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Biomass India: from agricultural waste to valuable resource

Winter in northern India. A thick blanket of smoke covers the land. This is when farmers burn paddy or rice straw, a by-product of rice cultivation. India, the world’s second-largest producer of rice, is sitting on a mountain of raw material, without realistic options to cash in on it. So each year, farmers burn around 90 million tons of rice straw, releasing a considerable amount of C02 in the process. Under the guidance of NL Works, Indian and Dutch public and private organisations have created the Biomass India consortium to convert this waste into climate-positive products.

Floriade 2022 – Green solutions for urban challenges

We are on the verge of great transitions. Climate change, food security and decreasing biodiversity — all require our immediate attention. By 2050, the global population is projected to reach 10 billion people, driving up demand for scarce resources such as water, energy and food. More than two-thirds of this population will live in urban areas. How can we make cities more healthy, liveable and sustainable in the future? And how can the Netherlands help?

Saline farming – making saline soil productive again

Every day, 2,000 hectares of fertile land is lost around the world because of salinisation. Climate change and rising sea levels combined with the production of more food with less water (and often more fertiliser) turns once productive fields into salty, inarable terrain. This is especially problematic in countries that already struggle to feed their population. Finding techniques and technology to prevent or counter this phenomenon increases the sector’s ability to adapt to changes, such as global warming.

Optimising water use in Colombia’s palm oil industry

As the world population continues to grow, scarce resources such as water, energy and food are increasingly under pressure. To feed a population of 10 billion by 2050, we need to go beyond improving our agricultural productivity. New irrigation and fertigation methods can help us make the best of limited water resources and allow farmers to grow more crop per drop. A Dutch-Colombian partnership is working on increasing water efficiency in one of Colombia’s most important agricultural sectors: the palm oil industry.

Meet the innovators that shine a light on the Winter Olympics

The winter Olympics in Beijing saw the Netherlands take home a total of 17 medals across events. But behind all the glitz and glory, technology also plays an important role to enable athletes to compete at their best. Let us give you an insight into the innovation that lights our athletes way towards gold.

How the Netherlands uses an ecosystem approach to boost sustainable food production

Did you know that five billion people are expected to live in urban areas in 2030? How can cities continue to feed this urban population sustainably? This topic will be discussed during the Dutch Horticultural Days at Expo 2020 Dubai on 22 February 2022. The event will bring together agrifood and horticulture experts from around the world. They will explore new ways to apply an integrated ecosystem approach to boost food production.

Creating impact in cities through bottom-up initiatives

As the world approaches 2030, more and more governments and municipalities are committing themselves to making cities more liveable and sustainable. Many initiatives are being implemented in various areas, such as climate adaptation, circular economies, and energy efficiency. All to realise the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set for 2030. We are now half way there in time, but still much needs to be done. How can we step up our efforts to safeguard our cities today and in the future?