Food, health and technology
Agricultural is regarded by many as a very traditional sector. Not so in Arnhem Nijmegen Cool Region. This region’s primary focus is on health and innovation and there are remarkable agricultural initiatives in both areas.
Food, health and technology
Companies in Health Valley (Nijmegen) and Technology Valley (Enschede) have developed close relations with the many food technical companies in Food Valley (Wageningen). The Region has nurseries where new technologies for cultivation and plant protection, among other things, are tested. The area between the rivers Waal and Rijn is important for fruit-growing. Additionally, a lot of floriculture and tree cultivation can be found here.
The region has many auctions, such as the flower auction Bloemenveiling
Oost Nederland in Bemmel and
the fruit action Koninklijke
Fruitmasters Groep
that has branches in Geldermalsen and Ochten.
Cultivation under glass
The cultivation under glass around the villages of Huissen and Bemmel, southeast of Arnhem, is a knowledge-intensive horticultural chain that goes by the name of Greenport. Not only are the goods produced export products, the knowledge itself is also exported. The exchange of expertise, for instance on improvement techniques, will lead to better production levels. Greenport is very much in line with the developments that are taking place in Food Valley in university city Wageningen.
Greenport works in a sustainable, environment friendly manner: irrigation water is collected in a central facility and a residual heat net has been developed. Should the cultivation under glass require more space then the surrounding landscape and the need for recreation are taken into account.
Practical innovation
Innovation and agriculture can go hand in hand as is apparent just
outside Nijmegen where biological wine is successfully grown on the hills near
the village of Groesbeek. Wine farm Wijnhoeve de Cologne covers an area of 27,000 square metres of
vineyard that produces environmentally friendly wine. Until recently,
winegrowing was hardly an option in the Netherlands as it was simply too cold.
Now, new hybrid grape varieties have been developed that are ideal for the
temperate maritime climate of the Netherlands.
Fashion is a key economic factor in Arnhem Nijmegen Cool Region. In an
ethical sense, however, fashion does not have such a great reputation due to
the fact that traditional cotton growing is considered bad for people and the
environment. To make fashion more sustainable, the Dutch company Brennels has introduced large-scale cultivation of nettle for the production of fashion
materials. Brennels has separate plantations and develops an innovative
production process for nettle fashion. This trendy fashion collection has been
designed by Rianne de Wit and is currently only available to women. The Arnhem
shop has plans to open a second shop in the province of Flevoland.
