The Dutch Horticultural Days at the World Expo 2020 Dubai

The Dutch horticultural sector binds forces and organizes a full two-day lasting Horticultural program at the Netherlands Pavilion, during the theme-week ‘Food, Agriculture & Livelihoods’ from 17 – 23 February 2022 at the World Expo in Dubai. The first day on Monday 21 February is organized by the public sector and the second day; on Tuesday 22 February is organized by the private sector. At these two Horticultural Days, we show how high-tech horticulture can make a sustainable contribution to global food security. The inspiring and interactive program takes place in our price-winning Netherlands Pavilion wherein we combine water, food, and energy. The total program of both Horticultural Days will be broadcasted live from the Netherlands Pavilion.

An exclusive audience of high-level governmental bodies, investors, and retailers is invited to join us to discuss responsible food systems all over the world, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. The Dutch horticultural cluster presents an exciting line-up of international speakers and workshops on how an ecosystem approach to innovative horticultural solutions can contribute to global challenges. Get inspired by the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, by the President of the WUR; Prof. dr. ir. (Louise) O. Fresco, by Expo Champion Meiny Prins, by futurist Christian Kromme, and many more. The up-to-date program of the Horticultural Days can be found here.

Worldwide, there is an ever-increasing demand for self-sufficiency in the production of food - Eric Egberts, Dutch Greenhouse Delta

A central societal question that keeps us up at night is: ‘how to produce more healthy and fresh food with less impact on our precious planet?’. As one of the most densely populated places in the world, this is a question of paramount importance. Over the past decades the Dutch horticulture food sector, knowledge institutes, and the government collaborated to find innovative solutions to tackle global challenges related to food safety and food security and adapting to climate change.

‘’Worldwide, there is an ever-increasing demand for self-sufficiency in the production of food’’, claims Eric Egberts CEO of Dutch Greenhouse Delta and co-organizer of the Horticultural Days. ‘’Governments worldwide, and specifically in the Gulf region have launched initiatives to focus on ensuring food security through various means, and are doing great efforts to become more self-sufficient. Consumers demand fresh, healthy, safe, and affordable food, which is sustainably produced. The Dutch are experts in getting the most yield out of every hectare in a sustainable way, using less water, fewer crop protection, less manure, and fewer carbon emissions. Despite our small size, we are the second-largest food producer in the world. Dutch horticulture has the knowledge and technology to make countries more 'resilient' when it comes to local food production. Holistic solutions from the Netherlands for producing food locally in a region with unfavourable climate conditions, involving water-energy-food simultaneously, can be of great use for further ensuring food security in countries worldwide’’.

Food security can only be achieved through a strong partnership between governments, businesses, research institutions, and citizens - Erik Smidt, Agricultural Counsellor

Erik Smidt, Agricultural Counsellor assigned to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman & Bahrain adds: ‘’Food security can only be achieved through a strong partnership between governments, businesses, research institutions, and citizens. We show how collaboration between them leads to continuous innovations. Together, we can make significant steps towards more sustainable food production worldwide.’’

The Horticultural Days are organized by a consortium of public, private & knowledge partners: Dutch Greenhouse Delta, Greenports Netherlands, Greenport West-Holland, Innovation Quarter, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Municipality of Westland, the Netherlands’ Embassy in the UAE, the Province of Flevoland, the Province of Zuid-Holland, Top Sector Horticulture & Starting Materials, Wageningen University & Research and Rotterdam Partners.