Greenhouse growers expect that extreme weather will have negative consequences. They have been acting on these expectations, and will continue to do so. Most of the experienced consequences of extreme weather are indirect. It negatively affects water supplies, as well as crop quality and yield due to drought and pest damage. According to the report 'Klimaatadaptatie in de land- en tuinbouw' (Climate adaptation in agriculture and horticulture) by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, greenhouse growers often believe that they already know what to do.
According to this report, Greenhouse growers have a negative attitude towards the future. Seven in ten horticulture entrepreneurs increasingly experience extreme weather in the Netherlands. Over a third, horticulture entrepreneurs also experience negative consequences of extreme weather. For instance, financial consequences, and consequences for their working methods. More than half (57%) expect (more) negative consequences for their business in the future.
Greenhouse growers are progressive with climate-adaptive measures
Two in five (44%) greenhouse growers find that there are more disadvantages than advantages of increasing extreme weather and/or salinization. Consequently, the majority of greenhouse growers (about 70%) have already taken climate-adaptive measures; 52% of them did so in the past five years, the others did so longer ago. Another half (49%) of them plans to take (more) measures in the next five years.
Greenhouse growers experience the indirect consequences of extreme weather
Interviews with greenhouse growers show that they experience extreme weather differently than other groups of growers. Namely, their crops do not suffer directly from the effects of extreme weather. They are not directly exposed to drought or, on the contrary, swampy land. However, there are indirect consequences.
When greenhouse growers who mainly see disadvantages are asked what disadvantages they see, the most common ones are a lower quality of their harvestable product (36%), and less crop yield due to drought (28%) and pest damage (30%). From the interviews, they also appear to increasingly perceive water supply as a challenge due to soil dehydration and regulations regarding drainage and sprinkling. In addition, the heat also brings several disadvantages: extra costs because it takes a lot of energy to keep greenhouses at the right temperature, but also heat stress to crops that are damaged as a result.
Greenhouse growers take other measures
Strategies that focus on water (storing water underground and above ground - 41%; reducing water consumption - 29%) and crop protection (reducing susceptibility to pests - 38%; protecting vulnerable crops - 21%) are particularly useful for greenhouse growers. Although these are also strategies that are useful for entrepreneurs in open cultivation, greenhouse growers (are forced to) take very different measures.
The vast majority of the measures presented proved not to be applicable to greenhouse growers. When it comes to the applicable measures (such as integrated crop protection and the use of water basins), their costs tend to be an obstacle. Greenhouse growers think it is too expensive (37%) or that it costs more than it yields (24%).
Greenhouse growers rely mainly on their own abilities and those of colleagues
Half of greenhouse horticulturists trust their own ability to cope with the consequences of extreme weather conditions and/or salinization. They say they know enough, and that they know what to do. Moreover, the greenhouse growers also appear to trust their colleagues. They use their own network or rely on trade journals to obtain information.
The government plays a limited role in this. Greenhouse grower seldomly (2%) attend information meetings, training courses or webinars from the central government. It's still unclear whether this is due to a lack of supply, or that the existing supply does not sufficiently meet the needs of greenhouse growers.
For this qualitative study, two front-runners in the horticulture sector were interviewed.
Source: Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (in Dutch)