Radio program on horticulture in the United States

On Thursday 18 November and 25 November 2021 (16.00 – 17.00 hrs CET) the English spoken radio program ‘Jungle Talks to the World’ will put the spotlight on Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in the United States of America. Next to the participation of the agricultural counsellor, Marianne Vaes, other guest speakers are invited in order to discuss subjects from greenhouse horticulture to indoor / urban farming.

Guest speakers

Agricultural Counsellor Marianne Vaes from the Netherlands Embassy in Washington will kick off with a short overview of the current developments. Professor Sabine O’Hara of the University of District of Columbia, the only University in the world that is fully focused on Urban Agriculture, will explain what her program CAUSES is all about.
Marcel Boonekamp, Director of Growing at Green Circle Growers, the largest Phalaenopsis grower in the country, will dive in current trends and developments of the ornamental sector. Last but not least, Marco de Bruin, co-founder and Board Member of Revol Greens will share his thoughts on current and future business models with a focus on finance and autonomous growth. 

Program

Presenter Ed Smit will introduce his guests during the first episode on November 18. The following week, on November 25, he and his guests will talk about the opportunities and challenges in this huge country. Local for local is becoming mainstream, not just in terms of producing close to your market but sourcing, in all its forms, will also be done closer to home. Does this provide opportunities to produce in Sustainable Urban Delta’s, as Meiny Prins predicts, or will production even be a reality ‘within the last mile’, in city centers?


Money makes the world go around. Especially in the USA. Horticulture has traditionally been financed by banks and from own capital. The past decade has seen major changes, both in ‘traditional’ horticulture as well as in indoor farms. Private equity has entered in many companies and creates opportunities for exponential growth. Marco de Bruin represents the world of private equity, but what will the future of Green Circle Growers look like from this perspective, a company that has always been based on organic growth without the help of external investors?

Tune in or listen back

Time will be too short to tackle all the major topics in horticulture in the USA, but this episode will definitely trigger you to find out more in case you have still missed out on this huge market. In two hours, divided in two sessions, you will get a good overview of the current situation in horticulture and what the future will look like in the next couple of years. Tune in on Thursday 18 and 25 November at 16.00 hrs CET via www.paprikatastyradio.nl.  

Have you missed it? No problem! After each broadcast, all ‘Jungle Talks to’ episodes can be listened to and downloaded as podcast from Open Spotify via this link: https://bit.ly/JungleTalksPodcast

‘Jungle Talks to the USA’ is powered by Paprika Tasty Radio and Jungle Talks and supported by Netherlands Agricultural Network.

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