The Horticulture Cluster Westland-

Oostland: a regional approach

Seinäjoki 2014 June 11

ERIAFF Conference: Sustainable Food Systems

Drs. Marga Vintges, Municipality of Westland

Outline of the presentation

Horticulture in the Netherlands

Greenports, a regional approach

Development, experiences and

innovations

Knowledge development

International approach

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Horticulture in the Netherlands

• Fruits and vegetables

• Bulbs, flowers, plants

and trees

- Cultivation: outdoor and in greenhouses

- In regional clusters

This presentation focusses on

Greenhouse based horticulture clusters

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Horticulture in the Netherlands

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Horticulture is a Dutch “top sector”

The agenda:

• More with less: innovative solutions with less

space, water, energy and minerals;

• Food safety and security;

• Health and well-being: innovative solutions that

provide healthy food and a healthy living and

working environment;

• Cooperating value chain: innovative solutions

that contribute to efficient and sustainable

chains;

9 top sectors and cross overs

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What is a Greenport?

A large horticulture cluster of different companies,

in the supply chain, in spatial terms and in a

concentration of production, delivery, trade,

distribution and processing, which are strongly

interlinked.

Greenports: Regional Horticlusters

Greenport Westland-Oostland

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Our role as a local government

• Focussing on horticultural development and

innovation.

• Stimulating modern greenhouse horticulture.

• Facilitate economic activities in agriculture, finding

new markets, through sustainable growing of

healthy, user-friendly products and concepts.

• Stimulating international cooperation

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Key success factor: all the needed

experiences are available

So as there are in Greenport Westland-Oostland:

1. Propagation material and seed selections

2. Technical equipment: greenhouses, water / heating / climate control / cooling etc.

3. Crop management

4. Agro logistic knowledge (Fresh products)

5. Marketing experience (Auction Flora Holland)

6. Knowledge institutes

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Development of the area: 60 years ago

Amsterdam

The Hague

Rotterdam

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Today

Amsterdam

The Hague

Rotterdam

Westland

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Greenhouses in the area

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Recent Innovations

Electricity production by cogeneration

Different types of (Semi)-closed Greenhouses

Sustainable water use

Sustainable crop protection

Global economic scale of operation

Investments in new equipment to increase

productivity in order to stay in competition

Thermal storage and geothermal energy

Protected cultivation: better conditions

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Open field: 80 litre

water per kg tomatoes

Completely controlled

greenhouses: 4 litre water

per kg tomatoes

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Artificial light: extra lux and to change day-

night rhythm

LED light

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30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Jaar

en

erg

ie-e

ffic

ien

tie

(%

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80

)

werkelijke ontwikkeling doelstelling

Energy efficiency in the greenhouse sector

Real development goal

Geothermal drilling

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CO2 distribution to greenhouses (red line)

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Water storage cellar

Water reuse system

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pourwater

after before desinfection

Supply unit

rain

wellbore

Biological crop protection

In vegetables normally only biological crop

protection

In flower and plant production less chemicals

are used

Example: DELPHIBUG

Delphastus catalinae (predatory beetle).

Packaging: bottle

Contents: 1,000 predatory beetles

(adults) in buckwheat hulls.

Combats

Greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) and cotton whitefly

(Bemisia tabaci), all phases, with a preference for eggs and larvae.

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Packing station for vegetables

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Agro-logistics business parks

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Logistics for fresh product (reefer)

Logistic connections

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Knowledge development Westland- Oostland

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-Vocational education

- Applied universities

-Universities

Knowledge transfer Westland-Oostland

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education lifelong

learning

valori

sation

inter

national facilities

companies

education research

Connection with EURO 2020 and

worldwide challenges

• There will be 9 billion people to feed

• Most of them living in metropolitan areas

• Food safety and food security

• With less use of materials, water and energy

Our offer

• Experience

• Knowledge

• Cooperation 31

International cooperation

- China

- Japan

- Germany

- Many other countries and areas

We would like to cooperate with other horticultural

regions!

mgmvintges@gemeentewestland.nl

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Conclusion

The Greenport is

A unique cluster in size and completeness

The most knowledge intensive horticulture

complex

The Netherlands and Europe have gold in their

hands!

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Thank you

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