17 March 2025
The 100% Green Grown practical pilot is showing promising results. Now that the full assessment has been completed, it is clear that the seven salads growers involved have already managed to significantly reduce the use of chemical crop protection products in the first year.
Thanks to a smart combination of existing methods, 70% less active ingredient per hectare was used during the first pilot year. With these insights, growers have started the second growing season with full commitment. The focus is now on the next step: making this green cultivation strategy economically viable as well.
The practical pilot is an initiative of the Federation of Salads Organisations (FVO) and centres on cooperation and knowledge sharing. Various salad growers, together with specialists in organic crop protection, seed breeding, cultivation technology and management, are working towards a single goal: to be able to grow peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and cucumbers completely without chemical substances and profitably within three years.
After the first growing season of the three‑year practical pilot, it is clear that salads cultivation with less chemistry is possible. “We see that there is a great deal of low‑hanging fruit that growers can adopt immediately,” says Ronald Grootscholten, Programme Director at Florpartners for 100% Green Grown. “These results have been achieved using existing and easily applicable methods. Growers showed strong commitment and cultivated with a different mindset. Intensive scouting and the smart use of organic solutions are already making a significant difference. This demonstrates that sustainability does not necessarily have to be complex or revolutionary.”
The participating growers achieved good results through intensive scouting, preventive biological crop protection and targeted pest control. In addition to a 70% reduction in active ingredient per hectare, 67% fewer different chemical substances were used.
Important note
Ton van Dalen, Director of Oxin Growers and portfolio holder within FVO, adds an important nuance to the reported figures: “It is important to interpret this comparison as indicative. No growing season is the same, and conditions such as weather can vary greatly. The results are promising, but should be viewed in that context.”
Challenges for 2025
The transition to fully green cultivation also brings additional challenges. “The costs of all‑green cultivation are currently still too high,” Van Dalen emphasises. “That is why our focus in 2025 is on making this cultivation method economically viable.”
In the ongoing second season, the focus is on integrating different solution approaches. Three pilot growers have invested in insect netting, while four growers will work with organic substrate. These promising innovations are already being widely and rapidly adopted by salads farms. In addition, work continues on adjustments to fertilisation schedules that were tested during the first season. The goal is clear: by the end of 2026, we aim to achieve salads cultivation without synthetic substances, supported by a healthy earnings model.
About 100% Green Grown
Within the 100% Green Grown project, grower cooperatives within FVO and suppliers are working towards a sustainable and resilient cultivation system by 2027. The project comprises seven field pilots, supported by specialists from Hoogendoorn Growth Management, LetsGrow.com, Van Iperen, Van der Knaap Groep, Koppert and Rijk Zwaan. The project is led by Florpartners.
The participating greenhouse‑cultivated salads companies are: Frestia (sweet pointed pepper), Agro Care (tomato exposed), Bryte (tomato unexposed), Van Duijn De Jong (aubergine), Fitterstee Growers (cucumber unexposed), Drenthe Growers (cucumber exposed) and Reijm & zn. (bell pepper). In addition to the seven pilots, two practical trials with bell peppers are also being conducted at Botany.