Text: Groenpact
Images: Marjo Baeten
It could use some acceleration, the ambitious cooperation plans between the Netherlands and Kentucky. There is still little cooperation, especially in the field of education. A voucher from the Green Pact Acceleration Program Internationalization made it possible for a delegation from HAS green academy, InHolland and Yuverta to travel to Kentucky. They set out with specific goals.
On to healthy food
Kentucky is a state with high unemployment and major health problems. To turn this tide, Kentucky decided to give way to horticulture from tobacco production. Locally produced, healthy food: a great goal. Farmers were given tunnel greenhouses by the government to produce vegetables. However, the entrepreneurs did not appear to have the necessary knowledge and skills. There is also a lack of an ecosystem of cooperation between education, business and government. Two subjects in which the Netherlands excels. In 2020, an ambitious cooperation agreement was signed between 17 parties from Kentucky and the Netherlands: Let’s grow together.
Urgent need for knowledge
Marjo Baeten is program manager for HAS International projects and one of the pioneers who traveled to Kentucky. “In advance, there were online conversations to gauge the needs,” says Marjo. “But I knew: if we want to get something going, we have to go there.” The universities of Kentucky are urgently looking for knowledge and want to set up an entire horticultural cluster. Dutch education has a lot to offer. “We were therefore welcomed with open arms, we met lecturers and we visited a number of universities and companies. We could thus contribute to the development of a curriculum. Money has to come for that. That is still a stumbling block.”
Accelerate international opportunities with a voucher
The challenges of this time are great. That is why international cooperation and knowledge sharing in the field of education, research and innovation are essential. The Green Pact Internationalization Acceleration Program gives educational institutions the opportunity to accelerate international cooperation.
Per school year, 20 vouchers worth € 15,000 can be obtained. To qualify, applicants submit a project proposal. With the allocated amount, educational institutions can explore abroad and make the necessary contacts.
Sustainable cultivation
Dutch greenhouse producers can look forward to the necessary orders, because greenhouse horticulture is really part of the future of growing in Kentucky. “With a minimum of water, nutrients and pesticides, as a farmer you can achieve substantial yields in a greenhouse,” explains Marjo. “That makes this way of growing sustainable. The input per kilogram of vegetables is minimal. However, managing this controlled cultivation system requires knowledge and skills and the entrepreneur must be trained for this. Furthermore, such a greenhouse is a huge investment for the average farmer, so it is not yet for everyone. It therefore seems much more logical to also focus on open cultivation and cultivation in tunnel greenhouses. Here too you can achieve excellent returns with minimal investments.”
Bumps to take
Marjo notices everything: the will to move forward is absolutely there, with all parties involved. “We went looking for low-hanging fruit, such as student exchanges and internships. Only, you need a visa for that. In addition, the Dutch system is very different. In America you come to a campus as a student and everything is arranged for you. We don’t have that at our MBO or HBO level. You also have different types of universities in America, with different sources of funding. Then you still have to deal with the level differences between the different types of education. Finally: for us, knowledge sharing and cooperation between education, business and government is so normal. But that’s really different there. These are the hurdles to take.”
“For us, knowledge sharing and cooperation between education, business and government are so normal. But in America it is really very different.”
-Marjo Baeten, HAS Green academy
Dreamed results
The visit to Kentucky was intended to better identify what exactly is needed, both in business and in education. It also had to be made clear which steps are needed to bring the collaboration to life. Marjo: “This all worked out. The next step is to initiate a student exchange. We don’t have the funds for that yet, but we still want to start the first exchanges in January 2024. Internships with a research project, that would be fantastic. But teacher exchange is also necessary.”
