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Rini Hopmans

Hi, I'm Rini Hopmans and I grow organic tomatoes, cucumbers and bok choy under the transparency code of Nature & More.

Thank you for buying our vegetables and I hope you'll enjoy them!

Our greenhouse is situated in South West of the Netherlands near the beautiful and historic city of Bergen op Zoom and just next to the fascinating Brabantse Wal Nature Reserve. The reserve is best described as a sandy dune environment covered with lush forests. Next to the farm lies a smaller nature reserve area called ‘Lievensberg’. It is really beautiful but unfortunately the soil is sandy and therefore not ideal for growing vegetables. We make use of compost and manure to improve the soil fertility. Composting is good for biodiversity in the soil and for carbon sequestration, so it benefits the climate.

Our greenhouse is split into two parts, one unit with tomatoes and one with cucumbers. Although originally my expertise lies in growing tomatoes, since I converted to organic practices I am proud to call myself a cucumber grower as well! Furthermore, we also grow organic courgettes (zucchini).

Interview with Rini Hopmans:

N&M: What is the main difference between organic and conventional growing?
Rini: The main point is that we have to grow in the soil. Conventional has more to do with techniques and curative actions and organic with prevention and professional skills. We have to work with nature and find measures that stimulate soil fertility and resistance against plant diseases. In organic we work more preventive and we always have to take care of pests in our crops. All our workers feel that they are also responsible and we teach them to scout around the greenhouse and see the difference between pest animals and predators (natural enemies).

N&M Production in greenhouses is a very intensive and energy consuming way of production. What sustainable practices, other than your organic production, do you execute?
Rini: We delay the start of the season, so that we are not heating the greenhouse throughout the cold winter months. Furthermore we try and work with the most energy efficient equipment.

N&M: What is special about your farm?
Rini: Apart from the great location next to the wonderful nature reserve, I think it is the fact that since converting to organics we feel more like a grower than like a manager. There is no distance between us and the workers, we do the same work and manage together. In this way we are a real family farm.

Sustainability flower

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soil

Organic cultivation is done on soil, not on rock wool. No chemical insecticides, herbicides or fertilizer are used. To keep the soil healthy and fertile, Rini applies crop rotation and compost.
The sustainability effects of compost are huge: biodiversity in the soil is improved, as well as the structure and water management. Diseases and pests are suppressed. By bringing a lot or organic matter in the soil, you obtain a healthy balance between all kinds of organisms. Composting also takes care of carbon sequestration in the soil, which benefits the climate.

biodiversity

Rini: “Our greenhouse is situated near a nature reserve with abundant flora and fauna. If you visit our greenhouse, you won’t see many animals at first sight. Nevertheless, when you enter the greenhouse and take a little time to study the plants and flowers you will notice a wide variety of fascinating insects. The reason for this is that since organic agriculture prohibits the use of agro chemicals.”
Growers like Rini have to rely on nature to keep harmful insects in check. “Good” insects are introduced into the greenhouse, like ladybirds, parasitic wasps and “fast action” mite predators. They will keep the harmful insects under control.
Another insect that is also often found in Rini’s greenhouse but has a completely different job is the bumble bee. These hard workers pollinate the flowers of the cucumber, tomato, pepper and aubergine plants in an extremely effective manner. Just as their cousins, the honeybees, bumblebees, are able to pollinate the flower at exactly the right time. Compared to their “cousins” bumblebees cope much better with low temperatures and lower light levels and generally work more quickly.

The taste of tomatoes, according to Rini, depends on several factors: the variety (race), the moment of harvest and the nutrition of the plant. If you want to grow tasty tomatoes, in the first place you need to pick the right variety. Rini grows vine tomatoes of the Mecano variety. This is a tasty tomatoe that ripens without bursting. This means that the tomato can stay on the plant longer and ripen more, which benefits the taste. “The longer the tomato stays on the plant, the more natural colour and flavor it develops. The taste of tomatoes used to be flat, because they were picked to green.” Plant nutrition is important too: anyone can imagine that tomatoes from hydro culture have less taste. Organic cultivation in Holland always uses the real soil. The soil is fed with compost. “Al compounds are gradually released into the soil in the right proportions, which is good for the taste” says Rini.

Of course the greenhouse is completely GMO-free.

individual

Tomatoes are a valuable source of food minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamins A and C.
Cucumbers are a source of vitamin K. Vitamin K contributes to a normal coagulation of the blood and is good for the bones.
Bok Choy is rich in folic acid and vitamin K.
Every year 20.000 to 340.000 farmworkers die of pesticide poisoning and 1 to 5 million farmworkers get sick from it. In organic cultivation no chemical-synthetic pesticides are used and significantly less pesticide residues are found on organic products in the store. Research indicates (Fantke & Jolliet, 2016) that this also has a health effect for consumers. In short, we can say with confidence that organic fruits and vegetables, on the average, are healthier. And that also goes for our organic cucumbers, tomatoes and bok choi.

society

Individual development and empowerment leads to freedom which is the basis for all progress.

One of the most important key performance indicators under “Freedom” is employee training. Rini “for us training goes a lot further than just explaining what someone has to do, we want our employees to understand the broader sense of the work and the philosophy of the company. That is why we have a 14 day introduction program that incorporates all facets of the work”.

Since Rini works according to Dutch and EU labor legislation, health & safety issues, implementation of employee welfare schemes, pension plans, safe working conditions, employee rights are fully respected and adhered to.

climate

Whether conventional or organic, growing greenhouse crops in The Netherlands is a very intensive and energy consuming way of production. Consequently, growers, like Rini, are looking for innovative, environmentally friendly ways of heating their greenhouses using a minimum quantity of fossil fuels. Rini: “We delay the start of the season, so that we are not heating the greenhouse throughout the cold winter months. We also have a special screen in our warehouse to keep out the cold, as soon as the sun becomes warmer this is removed. Furthermore we try and work with the most energy efficient equipment”. Rini will continue to look for ways to produce even more efficiently and obviously we will keep you posted of the developments.

Carbon Footprint:

Tomatoes: 3.706 kg CO2e/kg
Cucumbers: 2.983 kg CO2e/kg

What does this mean

The footprint shows the amount of greenhouse gas emission for one kilogram of fruit, for the whole production process: from the greenhouse to the store. The average CO2 footprint for fruit is 3.4 CO2 / kg, according tot the Food Climate Research network. The carbon footprint for Spanish tomatoes is 630 grams, according to www.neutralworld.org. If you drive 10 km to work and back in a small car every day (Volkswagen Polo), you use 2.6 kg CO2 (depending on the age of the car).

Technical explanation: All emissions are taken into account, including transport and packaging. The calculations for carbon footprint are based on the reported emissions in 2008. The assessments are done according to a comparable methodology as described in the PAS 2050, a standard developed by the British Standard InstituteIt was carried out by Soil & More International BV. www.soilandmore.com

water

You don’t have to be an expert in organic farming to realize that water is absolutely essential when it comes to cultivating crops. Climate change, droughts, pollution etc. are threatening this vital resource and the future does not look all that good.

All our Nature & More growers understand the importance of water and are careful to use only what is absolutely necessary. On a more positive note, studies have shown that good organic compost increases the water holding properties of the soil meaning that 100 litres of water goes much further on an organic farm compared to its conventional counterpart.

Rini sources his water through a well deep in the ground. “we pump up the water, filter it, give it to our plants and anything that is not taken up by the plants automatically returns to the soil”

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Hello Rinnie, i saw your

Submitted by Steven kibuuka on 14 October 2017 - 9:57pm

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Uganda

Hello Rinnie, i saw your work and got impressed. Am a young grower so much interested in organic vegetable farming. I hope i can get a chance a communicate with. My email. stevenkibuuka@gmail. Thanks

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