Agrotopia endowed chair extended!

At the beginning of 2017, REO Veiling, Inagro and Ghent University launched the Agrotopia endowed chair to support sustainable greenhouse horticulture and professional urban horticulture. During the first two years, the chair focused on research and projects on multiple use of space, the use of LED lighting, biological disease control and exploring alternatives to chemical fertilizers.

Inagro, REO Veiling and Ghent University now continue the Agrotopia chair for future-oriented professional horticulture in a climate-controlled environment, including high-tech greenhouse horticulture, roof greenhouses and vertical cultivation to meet future challenges.

"In view of the important transition that West Flanders' greenhouse horticulture is facing, future-oriented and innovative research is essential to safeguard the future of our horticultural companies," says Paul Demyttenaere (REO).

Innovative developments

Integration of high-tech greenhouse horticulture in the city or an urbanized environment offers opportunities to close cycles and to use residual flows such as heat or water as well as residual flows in production. However, this requires innovative developments. The chair therefore continues to work on the innovative development of structures, equipment and cultivation techniques taking economic aspects into account.

"The Agrotopia chair offers the unique opportunity to initiate and align fundamental and practice-oriented research in the field of high-tech horticulture," says Prof. dr. Jan Pieters, promotor of the chair. "Collaboration between Flemish and foreign partners thereby allows accelerating innovations in Flemish horticulture."

“The chair offers an ideal environment for bringing sector and research together. This leads to new insights from all partners, resulting in solutions tailored to practice," Mia Deulemeester adds.

The Agrotopia chair builds on a wide range of expertise and research domains present within the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering and Ghent University. Inagro’s Agrotopia rooftop greenhouse will form a unique test location.