Why does the Netherlands have such a well-developed greenhouse agriculture?

Say how: The Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural goods despite its size, thanks to its global leadership in greenhouse agriculture. The success of greenhouse agriculture in the Netherlands is not a coincidence but the outcome of an interplay of science and technology, policy, management, and market demand.

 

Why did the Netherlands go for greenhouse agriculture?

🔹Natural environmental limitations

The Netherlands has a land area of 42,000 square kilometers (smaller than that of Jiangsu Province). In contrast, the area of arable land is even smaller than that of Jiangsu Province, so traditional agriculture is difficult to use to feed the domestic population. Hence, efficient agricultural models must be utilized to increase production per unit area.

 

Secondly, the Netherlands has a temperate oceanic climate, with cold winters, insufficient light, and a relatively short cycle of open-air cultivation, which directly affects crop yield and quality.

 

🔹Enhancing food production and security

Greenhouse agriculture, which utilizes vertical planting and high-density cultivation techniques, can yield more crops in a limited space compared with traditional agriculture without seasonal restrictions. It can also maintain stable production year-round, thereby ensuring food safety.

 

Why greenhouse agriculture was developed in the Netherlands

🌱High Technology (To enhance agricultural productivity)

The Netherlands is well-known for its greenhouse agriculture, which utilizes modern technology and advanced management at a large scale with smart greenhouse systems, precision agriculture technology, and automation. In greenhouses, for instance, IoT sensors, AI data analytics, automated irrigation, and CO₂ fertilizer systems create favorable growth conditions for crops and dramatically increase yield and quality.

 

🌱 High-input, high-yield cultivation This specialty undergoes progressive growth phases.

As the land area of Holland is scarce, traditional agriculture production under the condition of abundant arable farming land does not apply to Dutch agriculture. Intensive farming in greenhouses is employed in the Netherlands to get the most from a scarce amount of earth. Greenhouse cultivation has a much higher crop yield area than traditional farming methods, allowing you to manage environmental variables precisely compared to open-air farming.

 

🌱 Excellent support from the government and research organizations

The Dutch government attaches great importance to agricultural science and technology development and has given many financial and policy support. In addition, the Netherlands has the world's top agricultural research institutions, such as Wageningen University (WUR), which works closely with agricultural enterprises to promote greenhouse technological innovation, providing many research results for the development of global greenhouse agriculture.

 

Due to the Netherlands' excellent geographical location, perfect cold chain logistics, and globalized market strategy, greenhouse agricultural products can be quickly sold around the world. The Port of Rotterdam has a high capacity for logistics, allowing Dutch agricultural produce to arrive rapidly in the European and global markets.

 

Greenhouse agriculture cannot function without supplemental lighting.

Greenhouse supplemental lighting (GSL) is one of the most important devices for directing crop growth in Dutch greenhouse agriculture, which has the most sophisticated greenhouse forms. However, because the greenhouse is not always in sufficient light, particularly in winter or cloudy days, LED grow lights are often used to supplement the light intensity and improve crops' photosynthetic efficiency. What does greenhouse supplemental lighting look like?

 

🔆 Spectrum Optimization for Enhancing Photosynthetic Efficiency

The LED supplemental light used in the greenhouses in the Netherlands should have a spectral combination to meet the growth needs of different crops:

Blue Light (450-470nm): Encourages plant leaf development and increases photosynthetic efficacy.

Red light (600-700nm): encourages flowering and fruit ripening, heightening crop yields.

Far red light (700-750nm): helps control plant elongation and increases photosynthetic capacity.

 

🔆 Energy-saving design, high light efficiency

For high energy utilization and low power consumption, it should have a light efficiency greater than 2.6-3.5 µmol/J. The Netherlands also promotes intelligent dimming systems that reduce light intensity based on demand to minimize idle energy consumption.

 

🔆 Sustainable development supported low carbon and environmental protection

Environmental standards, such as RoHS and CE, must be followed, and recyclable materials must be used to minimize environmental pollution. At the same time, the greenhouse can use solar or wind energy to reduce carbon emissions and achieve the goal of green agricultural development.

 

 

The spectrums of the supplemental light adopt optimized design concepts to tailor the ratio of blue light, red light, and far-farm to the growth requirements of different crops promote photosynthesis, and optimize the planting efficiency. Meanwhile, its high light efficiency design and intelligent dimming function can effectively reduce greenhouse hand energy consumption, with efficiency and energy saving for the greenhouse light system. Also, using RoHS and CE-compliant materials enhances the environmental-friendliness of the equipment and provides further impetus for green and sustainable development. Industrial-grade supplemental lighting of JT Grow Light to achieve yield and quality in greenhouse growing.