Exploring the Dutch Greenhouse Phenomenon: A Look into the World's Second-Largest Agricultural Export Powerhouse

Despite its small size, comparable to Maryland, the Netherlands boasts the position of the world's second-leading exporter in agriculture, surpassed only by the United States.

This tiny nation excels in producing a vast array of agricultural items, ranging from dairy and meat products to an abundance of crops such as tomatoes and peppers. In 2024, the Netherlands' agricultural products were valued at an impressive $140 billion. Meanwhile, the United States' agricultural exports totaled approximately $176 billion during the same period.

A critical factor in the Netherlands' agricultural success lies in its advanced greenhouse facilities, which leverage sophisticated technologies to grow crops at a pace and yield far superior to global norms. This innovative approach allows the Netherlands to maximize output from limited land.

Countries like the United States are actively looking to emulate the Dutch model by creating more extensive greenhouses influenced by Dutch designs and techniques. Let's delve into the world of the Netherlands' pioneering greenhouses and uncover how they operate.

A Glimpse into the Netherlands' Agricultural Evolution

Thriving Outdoor Farms in the Netherlands

With over half its land allocated to agriculture, the Netherlands boasts vast areas dedicated to farming. Its expanse of outdoor farmland is matched by mild climate conditions. However, not all crops, particularly tomatoes, thrive outside throughout the year. Therefore, monumental greenhouses play a crucial role in ensuring year-round cultivation of tomatoes and numerous other crops.

Greenhouses: Beyond Conventional Farming

The Westland area in the Netherlands is renowned for having a dense assembly of greenhouses, recognized globally for their efficiency. These modern marvels utilize cutting-edge climate regulation systems, innovative water recycling processes, and resourceful LED lighting to accelerate and expand crop production.

Illuminated Landscapes at Night

Efficient LED lights installed overhead closely mimic natural sunlight, fostering ideal growing environments every season. These LEDs are significantly more energy-efficient than traditional high-pressure sodium lamps, using approximately half the electricity. Their vibrant hues of orange, purple, and green often light up the night sky.

Scaling Heights with Tomato Cultivation

Family-run enterprise Looye Kwekers, nestled in the country, features thousands of tomato plants that ascend almost a foot each week by climbing along strings suspended from above.

Scissor lifts elevate workers who adjust these strings weekly, allowing the growing plants to extend continually.

Hand-Picked Quality in Tomato Harvesting

While automated systems oversee lighting, climate, and water parameters, the pruning and harvesting procedures remain manual. The dense foliage complicates machine operations, making them less effective for harvesting duties.

There's a growing trend toward employing robotics to streamline and potentially lower labor expenses in farm operations.

The Buzz Behind Dutch Greenhouses

Essential pollination in the indoor farms is carried out by bees. "These insects are indispensable and among our most crucial assets," remarked Stefan Lazar, a crop expert at Looye Kwekers, during an interview with Business Insider.

When bees aren't busy pollinating, they reside in specially made accommodations nicknamed "bee hotels," each housing around 800 bumblebees.

Streamlined Post-Harvest Processing

Once harvested, tomatoes quickly make their way to adjacent processing facilities. Automated systems identify and sort the ripest and most flavorful tomatoes, which are then packaged manually.

Given their ripeness, it's crucial these tomatoes are swiftly packaged and stored in cold environments within a day to maintain their quality.

Water Efficiency: A Greenhouse Revolution

Over the past two decades, water consumption for Dutch greenhouses has plummeted by up to 90%. Remarkably, a single kilogram of Dutch tomatoes requires only 4 liters of water, starkly contrasting the global average of over 200 liters.

This efficiency is achieved through water recycling, where systems collect, purify, and return condensation back to the plants.

Venturing Beyond Tomatoes: Red Bell Peppers

VD Holland, akin to Looye Kwekers, sustains its pepper plants hydroponically, achieving an astonishing annual yield of roughly 85 million peppers.

Managing Pests with Innovation

Despite indoor cultivation, pests persist as a challenge. Yellow sticky cards capture these bugs, as they're drawn to the color yellow. Technological advancements seek to further this strategy by using computers to analyze these cards and swiftly address pest issues.

By identifying pests promptly, growers can manage them biologically, possibly by introducing beneficial mites to control pest populations.

Autonomous Solutions in Pepper Transport

Introduced in 2007, VD Holland employs automated carts for pepper transport. Like with tomatoes, the peppers are picked by hand before the carts, guided by floor-laid wires, move them to processing locations.

Harnessing AI in Produce Processing

During packaging, advanced AI systems capture images of each pepper, matching them to a database of ideal forms to classify the produce by dimensions, heft, contour, and hue. Peppers aligning with this model proceed to final packaging.

Energy Considerations in Greenhouse Operations

Energy needs in Dutch greenhouses are significant, contributing to environmental impacts. Until recent shifts, some energy originated from Russian sources, but geopolitical tensions necessitated a pivot.

In a remarkable move, VD Holland and other agricultural firms shifted to geothermal energy, investing $46 million collectively. This transition markedly slashed their gas dependency.