Transcript A Road to a sustainable company

We do it the Green Way !
A road to a
sustainable company
Local agriculture
Advantages:
Dis-advantages:
• Less packaging materials,
• Less additional energy for
transportation,
• Food security less dependent
on other countries,
• Development of local labor
market,
• Development of agricultural
knowledge
• Import of materials
(seeds, potting soil, fertilizer,
pesticides / herbicides)
• Additional energy for
production of these chemicals,
• Resistance to these chemicals,
• Health risk for consumers
• Soil erosion, salinization,
nutrient depletion in the soil,
declining soil structure
• Increasing investment in
fertilizer
• Extra investments in water
catchments and irrigation
systems
Our first Step to more sustainability
Advantages:
Dis-advantages:
• Biological control of pests
(No synthetic pesticides),
• Organic fertilizers,
(No chemical fertilizers)
• Crop rotation, green
manure,
• Healthier product.
• Still import of materials,
• More labor intensive, weed
control, biological pest
control
• Production is still reliant
upon the plough and
cultivation based tillage
systems,
causing soil erosion and soil
organic matter loss.
• High costs of water
management
Sustainable agriculture
A sustainable system needs to be resilient, adaptable to
change and not depleting the resource base.
Sustainable agricultural systems are those that make best
economic use of available resources without damaging
the under lying assets.
What are the drivers for more
sustainable agricultural production?
• reduction in water allocation
• banning of more agricultural chemicals
• increase consumer demand for eco-friendly
productions
• nutrient management on and off the farm
• food retailer looking for product differentiation
• animal welfare concerns
• government’s willingness for change
Our second step to more sustainability
in progress
• Using low cost organic compost / recycling crop waste
and livestock manure
• Incorporating organic matter back into fields
• Growing wind breaks to hold the soil / minimize salt
wind impact
• Growing shade trees, minimize evaporation of water
• Growing a diverse number of perennial crops
• Companion planting / nitrogen fixing plants
• Growing a mixture of crops (poly culture) to reduce
disease or pest problems
• Sheet mulching for conserving water in the soil
Agro-Ecology
a scientific discipline
The agro-ecological approach is more sensitive to the
complexities of local agriculture,
and has a broad performance criteria
- ecological sustainability,
- food security,
- economic viability,
- optimize the use of local resources,
- social equity,
- as well as increased production
Permanent agriculture
The design of ecological landscapes that
produce food.
Take chances, make mistakes.
That's how you grow
Mary Tyler Moore
www.greenblend.nl
www.greenblendnv.com
Garden Center and plant nursery
Gourmet vegetables
Landscaping and landscaping design
Flower arrangements
Green education
Volunteering and internship
Projects: Bee farm, Re-introduction of historic crops,
Composting and Agro-tourism