by Josie Fraser, Researcher and Writer for HGFP
Each year the UK imports around half of the food it consumes. Roughly 80% of these foods come from the EU, with Spain as one of the top sources for our fruit and vegetables. 95% of these imports make it to the Highlands via the port of Dover [1].
What is the problem with this?
With so much dependency on food coming from elsewhere, we leave ourselves vulnerable to shortages when there is a disruption to the supply chain. We have had only a taste of this through Brexit and the pandemic over recent years, but crises resulting from climate change such as major floods which could prevent transportation of these foods from Dover to the Highlands are becoming a more realistic and serious threat.
The environmental impact of these imports are also a problem due to the miles the food has to travel from where it is produced to our dinner plates; emitting more carbon than local alternatives. And due to the hotter climates in regions such as Spain, where we have outsourced most of this food production, a huge amount of water is used for its growth. The issues of imports go further still, including the competition it creates with local farmers (who are forced to reduce their prices due to cheaper imports), slave labour in some countries exporting to the UK, and the carbon emissions that the UK is transferring to other countries who produce our food.
What can we do?
Whether it be due to the increasing concern about the impact of our food choices on the environment or the role of the pandemic in highlighting the fragility of our food system, there has been a recent increase in the number of people eating locally-produced food. But are people ready to give up their Mediterranean favourites? Tomatoes, chillies, peppers? Perhaps we don’t have to…
Of course the Highland climate prevents the growth of most of these foods outdoors during most of the year. However, other northern countries such as Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada are practicing a clever solution: Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA).
CEA is a high-technology and scientific approach to agriculture which enables producers to control the environment that the food is growing in. Producing food in closed agricultural systems enables control over temperature, light, water, carbon dioxide, nutrients and pests to create the optimal conditions for growth. This enables year-round growing of some of our favourite foods, as the cooler climate and shorter winter day-length in the northern regions are no longer a limiting factor in their production.
There are many different methods to grow in these controlled environments, with benefits associated with each. Research from the Netherlands, a country with glasshouses that can cover up to 175 acres, shows that growing hydroponically in CEA glasshouses can save up to 90% on water use compared with open fields [2], as the resource is carefully recaptured and recycled.
The process is extremely efficient – in fact the Netherlands now find themselves producing more tomatoes per square mile than any other country, producing an astounding 144,352 tons per square mile, as well as producing the highest yield of chillies, green peppers and cucumbers [2]. Thanks to the high-tech and automation innovation, this efficiency has led the Netherlands to be the second largest global exporter of food by value [2], despite their small size.
A view over the Westland region of the Netherlands. Source: holland.com
To find out more about CEA and the greenhouse industry in the Netherlands see the resources at the end of this page.
CEA in the Highlands
At the Highland Good Food Conference earlier this year, a group of innovative Highlanders who were passionate about this topic started a project to create a CEA greenhouse sector in the Highlands, and since then they have been working to make it a reality. The aim of their project is to displace the imports of these Mediterranean vegetables by growing them here in the Highlands. You can watch the group’s presentation of their project from the conference here.
Since the conference, the group have been doing their homework; they have been researching and contacting projects elsewhere in the world, including Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands and Kauppapuutarhaliitto, a growers association in Finland who have CEA greenhouses further north than the Highlands; the success of which demonstrate how controlled heating and lighting can overcome limitations and extend the growing system at our latitudes.
They have also been following the many research projects in the sector, including those at WUR, but also one much closer to home that some of the commercial growers in the group are involved in. They are investigating the nutrition level in vegetables produced hydroponically compared with those grown in soil; an interesting study that could help the group to determine which of the many growing mediums to use in their greenhouses. So far, there is an indication on some measures that soil grown vegetables have 10x the nutritional value of those grown hydroponically.
Within the project there is a real desire to innovate. For example, along with a larger growing unit, the group is following the idea of ‘satellite production’ where multiple smaller-scale greenhouses would be installed in communities across the region. It is commonly said that CEA greenhouses need to be at least 1 hectare; any less and the infrastructure is underused and there is an economic disadvantage. However, the group wants to challenge this by adapting existing technology which would allow smaller greenhouses, better suited to the rural communities across the region. These satellite units would work with input from (and in collaboration with) the larger unit(s), as well as create more jobs in food production.
The group aims to use natural methods of production within their greenhouses and to heat them using renewable energy, including smart grids and storage which are progressing in the renewable sector, in order to keep their environmental impact to a minimum.
From their research, they have been impressed with the highly collaborative approach taken in mainland Europe, and the pride these growers take in helping one another. The innovation and solutions within the industry are a product of collaboration between different producers, and researchers. This demonstrates that working together can have quite exceptionally positive consequences. The Highland group hopes to use this co-operative approach in their own project.
The group’s plan for the next 12 months involves developing a business plan to set up a growing unit and an umbrella organisation to bring growing units together as well as creating growing plans to best meet the Highland demand for these foods.
For now, we will have to wait for our fresh Mediterranean dish made with locally produced veg in the Highlands, but I know I am not alone in my anticipation.
Want to know more?
[1] How dependent is the UK on the EU for food? – A BBC article looking into the UK’s dependency on the EU for food, particularly during the pandemic.
[2] This Tiny Country Feeds the World– A National Geographic article exploring the greenhouse industry in the Netherlands where we meet some of the pioneers in the sector.
Yes, Indoor Agriculture Can Feed the World– An interesting read about the benefits of CEA indoor growing.
Glasshouse Vegetable Production in the Netherlands– a 30 minute video exploring the innovation and technology behind the success of the industry in the Netherlands.
Read about Scotland’s first vertical indoor farm at the James Hutton Institute and Nourish Scotland’s article, Vertical farming to secure food for the future?, which looks at the pros and cons of this facility.
And if you’re interested in statistics around imports and exports, you can read the UK government’s Food Statistics in your pocket: Global and UK supply.
