What will you be eating in the future?

If you ask us, there’s only one logical location for the Dutch Agri Food Week’s business kick-off event: the Brightlands campus in Venlo. Director Saskia Goetgeluk talks about why “her” campus is the place to be during the kick-off event as well as the entire Dutch Agri Food Week (October 5 - 16) for anyone who is interested in or working in the food innovation field.

Not only does the agri-food sector make a major contribution to the Dutch economy, health and welfare also benefit from the developments in this sector. Saskia Goetgeluk: “We show how and why this is the case during the Dutch Agri Food Week (DAFW). In a festival-like atmosphere, we will reveal how innovative this sector is; this is where the Netherlands’s strength lies. After all, when it comes to agri-food, the Netherlands is among the highest-ranked in the world.”

agri food week
Brightlands nieuwsbrief (Bron)

Science to business

Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo lives and breathes safe and healthy nutrition; everything revolves around knowledge and innovation here. According to Saskia, “Our connection to SMEs is what makes our campus so unique. Innovations that have been developed by our knowledge partners and campus residents may be tested immediately in practical situations. We will explain this in more detail during the kick-off event. Scientists from Maastricht University, HAS and Fontys will talk about the direction we need to pursue in the world of agri-food in the future, and how their research leads to innovative applications. In other words, how we go from science to business. Start-ups will give pitches in the morning on their solutions for the world food problem. This will be followed by an opportunity for guests to talk to the speakers and campus residents at the interactive marketplace, Experience Tomorrow’s Food. Radio station BNR will be broadcasting live from the event.”

Kaleidoscope

Tomorrow’s food. What are we eating now and what will we be eating by 2050? This is the central theme at DAFW. Food and health, innovation, knowledge and technology, openness and transparency, food education but also working and studying in the agri-food sector are all sub-themes. “You will find all of these themes at our campus,” says Kim Janssen, marketing and communications manager at Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo. “During very varied events for farmers, entrepreneurs from the supply and processing industry, retail, government and science, we will educate DAFW visitors in an almost kaleidoscope-like manner on everything our campus has to offer. Tomorrow’s Talent brings students and employers together. The human capital concept is also an important issue in the agri-food sector. What better place to show future talent how broad and interesting this world is than here at the campus?”

Across the entire sector

Anders Boeren (A Different Approach to Farming) is an event on how to shorten the chain between farmers and consumers. During a high-tech seminar, Glitch will use co-co-creation to examine innovative techniques for low-carbon growing. Varketing will show how pig farmers in the Venray area set themselves apart from other pork producers. Blockchain solutions that tomorrow’s farmers can apply play the starring role in the event organized by Innoveins, Yookr and LIOF. Insects are the main characters at the Film & Food Festival. On October 12, poultry farmers can learn more about a new egg collection robot during World Egg Day. Martine van de Mortel, DAFW project coordinator for the campus: “Visitors to DAFW will get a glimpse into the entire sector, and there’s even something for the youngest attendees. Kokkerelli’s Kids University is developing a healthy Brightlands Smoothie which will feature during the toast when we raise our glasses at the kick-off event. It will also be available at all the other campuses later on. If you happen to be in Geleen, Heerlen or Maastricht, you can still get a taste of what went on at the DAFW.” 

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