Fieldlab Vertical Farming South Holland
With a view to the rapidly increasing world population, there is a great need for innovative agricultural methods to significantly increase the production of food per square meter. An important development here is the vertical cultivation of products in a closed, fully conditioned environment, where the cultivation is (usually) produced in several layers one above the other with minimal use of space and without the use of chemical crop protection agents.
The activities of the Fieldlab within this project are carried out from four work packages:
Work package 1: Market treatment and demand articulation
This work package focuses on increasing awareness of the added value of vertical farming for consumers and market parties, such as retail and catering. Through consumer and market research and demonstration activities, the benefits of vertically grown products are shown in practice. Implementation takes place in collaboration with Van Gelder’s Experience Center in Ridderkerk.
Work package 2: Innovation and Demonstration
This work package focuses on the development and valorization of innovations in the field of vertical farming by horticultural companies. By means of new state-of-the-art climate cells from Delphy Improvement Centre and WUR in Bleiswijk, facilities are offered to entrepreneurs for conducting research and testing and demonstrating promising new techniques.
Work package 3: Education and Training
This work package focuses on the development of training programs in the field of vertical farming. In addition, the latest knowledge in the field of vertical farming is disseminated in the network through learning arrangements for entrepreneurs. Most of the implementation takes place from the World Horti Center in Naaldwijk. The WHC thus forms the regional education arm of the Fieldlab in South Holland. Inholland University of Applied Sciences is responsible for securing the latest technology and knowledge of vertical farming in regular (vocational) education.
Work package 4: Business Accelerator
The goal of work package 4 is to expand the cooperation within the Vertical Farming Fieldlab into a network from which companies and knowledge institutions can continue to work on accelerating business development in the field of vertical farming. This lays the foundation for a permanent revenue model for the Fieldlab, with which the collaboration can continue after the project and can be further expanded.
In the Fieldlab Vertical Farming, an important collaboration is established between South Holland knowledge institutions and companies that are engaged in the production of vertically grown products, the sale of vertically grown products and suppliers of technologies for vertical farms. The project creates an innovative ecosystem in which knowledge from knowledge institutions and (SME) companies is brought together and where optimal facilities are offered to companies for “business-driven” research and innovation in the field of vertical farming. The Fieldlab thus contributes to increasing the knowledge position of Dutch horticulture in the field of daylight-free cultivation and retaining the leading position of the Dutch horticultural sector worldwide. The Fieldlab thus makes an essential contribution to sustainably strengthening the competitive position of the horticultural sector in South Holland. This collaboration is fundamentally different from what is now common in production chains for fresh fruit and vegetables.
This project is made possible in part by the European Fund for Regional Development of the European Union and a contribution from the Province of South Holland
| Project manager | Lisanne Meulendijks |
| Client | Europa investeert in de toekomst. Dit project komt mede tot stand met steun van het Europees Fonds voor Regionale Ontwikkeling van de Europese Unie |
| Related teams | Team Vertical Farming Delphy Improvement Centre (Horticulture) |
