Thought leaders of horti industry give their vision on 2021

Lotte van Rijn
General Manager
Certhon
Advisory Committee Member of GreenTech

"Food has the power to bring us together. Technology is the engine to bring food anywhere." 

Vision on 2021:
Food has the power to bring people together, in many ways. Not only from an emotional perspective, but also because we need each other to provide the world with safe food that is grown sustainably. We cannot do that alone. The entire horticultural sector participates in this. Our turnkey high-tech horticultural projects are part of the Dutch chain that brings food all over the world.  2020 has taught us that we have to think disruptively if we want to change something. And a change is needed to keep the global food system healthy. In my experience, technology will contribute to that much-needed change. Technology is the engine to grow fresh and healthy food anywhere.

For the next step in growth, we will need to focus on understanding the plant. Seeing and understanding how plants grow opens up, numerous possibilities that you can achieve with growth. High-tech cultivation, equipped with a certain degree of automation (hypergrowing) in fully controlled growing environments can initiate that growth. It can bring a fundamental change toward new patterns of viability in tune with aspirations for the future. It's our common challenge to move from global warming to global farming.  

Martin Helmich
Global Sales & Marketing Director
Hoogendoorn Growth Management
Advisory Committee Member of GreenTech

"Data will become more and more important for the horticultural industry in 2021. Growing crops is not about simply repeating something we learned in the past, it's about optimizing our growing strategies according to the needs of the plants. Analyze, improve & Control."

Vision on 2021:
In a world where change is a constant, horticultural companies must innovate at lightning speed. In 2021 horticulture evolves towards a more data-driven horticulture. Thanks to, the combination of data and plant physiology with today's technology, growers are not only able to improve the quality and yield of their crops, but can also grow in a more sustainable way. This is out of major importance in order to secure an international food and flower production while facing enormous challenges within the system: a growing population, changing consumption behavior and the climate crisis.

 Moreover, growing crops is not about simply repeating something we learned in the past, it's about optimizing growing strategies according to the needs of the plants. Collect and analyze data, in order to speak the same language as the crops. Herewith, growers are able to reduce the use of natural resources by using the just-in-time principles; preventing waste by providing the plants only the amount of natural resources needed at a particular time. Analyze, improve & control.

Mariska Dreschler
Director Horticulture
GreenTech at RAI Amsterdam

Advisory Committee Chairmen

"A new world is on the horizon, caused by the pandemic. Doing business needs to find a new balance and different approach. GreenTech is ready to facilitate and be the partner platform to accelerate this and inspire the horticulture and beyond."

Vision on 2021:
Acceleration a new balance for horticulture business.

Now the world has turned 180 degrees, we need to adjust and find our ways to a new normal.
At this very moment we are in full transformation with each other. Ideas that we had in mind prior to the crisis are pushed forward to be developed now, like more online communication, remote help and increase of use of robotics. Also supply chains are shortened to achieve a more independent and swift distribution. This also leads to a more sustainable and even circular system of products and services. We now need to carefully determine our mission and vision for contributing to the new world with food and ornamental production.

Although we all long to see each other again in normal circumstances, there is also a positive side to this situation. We have embraced the online communication in one way or the other, which leads to new possibilities.
As GreenTech we were with our physical show in the frontline last year. We depend on visitors from all over the world to come to our events in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Mexico. We have taken this opportunity to fully roll out one of our strategy pillars, determined in 2013 by the setup of the GreenTech: an online platform. With our first webinars in May and June (original dates of the show) we quickly could explore the opportunities and created the GreenTech Live & Online Event in October last year. It offers a new synergy to the traditional face to face events. The knowledge sharing is key, and got more attention than ever. The innovative character of the industry was highlighted as well, by i.e. the GreenTech Innovation Awards. Next to that all kinds of new and surprising connections emerged between the horticulture suppliers/exhibitors, growers and other stakeholders like governments.

With online we are able to attract another group of people which adds great value to our GreenTech platform and community overall.  
I am very proud to be at the top of the wave to explore and speed up new ways of doing business, and providing the best knowledge, interactive, and fun platform. This to accelerate the new balance for horticulture business.

Source and Photo Courtesy of Greentech

Source: Greentech