The potential for global water and resource savings in greenhouse production Stuart Lambie Sustainability Manager, Grodan Group GreenTech, June 13th, 2018
Click icon to add picture
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
1
Contents
1
Global challenges
2
Horticultural Impacts
3
How soilless systems can help
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
2
1 Global Challenges
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
3
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
4
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
5
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
6
Soilless growing – impacts on UN SDG’s
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
7
Water scarcity and protection Less than
1%
Insert picture here
of
Earth’s fresh water is available for man
70% of extracted water is used in irrigated agriculture All
217 Global lakes in a UNEP /ILEC study* had higher levels of eutrophication than 50 years ago * http://www.ilec.or.jp/en/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Vol.3.pdf Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
8
2 Horticultural impacts
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
9
Some trends driving improvements in water use efficiency
Zero emission of water and fertilisers from greenhouses by 2027
Insert picture here
Continuing global expansion in soilless systems Urbanisation and vertical farming.
Source: ir. Ellen Beerling, Wageningen university & Research
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
10
Water use efficiency 1 Kg 60 litres
22 litres 10 litres 4 litres
Open field Production, Spain
Glasshouse no drain water recycling
Glasshouse + drain water recycling
Zero emission glasshouse, using inert substrate
Sonneveld and Voogt. Plant nutrition of greenhouse crops. Van Os 2011. Less emission through application new cultivationsystems Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
4 Global resource saving potential
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
12
Estimating crop water consumption and water use efficiency
Climate zone Insert picture here Crop Hectares
Yield
Kg/m
2
Growing system
Efficiency
Comparison with other systems
Litres /Kg Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
13
Calculating resource savings The challenge: create a calculation model which can…. • Calculate based on resource use efficiency in various climate zones • Allow comparison with different soil based systems • Choose between free draining and recirculating stonewool systems • Allow choice of drain percentage • Make calculations based on the peer reviewed research data Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
14
Calculating resource savings – example output sheet
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
15
Estimated global savings from Grodan soilless systems
Land saving equal to
300 Central Parks
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
16
90
Million
litres
In 2017
Grodan products for tomato and cucumber production used an estimated 90 million litres less water, compared to soil production of an equivalent tonnage of food
Enough to supply
85
thousand
people, with drinking water for one year
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
17
Conclusions
Global controlled environment horticulture has a great story to tell Insert picture here
Nutritious fresh produce Very high resource use efficiency
Less water Fewer minerals Less land Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
18
Questions?
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
19
Thank you
Part of the ROCKWOOL Group
20