Clarity on where innovation truly makes the difference

Technology alone is not enough, and biology alone is not either. At the Skytop Agritech Global Conference on January 22 in Amsterdam, NXTGEN shows exactly how this combination works in practice. In a panel with 30MHz, Lely, Ridder, and VDL, I will chair the discussion and bring it to the core. In the Skytop interview, Suzanne Verboon clearly explains how this combination creates impact and how clear agreements on data enable collaboration. This is how innovations become more readily applicable in arable farming, livestock farming, horticulture, and greenhouse horticulture. This is exactly what NXTGEN Agrifood is working on together with FME. Skytop is a logical moment to deepen knowledge and take concrete steps together.

Food production currently uses too much land and too many inputs, while pressure on nature and health continues to rise. The way forward is cultivation that is more closely connected to biology and uses data to act more intelligently. By linking knowledge about crops, environments and pathogens with sensors, automation and software, input use goes down and precision goes up. High tech growing systems show what is possible, while soil based cultivation remains valuable. The strength lies in the mix, and in what you can demonstrably improve with data. Trust is the foundation, because without clear agreements farmers and companies will not share their data. European frameworks such as the Data Act help, but what really matters is transparency, ownership and visible benefits such as higher yields, lower costs and less risk. Adoption moves faster when value is measured more broadly, including soil health, safe working conditions and food quality. This creates room for both small and large businesses to move forward, just as the shift from horses to tractors and from open fields to greenhouses once changed farming for good.

NXTGEN Agrifood accelerates in areas where the Netherlands is strong by connecting technology, knowledge and application and improving step by step. FME brings the technology sector together with these application areas and ensures that companies, researchers and policymakers work together. This combination avoids duplication, speeds up learning and makes solutions suitable for different regions. It is not about owning the solution, it is about building value together that delivers for farmers, the chain and society. This gives the network of startups, SMEs and corporates room to test, scale and bring solutions to market. Skytop fits well because it brings expertise and decision making power together.