Here is some food for thought: global experts anticipate that agricultural production will need to increase by roughly 70 percent by the year 2050 to feed the growing population and meet dietary preferences. This poses a significant challenge for the agricultural sector – especially considering that agriculture is currently responsible for around 70 percent of total global freshwater withdrawals.
In a season where agriculture policy is top of mind in Washington, D.C., executives in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) from across the industry are converging on the heart of American policymaking, Washington, D.C., to offer solutions to some of these agricultural challenges. This collective gathering was organized by Grodan, a Dutch company that pioneered and perfected the development of hydroponic growing methods, which are used in large-scale commercial greenhouses and indoor facilities in over 70 countries across the globe. As Vice President of North America for Grodan, I've witnessed how countries like the Netherlands and Canada have been able to produce to become major agriculture players despite their size and/or weather.
Consider this – The Netherlands, which is about the size of Maryland, is the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural products by value behind the United States. It has nearly 24,000 acres of crops (about the size of Disney World) cultivated in greenhouses. These greenhouses can yield in a single acre what would require 10 acres of conventional soil-based farming – all while using less water, less fertilizers, and little to no pesticides. To further the point, these Dutch farms only use half a gallon of water to produce approximately one pound of tomatoes, starkly contrasting the global average of over 28 gallons for the same crop.
Canada has taken the learnings from the Netherlands and created their own thriving high-tech greenhouse industry in Southern Ontario. So why has the U.S. yet to do the same?
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There are a host of reasons: the relatively inexpensive cost of water, the abundance of farmland, the lack of knowledge about CEA, and the absence of government programs.
And that's why we are coming to Washington – to talk about controlled environment agriculture's potential, how it can produce more food with fewer inputs, and create jobs anywhere in the country. It is not a replacement for traditional farming but a necessary addition. We look forward to addressing critical topics such as trade, labor, and optimizing USDA programs to benefit controlled environment agriculture. We will underscore the importance of bolstering urban and innovative agricultural initiatives in the forthcoming 2023 Farm Bill and examine how various USDA programs can be tailored to promote broader adoption of CEA. It is essential to emphasize that CEA is inherently climate-smart, aligning perfectly with the Administration's environmental priorities.
Moreover, domestic food security has taken center stage in the wake of a pandemic that underscored the fragility of global supply chains. We must prioritize resilience and sustainability, and CEA is uniquely positioned to deliver on both fronts.
At Grodan, we envision a future where controlled environment agriculture is not just a means of sustainable food production but an indispensable part of the solution to global food security challenges. We remain committed to driving innovation, sharing knowledge, and collaborating with policymakers to ensure that CEA takes its rightful place in shaping the future of agriculture.
Feeding the world is our collective responsibility, and the time to act is now.
Donald Courtemanche is vice president of North America at Grodan.
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