Cluster cooperation in dutch controlled environment agriculture

This article follows the presentation by Marga Vintges during the "Collaborative Ecosystems" session at the URBAGR’INN Days. Her talk explored the role of cluster cooperation in Controlled Environment Agriculture, focusing on the Dutch horticulture sector and the Greenport West-Holland model—an internationally recognized example of innovation through regional collaboration.

The Dutch horticulture sector is recognized globally as an innovative cluster that cultivates, processes, and transports high-quality products including vegetables, fruit, flowers, and plants. It also develops innovations and exports knowledge and expertise. This position results from the unique combination of production, marketing and sales, trade, logistics, related services, and knowledge.

To address today’s societal challenges and secure a license to produce sustainably—considering spatial policy, climate mitigation, and more—a further triple or quadruple helix collaboration is essential. When all actors of this triple helix are present within a region, there is a strong opportunity to strengthen the sector by going beyond traditional cooperative models.

Michael Porter defines clusters as “a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities.”

Greenport West-Holland

Greenport West-Holland is the largest international horticultural cluster globally. It is an extensive cluster comprising greenhouse horticultural farms, suppliers and buyers, logistics companies, knowledge and research institutions, and service providers. Within Greenport West-Holland, all major players in intensive horticulture are concentrated and connected not only to knowledge and research institutions and service providers but also to various levels of government.

The cluster pursues different ambitions and programs. One key ambition focuses on leading knowledge and innovation through a designated Innovation Pact, which drives the research agenda within the Greenport Horti Campus. This agenda has led to an ERDF project building a Fieldlab and showlabs on indoor (vertical) farming.

The cluster’s energy program began with partners agreeing that the cluster would be climate neutral by 2024. Additionally, programs addressing circularity and water use are underway.

Towards a quadruple helix and urban agriculture

Retail and consumers are increasingly important for the future of food production. To maintain a socially relevant license to produce, the cluster is engaging more with consumers and NGOs. Thus, the triple helix cluster is evolving into a quadruple helix cluster.

Urban agriculture—food production in and around cities—ranges from balcony or roof gardens in city centers to allotments and professional urban food production and processing on city edges.

Connection to global and regional challenges

By the next century, 11 billion people will need to be fed, most living in metropolitan areas.
Priorities include food safety and security with reduced use of materials, water, and energy.
Regional challenges encompass research and innovation, economic development (startups and grow-ups), spatial planning, infrastructure and logistics, water and energy supply, climate adaptation, clean and healthy environments, as well as labour management and education.

What is a Greenport?

A Greenport is a large horticultural cluster composed of various companies linked spatially and along the supply chain through production, delivery, trade, distribution, and processing, all strongly interconnected.

There are seven Greenports (and some satellites) in the Netherlands, with Greenport West-Holland being the largest.

Its guiding principles are:

More people
Better food
Less impact

Experience, knowledge, and cooperation are essential to the bio-economy.

Definitions of clusters

Michael Porter (2008) defines clusters as “a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities.”
The European Union defines clusters as groups of firms, related economic actors, and institutions located near each other, with sufficient scale to develop specialized expertise, services, resources, suppliers, and skills.
The cluster discussed here is defined as a triple helix organization of government, knowledge institutes, and different companies spatially concentrated along the supply chain.

Goals and cooperation types

The Greenport West-Holland focuses on:

Innovating for plants, on plants, and through plants—from upstream plant production to downstream activities.
Feeding and greening megacities through controlled cultivation, energy efficiency (cogeneration, heat storage, geothermal), CO₂ and heat networks, logistics, and knowledge development.

Cooperation happens:

Region to region (e.g., ERIAFF: European Regions for Innovation in Agriculture, Food and Forestry)
Cluster to cluster (e.g., Platform Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) AgriFood)
Digital innovation hubs (Smart Agri Hubs)
Inter-cluster cooperation (Plant Inter Cluster - PIC)