Our Thinking Stories
Discover what our thinking is about
Discover what our thinking is about
Faced with the unprecedented increases in gas and electricity prices, many growers are taking steps to reduce greenhouse energy consumption. However, this needs to be done without affecting the health and yield of the crop. In this article, Jos Beerens, Business Support Manager at Grodan and Joost Veenman, Product Manager at Ridder explain how to get a grip on energy costs without compromising on the crops’ growth.
After the classic greenhouse vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers), strawberries are also on the rise in high-tech greenhouses. Due to the extensive knowledge that has been gained and the emergence of new techniques, the crop has great potential for year-round cultivation under glass. Not only does this allow growers to better control their strawberry production, but it can also maintain quality and cost-efficiency.
The horticultural sector is already a pioneer when it comes to sustainable, clean and safe food production. But how is the sector going to make the transition to a fully circular production system in the coming ten years?
Biological and natural principles are being practiced in the greenhouse on a daily basis. As a result, growers reduce their emissions and avoid using chemical crop protection products.
The horticulture sector is well on its way to making the transition to a circular economy. The focus here is not on the production of large and cheap quantities of food, but rather on the sustainable use of natural resources. Such as soil, air, water, and residual flows (e.g. waste). In this Food Forward paper, we discuss the development towards a circular economy with three experts, from three different angles: present, past, and future.
The world counts millions of species of flowers, plants and animals. A wealth we are about to enjoy probably to its maximum with Spring knocking on our doors – if you are in the Northern hemisphere this time of the year. Unfortunately, the forecast for the longer term may look cloudier.
The European horticultural sector is developing faster than ever. The only way to understand what these rapid changes mean and what the future will hold for the horticultural sector, is to look back at the driving factors for the sector’s development in the past.
The Grodan story is about sustainable cultivation aimed to leave the world a better place in the future. Our story is about passion, the Precision Growing philosophy is in our genes: higher yields while using less of the world’s valuable natural resources.
Consumers are increasingly looking for quality food which is healthy, safe and at the same time cultivated sustainably.
Less soil, less water, less fertiliser, lower CO2 emissions, but a significantly higher yield. That’s precision agriculture. Stone wool substrates play a key role in this. When plants have their roots deep in the stone wool you can regulate the growth process in the best possible way. This is one of the sustainability benefits of cultivating plants on stone wool. But there are others too!
We need to find more sustainable ways of feeding a growing, more urbanised population.
World Water Day is about focusing attention on the importance of water
Hydroponic greenhouse cultivation is on the rise all around the world.
One of the 15 global challenges formulated by the Millenium project is “How can population growth and resources be brought into balance?“ One aspect of this challenge is improving the use efficiency of the global resources e.g. nutrients. These nutrients are just as important to agriculture as water.
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World population is expected to grow another 1 billion in just 12 years, and reaching 9 billion people in 2050, creating unprecedented demand for food, and hence agricultural land. To keep up with population and economic growth, food production should increase by 70% by 2050.
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Water scarcity is one of the global challenges. The problem of water scarcity is a growing one. Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century. Food and agriculture are the largest consumers of water. As more people put ever increasing demands on limited supplies, the cost and effort to build or even maintain access to water will increase.
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Grodan has been working on various recycling trials for several years, an important step when it comes to sustainability. What are the benefits for growers when we use recycled materials in our products, how exactly does it work, and what is involved?
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One of the 15 global challenges defined by the Millenium project is ‘clean water’. The UN-water (2010) statement contains the following text: “As a global community, we must refocus our attention on improving and preserving the quality of our water, a challenge that requires bold steps internationally, nationally, and locally. Directing global priorities, funding, and policies to improve water quality can ensure that our water resources can once again become a source of life.
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If Grodan were a country, it would be one of the most successful recycling countries in the world. In 2022 alone, Grodan achieved a recycling rate of 65%! By comparison, Germany, considered the most efficient recycling country in the world, has a recycling rate of 68%. Nevertheless, we are not satisfied yet and are working on better and more recycling solutions worldwide.
In summary, utilizing new high-tech devices and software, such as the new Grodan GroSens sensor and e-Gro, in cultivation facilities is vital for achieving precision, efficiency, productivity, compliance, risk mitigation, and maintaining a competitive advantage. These tools empower growers with accurate data and advanced analytics, leading to improved cultivation practices, higher yields, and better crop health.
Due to various challenges facing growers nowadays, it is becoming increasingly interesting to cultivate strawberries in high-tech greenhouses all year round. Stone wool is known to achieve demonstrable benefits as a growing medium for various other protected crops. However, little practical research has been conducted into its suitability for strawberries. That’s why Grodan decided to validate the performance of stone wool growing media in a real-life trial together with the Delphy Innovative Soft Fruit Centre (ISFC) in the Netherlands. We asked Vera Theelen, Researcher Soft Fruit at Delphy ISFC, to tell us more about the trial results so far and their implications for the strawberry market.
This year, the focus of the United Nations observance is how to accelerate the change needed to solve the water and sanitation crisis. The global campaign is called “Be the change”. The aim is to encourage society to take action and change the way we use, consume and manage water. As Grodan, being an active member in this society, our aim is to provide the best solutions and provide high-end services that can support growers to “Grow more, with less” and change towards a sustainable way of growing while respecting natural resources.
Do you want to learn more about Grodan? Feel free to sign up to our newsletter. Grodan ensures that growers can make optimum use of its products and services by interpretting the company’s knowledge of and experience with substrate cultivation in terms of up-to-date, crop-oriented advice. Ranging from tailor-made advice from crop consultants to newsletters, seminars and training courses and articles in trade journals.
At the ROCKWOOL Group, we are committed to enriching the lives of everyone who comes into contact with our solutions. Our expertise is perfectly suited to tackle many of today’s biggest sustainability and development challenges, from energy consumption and noise pollution to fire resilience, water scarcity and flooding. Our range of products reflects the diversity of the world’s needs, while supporting our stakeholders in reducing their own carbon footprint.
We are a global leader in the supply of innovative stone wool substrate solutions for the professional horticultural based on Precision Growing principles.
We provide customers with a complete ceiling system offer, combining panels with suspension grid systems and accessories.
We manufacture board material mostly used in ventilated constructions, for façade cladding, roof detailing, soffits and fascias.
We develop innovative products used in a wide range of applications, including friction, tracks, coatings, and gaskets.
We are a global leader in the supply of innovative stone wool substrate solutions for the professional horticultural based on Precision Growing principles.
