VAN DER HOEVEN AND HORTIPLAN: stronger together in greenhouse horticulture of the future

Emanuel Marreel Managing Director Hortiplan

Jessie-Lynn van Egmond

Water & Sustainability

Manager Van der Hoeven

When it comes to food, the demand for fresh, convenience and local continues to grow worldwide. With the innovative greenhouse systems from Van der Hoeven and the automated Mobile Gully System (MGS) from Hortiplan, Arvesta is more relevant than ever. We continue to optimise cultivation processes - ideal temperature, air humidity, air flows, light and nutrients - and reduce CO2 emissions and water and crop protection use. The optimisation of production volumes and the fact that they can be achieved anywhere in the world and all year round is what makes high-tech horticulture truly sustainable.

Sustainability of greenhouse horticulture in a circular setting

If you want to figure out how sustainable greenhouse horticulture is, you cannot simply compare innovative greenhouse systems with open-field cultivation and/ or with conventional greenhouse cultivation, you also need to look at greenhouse horticulture in a circular way. The water gain of a mid or high-tech greenhouse versus a traditional greenhouse is relevant, but it is equally relevant to look at what kind of water can be used.

Jessie-Lynn van Egmond, Water and Sustainability Manager: “The ModulAIR greenhouse that Van der Hoeven in Two Wells, Australia, for example, uses the sanitary wastewater from the region for both the irrigation and cooling systems. It makes adiabatic cooling (industrial spraying, which requires a lot of water) a more sustainable solution than air conditioning for this particular project.”

Solar hours, the presence of wastewater (sea or sanitary), the question of whether cultivation in the open field is possible at all, the environmental cost of building greenhouses, transport savings through local cultivation... Arvesta continues to broaden its view on sustainability and to develop the most sustainable solution for each specific project.

In all corners of the world

Self-sufficiency, i.e. making local cultivation possible and sustainable at all times and places, is becoming increasingly important as the answer to various challenges: transport, climate, politics, etc. That is why Arvesta, with Van der Hoeven and Hortiplan, is more relevant than ever in all corners of the world

Emanuel Marreel, Managing Director

Hortiplan: “A good 70% of our installations are standard, 30% are specific. Hortiplan will continue to redesign its Mobile Gully System (MGS), which guarantees savings in labour, space and water when growing leafy vegetables and herbs, to meet current needs, e.g. from potted lettuce to mixed ready-to-use lettuce.”

At the moment, Hortiplan’s ambition is to achieve a global saving of 3 billion litres of water compared to conventional cultivation with MGS by 2025.

Looking forward:

In 2022, Van der Hoeven signed a contract to build 9.5 ha of high-tech greenhouses and operate them for four years to help the new city of NEOM in Saudi Arabia become self-sufficient. Hortiplan is also involved in this project and will supply and install their MGS system for 2 ha. Construction will start in 2023 at the latest.