Circular Horticulture 2025, Part 1: Visions and Goals for Research

Last Thursday I attended Circular Horticulture 2025, an event organised by Wageningen Research’s Greenhouse Horticulture business unit. The topic was their vision and goals for future research within circular horticulture. Continue reading Circular Horticulture 2025, Part 1: Visions and Goals for Research

Rule-Based Climate Control Using a Genetic Algorithm

Greenhouse climate control consists of lots of if-then statements, basically decision trees. Can a genetic algorithm optimise these trees? I am about to find out in my MSc thesis. Continue reading Rule-Based Climate Control Using a Genetic Algorithm

Delphy: Applying Precision Farming to Greenhouses

Last month, I started the course Precision Farming at Wageningen University. Precision farming is about applying the right dosage, at the right place, at the right time, which is easier said than done. Over the past few weeks, we have Continue reading Delphy: Applying Precision Farming to Greenhouses

An Evening with Proti-Farm

Last week, I attended an evening organised by Heeren XVII, the biosystems engineers’ society at Wageningen University. The theme was insects. A presentation was given by Bart de Ruiter, director of R&D at Proti-Farm, a Dutch company producing insects.   Continue reading An Evening with Proti-Farm

A Floricultural Excursion

For the past month, I have been following one of Wageningen University’s flagship courses: Greenhouse Technology, given by Cecilia Stanghellini, Bert van ’t Ooster, and Ep Heuvelink. Last Thursday, we went on an excursion to three companies: Ter Laak Orchids, Ridder Growing Solutions, and Holstein Flowers. Continue reading A Floricultural Excursion

TEDxWageningenUniversity and 2018 in Review

It’s strange what can happen within a year. In September, a surreal surprise occurred when I got a presenting spot at TEDxWageningenUniversity in November. My talk was on AMI (aquaponics-mushrooms-insects) systems and how they can connect resource management to health. Continue reading TEDxWageningenUniversity and 2018 in Review

Nutrient Emissions in Greenhouses: A Model-Based Approach

Finally, it’s time to go back to being a normal student again. Last week I finished my BSc thesis. Here’s a quick but technical article summarising what I did and what I found. The Dutch greenhouse horticultural industry is extremely Continue reading Nutrient Emissions in Greenhouses: A Model-Based Approach

The Greenhouse Challenge Grand Finale

A few days ago, the Grand Finale of Wageningen University’s Greenhouse Challenge took place. It was a great day of discussing urban agriculture, showcasing new ideas, pitching, and celebration. Here’s my experience of that day. The Stand At 10 AM, Continue reading The Greenhouse Challenge Grand Finale

Update on Green Spark and the Greenhouse Challenge

We just pulled an all-nighter. After over half a year of refining our ideas, our team’s final dossier for Wageningen University’s Greenhouse Challenge was finally handed in, a rendering of which you see above. The Greenhouse Challenge is a competition Continue reading Update on Green Spark and the Greenhouse Challenge

Recovering Nutrients: Environmental Technology and Attitudes

Closing the loop is what vertical farms should help us do. More specifically, vertical farms can be organs within their surroundings, turning nutrient-containing waste into high-value produce. One of the ways I am exploring this idea is by participating in Continue reading Recovering Nutrients: Environmental Technology and Attitudes