e-Gro
Water Management
Sustainable Growing

Refreshing solutions to preserve water in times of drought

The Netherlands is facing another dry, hot summer. It will be the third consecutive year in a row where there will be a huge shortage of rainfall, and this shortage is expected to be larger than in the record year of 1976. This is not only worrying for nature, but also for agriculture and horticulture. At Grodan, we  support growers with smarter water management in the greenhouse. That’s why on Desertification and Drought Day (17 June) we call for action and draw attention to a few important initiatives that help us take better care of our precious water.

 

Smart Water Management

We believe the horticultural sector plays an important role in reducing the amount of water that’s used for fresh food production. In fact, with high-tech greenhouses and the use of sustainable, water efficient stone wool growing media solutions, we can make a huge contribution to a reduction of water, fertilizer and land use. With smart(er) water management we can even make a bigger impact. For some practical tips to get started, check our best practice guidelines for greenhouse water management.

 

Refreshing solutions

Apart from smart water management, there are other things we can and should do to preserve more water in both agriculture and horticulture. Luckily, several other great initiatives are currently being deployed. A few examples I particularly like:

  1. Waterbank Westbank: a network that aims to connect several greenhouses to each other in the west of the Netherlands. These greenhouses can exchange surpluses of water, maintain the right balance between pouring and ground water, and prevent salinization of the ground water.
  2. Drip irrigation is getting more known and used in the agricultural sector. This method, which gives water to crops very precisely, has been used in the horticultural sector for a long time already (and can be steered with our stone wool growing media). But in the agricultural sector, this is relatively new: a few pilots have been set up in the Netherlands, but more research on this technique is needed.
  3. National watering can: there are also talks in the Netherlands of a “national watering can” at the Veluwe, a nature area in the Netherlands. The idea is to tap fresh water from the Maas and Rijn rivers and store this underground at the Veluwe. Also for this solution, further research needs to be done.

Clear facts

Our steerable stone wool growing media also play an important role in reducing water in the greenhouse. The facts are crystal clear: under regular circumstances, growing 1 kg of tomatoes in the field requires at least 60 liters of water, whereas in hydroponic greenhouse cultivation it is only15 litres? A further reduction to 4 liters per kilo can be made by using state of the art greenhouse technology. The savings come from more efficient water application methods, like irrigation measurement at the crop or drain water re-use.

 

To summarize, let’s take a critical look at the use of water in agriculture and horticulture and let’s cherish some of the great examples of water efficiency initiatives mentioned and exchange expertise. With the increase of droughts in the years to come, we need to stand up now and manage our precious water.

20190912 GR ILL 5039

How growing media have an impact on feeding a growing population

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.

20190912 GR ILL 5041

Using less water when growing hydroponically

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.

Latest blogs

water properties, 7 strenghts, waterfall, rocks
Water Management
Sustainable Growing

World Water Day 2023

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.

Read more
challenge, recycling, horticulture, circular economy, Yianni Monahan, interview, grodan
By Yianni Monahan
Sustainable Growing

Is Stone Wool Recyclable? Yes! How Grodan and Walker Environmental Solved a Waste Management Challenge

Solving agricultural recycling challenges: Learn how post-harvest Grodan stone wool substrate is turned into clean growing media for better agricultural waste management.

Read more
Grodan, egro, release update
e-Gro

e-Gro: Optimized Yield Forecaster, advanced crop registrations for more insights and an improved user experience

Being part of the greenhouse sector, we are well aware of the fact that the current season came with multiple challenges and uncertainties in your greenhouse. Gas, energy, the significantly increased inflation, and the changing climate asks for even more flexibility and creativity to adapt to this changing environment.

Read more
Grodan, e-Gro, Grodan101, MJ
e-Gro

e-Gro Q2 2022 release: Better growing with the launch of Crop Analytics, support centre and pepper crop optimizations

We know many of you are facing a number of challenges in your greenhouse. With harvest season right around the corner, you could likely use some extra hands! Unfortunately, with the current staff shortages, extra labor is not easy to find. Additionally, gas prices are higher than ever which makes it even more important to use your energy as efficiently as possible. At the same time, consumers are increasingly demanding high quality crops with sustainability playing an increasingly important role.

Read more