I had the privilege to grow up in a community in Ghana where seeds can sprout easily without any field preparation. As a son to one of the best smallholder farmers in the community, I was exposed to the different phases in crop farming at an early age. These memories have contributed a lot to my way of thinking and how I approach issues in crop farming. 

During the Seed Meets Technology (fair) session, Michel van Westen (Rijk Zwaan) talked about data management in real life situations. That inspired me to write this blog. A few points in his presentation do stand out. I have made an effort to elaborate them for you.

(APICS) – American Production and Inventory Control Society defines (MTS) Make-to-Stock as a production strategy when the producer sells finished goods from stock. Delivery times are the shortest. The customer has hardly any direct involvement in the product design.

I have spent a few years of my life working to address issues pertaining to business and information technology. My recent project was on addressing the gap between business processes and information technology in the Ghana cocoa industry. The project which was conducted with support from the Wageningen University information technology group received a lot of attention among stakeholders in the cocoa and information technology sector.

Recently I visited an inspiring seminar on the opportunities of Blockchain in horticulture. Blockchain has been caught, for several years now, in the spotlight of attention. It seems to be the solution for all data exchange problems.

Since I started working for Mprise Agriware a couple of months ago, I went looking for new markets and new ways Agriware (our software) can help growers improve their business. Agriware has traditionally been used as a planning and recording tool, but there is a lot more that can be done. These ideas mainly arose from talking with rose growers in Africa, South America and Asia. I would like to share a small selection of them with you.

Ever wondered how a relative small country like the Netherlands has grown to one of the world’s leading players in seed breeding and export?

When I started working in the seed industry I was amazed by this (for me unknown) part of the business of Dutch agriculture. One kg of hybrid tomato seed is twice the value of gold? How is it possible that one tomato plant gives 150 kg of tomatoes in a season? Look inside a seed and predict the germination by X-ray? Counting hundreds of seeds per second into final packages with CCD technology?

Many horticultural businesses wage a daily 'battle' with their labor force. That is to say, regarding the effort involved and the planning of these forces. What needs to be done this week, and how much workforce is required? Such queries are usually answered by figures derived from the past, experience and averages that one is aware of or (if lucky) tucked away in Excel sheets, laden with numerous assumptions, stipulations, and bandwidths.

Over the last decade, there have been many technological developments that have enabled breeders to improve their results. As opposed to the past, when breeders depended only on their experiences and assessments, they can now rely on techniques such as marker-assisted selection and big data. Thanks to these advancements, the prospects of creating successful commercial varieties are boosted, thus rewarding higher turnover and a robust market position.