For all people, food safety is a vital factor for secure, modern living. Surveys show that the potential presence of pesticide residues in food is the number one concern of today’s critical consumers. Pesticide residues in fresh foods are subject to strict regulations around the world and products are regularly checked. Modern hydroponic greenhouse growers prefer biological alternatives, using beneficial insects to control pests and using bumble bees to pollinate crops. Thereupon, growers use minimal quantities of crop protection chemicals, since these can damage the beneficial insects they have invested in. Embedding sustainability in our business means caring about the overall impact of our products they have on the world. We are committed to enriching the life of everyone who comes into contact with our products. Grodan products are perfectly placed to ensure sustainable and safe food production while at the same time directly addressing the issue of water pollution. Precision Growing is an enabler for closed systems as it allows the recirculation of water and fertiliser.

Consequently, the emission of fertiliser to ground and surface water supplies is substantially lower compared to conventional soil systems. In the most modern growing systems it is even possible to reduce emission of fertiliser to zero. Furthermore, Precision Growing plays a part in reducing the biggest single environmental impact of a large part of the world’s greenhouse production, which is CO2 emission resulting from burning fossil fuels for heating. When growing hydroponically, yields increase significantly thereby reducing the CO2 footprint of each kilogram of fresh food.

Besides helping to eliminate water pollution and reducing the CO2 footprint of greenhouses ‘doing more with less’ also means using available land more efficiently.

This is simply thanks to:

• a higher yield per m2 which requires less land
• faster growth allowing more growing cycles per year
• cultivation can be done on land or even in buildings         

Acting in a sustainable way means that we should leave a better world for our children and for the generations to come. Growing healthy, nutritious food in ways that utilise less of the world’s valuable natural resources is a significant contribution to this goal. For consumers, reassurance of healthy and safe food at an affordable price is on the top of their list. For growers, a secure financial basis for business is essential.

Today, the world faces many challenges such as an increasing demand for food and limited resources available to meet up to this demand. Precision Growing enables growers to achieve higher yields while at the same time using less water, fertilisers and agricultural land. The result is an increase in yield and a significant reduction in CO2 emission per kilogram crop. Not only is this the most sustainable way of growing, it is also the most profitable way of growing.