A central societal question that keeps us up at night is: ‘how to produce more healthy and fresh food with less impact on our precious planet?’. As one of the most densely populated places in the world, this is a question of paramount importance. Over the past decades the Dutch horticulture food sector, knowledge institutes, and the government collaborated to find innovative solutions to tackle global challenges related to food safety and food security and adapting to climate change.
‘’Worldwide, there is an ever-increasing demand for self-sufficiency in the production of food’’, claims Eric Egberts CEO of Dutch Greenhouse Delta and co-organizer of the Horticultural Days. ‘’Governments worldwide, and specifically in the Gulf region have launched initiatives to focus on ensuring food security through various means, and are doing great efforts to become more self-sufficient. Consumers demand fresh, healthy, safe, and affordable food, which is sustainably produced. The Dutch are experts in getting the most yield out of every hectare in a sustainable way, using less water, fewer crop protection, less manure, and fewer carbon emissions. Despite our small size, we are the second-largest food producer in the world. Dutch horticulture has the knowledge and technology to make countries more 'resilient' when it comes to local food production. Holistic solutions from the Netherlands for producing food locally in a region with unfavourable climate conditions, involving water-energy-food simultaneously, can be of great use for further ensuring food security in countries worldwide’’.’
Erik Smidt, Agricultural Counsellor assigned to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman & Bahrain adds: ‘’Food security can only be achieved through a strong partnership between governments, businesses, research institutions, and citizens. We show how collaboration between them leads to continuous innovations. Together, we can make significant steps towards more sustainable food production worldwide.’’
We, as Grodan see a significant role for Dutch horticulture in making a sustainable contribution to global food security. Therefore, we proudly contribute to the program on 21st of February. Check the complete program of the Horticultural Days and sign up at https://www.nlhorti2dubai.com.
We look forward to welcoming you online on February 22nd 2022!
