In 1997, Hans Verhoeven and Mark van den Eijnden founded the Sustainable Supply Chain for Pork: KDV (Keten Duurzaam Varkensvlees). The focus of the foundation was to secure a sustainable pork production and the innovation was driven by the pig farmers as well as the wishes of the Dutch consumers. Innovation - How? From the [...]
Rens Kuijten was intrigued by the fact that quinoa has the same protein quality as cow milk when he heard about the seed in 2001. Now, Rens is the main player initiating the cultivation of quinoa in the Netherlands where the demand for quinoa is growing. How It All Evolved As the son of a dairy [...]
How has the German agricultural advisory service innovated its methods and organization? This is the focal point of the next Cross Visit which takes place from May 8 through 12. The theme of this Cross Visit is illustrated through the presentation of four innovation cases. Hofgut Oberfeld in Darmstadt – Storytelling about a community supported [...]
VIC Sterksel is a national pig innovation centre in the Netherlands. The centre has been very successful in developing concepts for the 21st century by translating scientific knowledge into practical solutions in the area of livestock farming systems, nutrition, genetics, animal welfare, and the impact of domestic animals on the environment. To What Does the [...]
The Roundel Egg is an integrated system that lets the chickens roam free. It lives up to the highest animal welfare standards and is the most innovative housing and management system in the poultry sector. The innovation process was completely open and brought together consumers, producers and even animal welfare organisations. The process started over [...]
In the Netherlands, Jacob van den Borne is one of a kind when it comes to Precision Agriculture (PA). He uses several sensors, drones, satellite data and other data sources. He is unique in the sense that he overlooks the entire management cycle: from preparing the land, managing the crops and measuring the yields. By [...]
What was striking about the four innovation cases presented during the Belgian Cross Visit? And what questions did the visit prompt? The symposium at the end of the Belgian Cross Visit looked at the whole picture. Positive Pearls The approach of Innovatiesteunpunt is to never take over the steering wheel from the farmer. The farmer [...]
How do you go about innovating new products? And how do you to turn them into marketable products? These were some of the questions that Linda and Mark, saffron farmers in Flanders, learned to address during a food innovation academy tour. How It All Began In August 2012 Linda and Mark started with a test [...]
Cooperatives, pulse varieties, biomass, a substitute for sugar, and super foods. These are all keywords that describe the next Cross Visit. From April 4-8, partners from the AgriSpin project meet in Thessaly to take a closer look at the four Greek innovation cases. The AgriSpin project partners will learn about innovation in Greek agriculture by [...]
Paul and Veerle D’haene-Minsaert run De Polle goat farm in Flanders with 500 goats. They produce a variety of products such as cheese and ice cream, part of which is sold locally. However, their distribution network was not working optimally. By Way of a Strategy Veerle first turned to Innovatiesteunpunt, the Innovation Support Center for [...]
