Horti to help shape & brighten our future

"Happy food" is arguably the fresh produce that contributes towards a healthy diet and is grown sustainably in closed-looped systems thanks to innovative glasshouse technologies.

Opening the event, Edith Schippers, president of DSM Netherlands and chair of Foodvalley, stated that the world is undergoing a revolution whose impact will be comparable to the industrial revolution that took place a century ago. As we utilise growing technologies such as artificial intelligence and data science to feed the world's burgeoning population and reduce our carbon footprint, the dynamic horticulture industry will play a key role in this transformation. 

"I think we can state that horticulture is inherently highly innovative, indispensable for food security and for feeding the world's population in cities in a healthy way - in creating a reliable food system without further endangering the environment."

Feeding the world

Panelists during the event's many discussion sessions emphasised the need for The Netherlands and other world leaders in horticulture to cooperate with governments, entrepreneurs, research institutes, and educational establishments to develop cross-border, and cross-sector, solutions to feeding the world. But while global collaborations are necessary, food will increasingly be grown locally.

Schippers said: "New, sustainable horticulture ecosystems in, and nearby, cities are needed to solve the world's food problems and to create liveable cities."

Meiny Prins, Priva CEO and founder of The Sustainable Urban Delta, echoed these sentiments when she said: "It's clear that more locally-grown sustainable food is the way to go - and all the technology is available. We know how to do it but it's so difficult to scale it, to go to different climate zones, to get the people you need, the education you need, connecting to different energy and water sources. That's the interesting challenge."

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Photo Courtesy of GreenTech
Written by Rachel Anderson

Source: GreenTech