After a successful first season of the '100% Green Grown' project, Maarten, director of Botany, and John Willems, director of ZON, look back on lessons learned and successes shared. The aim of this three-year initiative is to work towards the complete elimination of chemicals in the cultivation of fruiting vegetables. The project was coordinated by the Federation of Fruit Vegetable Organisations.
Regional cooperation with national impact
"What is unique about this trial is the intensive involvement of our growers," says John Willems. What is special is that the supervisory committee not only includes growers from ZON, but also members of other marketing associations from the region. "A conscious choice to encourage cooperation in the region. We wanted to set this up locally anyway to reduce the distance between research and practice," Willems says.
By anchoring the project at Botany in Limburg, growers can regularly visit the trial site and apply the results directly to their own farms. For the growers involved, this set-up means that they meet every fortnight to share experiences and discuss progress, a set-up that is seen as surprisingly successful.
"We can experiment with green crop protection products and biological control agents, such as ladybirds, in our trial set-ups," says Vliex. "The advantage for growers is that they can first see the impact of these innovations in a test greenhouse before applying it on a large scale themselves."
John stresses that Botany's pilot greenhouses are essential at this stage: "Our growers need to see and experience chemical-free solutions. When they see that biological agents are effective, they are more willing to use them in their own greenhouses. This is how we help them make the transition to sustainable cultivation without chemicals."
The start of the experiment
The project has now been running for a year and the results are hopeful. Maarten says: "The first results give us a lot of confidence. The growers on the supervisory committee were very involved and are working closely with us to test solutions."
John adds, "From the beginning, we wanted to create a strong regional network of growers who would actively guide the project. The advantage is that this allows us to learn quickly and feed this knowledge back to the sector and government. ZON has a coordinating role in this process, in which growers learn not only from us but also from each other."
A shared goal within a wider network
The project is part of a larger set of trials, coordinated by the Federation of Fruit Vegetable Organisations (FVO), within which various greenhouse horticulture cooperatives and suppliers carry out their research plans and share this knowledge.
"Within FVO, we constantly exchange information on what works well and where there are still bottlenecks. This creates a stronger network and, as FVO, we also use the knowledge from all the trials to act together towards the government, with a well-founded story," Willems explains.
"For example, we want to convey to the government our idea of the plant doctor and specifically ask for acceleration for many green agents, which can provide a solution for pests that are most difficult to solve without chemistry. Finally, we want to get the important social contribution of sustainable vegetables in the Netherlands on the political agenda."
Innovative solutions in the greenhouse
The steps towards chemical-free cultivation are sometimes challenging, but the first insights are promising. "What we have learned is that biological agents and beneficial insects sometimes offer surprisingly good solutions. Many growers were skeptical about this, but now recognize that you can get quite far without chemistry," says Vliex.
During the meetings, growers not only observe the effect of biological agents but also develop an open attitude to experimentation. "Growers experience that they can control small pests biologically and that the plant often turns out to be more resilient than expected," says Willems. "The motivation among growers is high; they are inspired entrepreneurs who want to move forward and are eager to share that knowledge."
"We want to take steps together with our growers to achieve future-proof cultivation," says John. "In doing so, we also ask for attention from the government: to remain profitable without chemicals, a foothold is sometimes needed, for example through accelerated permitted green inputs. This not only benefits growers but is also crucial for a healthy, sustainable chain in food production."
Plant doctor and social value
In the future, ZON and Botany hope to work towards the 'Plant Doctor' concept, in which a specialist may prescribe a chemical agent only in exceptional cases. Vliex explains: "We want to drastically reduce the use of chemistry, but in the cases where biological solutions fail, there should be an 'escape', without major economic damage. "The idea is for a specialist to choose the most sustainable option, making chemical interventions rare, applied responsibly, and used only as a last resort."
In addition, the project is linked to research into the wider social costs and benefits of sustainable cultivation methods. Maarten Vliex says: "By closely examining what, for example, biological control and lower CO₂ emissions mean for society, we will get a better picture of the social value of chemical-free cultivation." Similarly, Botany and ZON hope to engage with retail partners and the government to make it economically viable, as the costs of organic crop protection and insects can be higher than conventional methods.
Towards a sustainable future
With a mix of enthusiasm and practical solutions, ZON and Botany are at the forefront of the quest for a future without chemicals. "The project has taught us a lot, and we are now further ahead than I would have dared to hope a year ago," Willems concludes. For the coming years, he sees that the sector and the government can together pave the way to sustainable greenhouse vegetables in the supermarket.
Maarten Vliex concludes, "The horticultural sector is one of the most innovative sectors, and this trial shows that with the right cooperation and an open attitude, we can get much further than ever imagined. On to a future where we find a healthy balance between people, the environment, and profitability."
Source: Botany