Tag Archives: food

Day by Day, Innovation

The Netherlands as a Food Exporter

Using advanced greenhouse technologies to increase food production

Today, on our way to Priva headquarters, we got a good look at the agricultural area just outside of The Hague. The area consisted mostly of large greenhouses, with some areas for livestock to graze as well. The soil in this part of the country is not very good for growing crops, and the climate does not allow for production year round. The Netherlands has worked to solve those problems through the use of advanced greenhouse technologies, such as the systems offered by Priva. Greenhouses and advanced climate control systems allow growers to control every aspect of the growing process, from humidity and temperature to carbon dioxide concentration. This creates the conditions for much higher crop yields than conventional farming tactics, and allowed The Netherlands to become a huge exporter of food and agricultural products.

Students bike along a canal on the way to Priva headquarters. Even outside of the city, the bicycle infrastructure is quite extensive.
On the way to Priva, we passed through an area with a lot of greenhouses. Advanced greenhouse technologies helped The Netherlands become the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the world.

In fact, The Netherlands is the second largest exporter of food products in the world, second only to the United States. In 2016, the country exported a record 94 billion euros worth of agricultural products, according to the government website. Of that, the top exported agricultural product was materials and technology, which accounted for 9.4% of exports. A large part of the exports in this category are Priva products, as well as products from KOBA, one of the largest greenhouse builders in the world.

This building is where local food producers bring their products to auction. It is also one of the largest buildings in the world by square footage.
Cows graze in a field next to the bike path. This was a very common sight in the area with the greenhouses.

Global food security will become a much bigger problem in the coming years as the world population continues to grow and the effects of climate change become more pronounced. The world will have to continue to shift away from conventional farming techniques and towards more sophisticated farming techniques such as greenhouses or vertical farming. These methods use resources such as water much more efficiently, and produce higher crop yields. High-tech farming in greenhouses will play a large role in food production in the near future, and Dutch companies will likely continue to dominate the market for both greenhouses and advanced climate control systems.

This is the entrance to a public orchard just outside of The Hague. The orchard is part of a park, and when the fruit is ripe, citizens can come pick apples and pears for free.
Houseboats are a common sight in the canals of The Hague and other Dutch cities. This one in particular has solar panels on the roof.

-Eric Fitch