Big turnout for seminar on sustainable horticulture in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia

Nieuwsbericht | 12-10-2023 | 03:19

As one of the pillars of the mission of the Netherlands Agricultural Network is to promote sustainable production globally, contributing to sustainable local horticulture production is one of the focus areas of the regional agriculture team. Long known as the agricultural production area of Peninsular Malaysia, the Cameron Highlands is a hotspot for horticulture.

While the cooler climate in the Highlands has offered great farming opportunities for decades on end, the region is facing a multitude of challenges which  will require for a different way of farming. In order to increase production to meet local and neighboring demands, farms have been expanding in more recent years, challenging the lush natural environment because of land clearing. As many of the farms in the region are only partially sheltered, the production crops are easily accessible and vulnerable to a multitude of pests. The majority of the farmers treats such pests with chemical pesticides, which in turn easily diverted these pests to the neighboring forests and affect biodiversity. Other challenges are the effects of climate change including both increased and decreased rainfall, resource inefficiency and increasing competition of neighboring countries that are fully committed to adopting high technology methods of farming.

Within the region, Greenheart Farms has been known as a pioneer of sustainable horticulture using cutting-edges techniques and technology to grow high-quality pesticides-free vegetables. The farm is committed to environmental responsibility by efficiently utilizing power, water and land. What’s more, Greenheart Farms is taking the lead in promoting its innovative way of farming and demonstrated willingness in sharing of their knowledge with other farmers.

In the morning of Tuesday 26 September, the farm opened its doors for local growers and farmers. As the 18-hectares expansion site is the most advanced farm in South East Asia, many farmers had a keen interest to learn more about Greenheart’s technologies in a farm tour. During the tour, there was a demonstration of Koppert’s biological control systems for pesticide-free production. Subsequently, the party moved to the Zenith Hotel Cameron early evening for a buffet-style dinner followed by a two-hour seminar.   

The seminar featured presentations of advanced Dutch horti-technology by Koppert on biological control systems, Hoogendoorn Growth Management on irrigation, Signify on  lighting and Agrobank on agri-finance. Dr Anne Elings, Team Leader Physiology and Product Quality, Wageningen University & Research, discussed multiple steps farmers can take to reach fully sustainable operations. He emphasized the criticality of working together and sharing knowledge within the region to develop the horticulture sector as a whole, rather than working in silos. This was acknowledged by Luuk Runia, partner and co-owner of Greenheart Farms who also discussed the importance of a change in mindset; focusing on production per square meter rather than focusing on farm land expansion. Luuk also emphasized the need to convert from low-technology to high-technology ways of farming, in order to not being outpaced by other producing countries in the region.

The next day, the event was followed by a private meeting with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah to discuss opportunities for collaboration with the Netherlands on sustainable horticulture involving governments, the private sector and knowledge institutions. The day was concluded by a private farm tour for Indonesian Government officials from four different ministries.

Altogether, the gathering proved to be a good starting point for exploring a new way of farming in the Cameron Highlands. As a next step, collaboration between the region and the Netherlands are being explored for enhanced knowledge-sharing in a local center of excellence.