Transition towards agro ecology

Vertical farming – part of the

solution?

Herman van Bekkem

28 juli 2017

1. Crisis in agriculture

2. Agro ecology as

solution

3. Vertical farming part

of the solution?

(Rockström et al., 2013)

Crisis in agriculture• Uniformity

• (Functional) Biodiversity

• Pollination

• 20% Soils degraded

• Climate change

• Nutrients chemical fertilizers

Sustainable food security?!

Pesticide sales per utilized area

(Eurostat, 2017)

PBL, 2010

(FAOstat, 2017)

Intensification agriculture

• Less flowers

• More pesticides

• Each CM2 used, no room for nesting

- Drought, nutrients

- Climate change

(CBS, 2016)

Agro ecology

• Farming with nature

• IAASTD (2008) & iPES (2016)

• ‘Business as usual is not an option’

• ‘Paradigm shift to Agroecology’

• ‘From Uniformity to Diversity’

Plant breeding for ‘robust

crops’

From Yield to Output

(Reganold and Wachter, 2016)

(iPES, 2016)

Role Foodindustry in crisis

• Driving Monoculture system

• Driving decrease diversity

• Driving economic efficiency incentive

• Powerful position in food chain

Concentration of power

• 3 companies control 50% of commercial seed market

• 7 companies control nearly 100% of fertilizer sales

• 5 companies share 68% of agrochemical market

• 4 firms account for 97% of private R&D in poultry

• 4 firms control up to 90% of the global grain trade

(iPES, 2016)

Is vertical farming a part of

the solution? Pesticides?

Chemical fertilizers? Nutrients?

Climate? Energy use?

(Functional) Biodiversity?

Farmers? Rural livelyhoods?

Uniformity or Diversity?

HOW is this innovation

shaped? WHO is

influential? WHO is

owner? WHAT is the

agenda?