The greenhouse horticulture sector urgently needs a new generation of growers who are ready for the tomato production of the future. In this future, it will still be important that crops “look healthy” and growers may still need to “challenge the plants” from time to time. But above all, tomorrow’s growers must learn how to make cultivation decisions based on data.
HAS green academy x Plant Empowerment
Training the next generation of tomato crop managers
Preparing growers for the future
That is why HAS green academy and the Plant Empowerment Foundation have joined forces to develop a new Dutch program: Tomato Crop Manager. “When I graduated from HAS in 2018, I would have loved to take a course like this,” says Stijn Jochems, Manager of the Plant Empowerment Foundation. Eight years later, he and former colleague Alex van Klink, now Lecturer and Advisor at HAS green academy, are the driving forces behind this new program.
The Tomato Crop Manager program has been developed for Dutch junior tomato crop managers who are ready to take the next step towards a more senior role. The course focuses on helping participants solve cultivation challenges independently, using plant physiology as the foundation for decision-making.
A different educational need
This is the first time that the Plant Empowerment Foundation and HAS green academy have developed a program together. HAS green academy has extensive experience in education, welcoming new professionals into the horticultural sector every year while also offering a wide range of professional training programs.
“Not everyone wants to follow a traditional four-year bachelor’s program,” says Alex. “But there is definitely a demand for further education.”
With this new program, HAS green academy and the Plant Empowerment Foundation aim to educate crop managers who are capable of managing a tomato crop independently and have the skills to analyse and solve cultivation challenges. The program is also supported by Glastuinbouw Nederland and Kas als Energiebron.
In the classroom and in the greenhouse
The program combines classroom theory with extensive practical training. While HAS green academy provides the educational foundation, Plant Empowerment specialists contribute years of hands-on experience, each from their own area of expertise. “Our consultants have extensive practical experience and know how to initiate and guide meaningful discussions,” says Stijn.
Tomato cultivation has changed significantly over the past five to ten years. Rather than simply explaining what has changed or introducing the latest technologies, the Tomato Crop Manager program encourages participants to bring real-life challenges from their own greenhouse into the classroom.
One example could be a cultivation issue that arises after switching to a different substrate, currently a highly relevant topic within the industry. Alex, Stijn and HAS lecturer Erik Janssen coach participants throughout the program, while Plant Empowerment experts help them learn how to analyse and solve cultivation challenges using the principles of Plant Empowerment.
Learning to think like a crop manager
After completing the program, growers are able to make independent cultivation decisions, optimise climate, water and lighting strategies, use data and sensors to improve cultivation results, analyse and solve cultivation challenges in a practical way, and collaborate more effectively with specialists and fellow crop managers.
Stijn explains: “Participants learn the language of data and numbers, the language of plant physiology. From that foundation, we gradually strengthen their ability to keep learning and improving throughout their careers.”
Interested in joining the program or looking for more information?
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Successful fifth edition of the Plant Empowerment Summer School
Open: Successful fifth edition of the Plant Empowerment Summer School
