Kammen (Harvest House) advised the group to stop arguing about what is better: organic growing or conventional? "Stop the food fight. Instead, let others tell the story of horticulture." Like Geuze, he stressed the importance of going into dialogue with society. "The sector often reacts, what I call, 'manly' to negative criticism. We defend ourselves by coming up with all kinds of facts to prove that the criticism is wrong. And then we leave it at that. But are you really listening to those around you? Are you taking the other person seriously? Let's really engage in dialogue."
Addressing abuses
The common thread in the responses from the room was that the sector needs to tell the story of horticulture better. "At the same time, you have to tackle abuses, otherwise it is mopping the water up," warned Blankestijn. With the exception of a few, most attendees felt that growers should have the courage to call each other to account if they spot wrongdoing by a colleague. A surprising result in Van Kammen's view. According to him, this attitude is much less present, especially among older entrepreneurs. "However, we should indeed call each other to account for wrongdoing. That means, for example, saying goodbye to companies that do not use certified housing."
Source: Glastuinbouw Nederland
Meeting Tuinbouw Jongeren Netherlands