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Rob van Paassen

Rob van Paassen, Netherlands

Hi, I'm Rob van Paassen and I grow organic, biodynamic vegetables in the Netherlands for Nature & More.

My greenhouse lies in a polder near the heart of The Netherlands, in a small place called Oude Leede. Despite it’s location close to the royal city of The Hague and the world harbour of Rotterdam, Oude Leede is a wonderful calm and quiet place. The area is home to a number of small farms, which are often separated by small dikes, which form the only elevation in an otherwise flat landscape. Very Dutch!!

Our farm is a typical family farm which was originally purchased by my father. Today, together with my wife Sandra, we run the farm along with a great team, some of which have been working on the farm as long as us! My Dad still helps out from time to time and takes care of ‘special projects’, which need particular attention and extra care. The greenhouse covers 1 ha and 1.3 ha are seeded into pasture which is used for the family horses (a hobby of our children). The manure and stable waste are incorporated when making compost for the greenhouse crops.

The marketing of my products takes place via Nautilus Organic.

Interview with Rob van Paassen

N&M: What was your main reason to start with organic farming?
Rob: When I was a conventional farmer I had experienced and used a lot of biological pest control and compost already, purely out of personal interest and respect for plants, food and environment. Unfortunately these efforts were not recompensed / remunerated at all in the market. For the conventional market vegetables still have to look perfect from the outside no matter what the inside hides. But when a big Dutch trader asked me to switch to organic it was a logical step to me. I had found the financial security to bring my way of farming into reality.

N&M: What was the most difficult part of the converting to organics?
Rob: To burn all your ships behind you and start afresh. Once you choose to go down this road, there really is no way back! In the first years the soil was very poor with hardly any worms.

N&M: Can you tell us something about the insects and birds at your site?
Rob: Obviously we work with a wide range of different insects. Birds also regularly enter the greenhouse and ensure we are caterpillar free. What was very exciting is that this year one of the students that was helping out in the greenhouse found a very rare butterfly “pijlstaartpauwoogvlinder” between the cucumbers

N&M: What is special about your farm?
Rob: Our farm is special because it is small. This means that we are able to experiment with new crops etc. We like to think that the three horses, which take care of the organic manure, also make the farm extra special!

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As of 2010 all Rob’s organic vegetables are also Demeter biodynamic certified. The main difference between a Demeter certified Biodynamic farm and a standard certified organic farm is that, in its entirety, a Demeter Biodynamic farm is managed as a living organism. This is the fundamental principal of the Biodynamic farming method.
When it comes to Soil, this means a holistic farming system that is minimally dependant on outside inputs for its survival. It flourishes instead from within the “living dynamics” of the farm itself. Basically, Demeter certification requires that as much as possible a farm be regenerative rather than degenerative.
When it comes to feeding the soil therefore, Rob is dependant on inputs such as manure from his horses and plant materials from both inside and outside his greenhouse. Furthermore, since his three horses do not produce enough manure, he is also receives high quality manure from a biodynamic dairy farmer in the neighbouring village of Delfgauw. These inputs are used to produce compost which helps to improve the soil structure and enhance the life in the soil. Another step taken by Rob to maintain and improve the health of the soil is rotating the crop. This not only helps to break weed and pest cycles but also allows the soil to recover and add useful nutrients.
Furthermore Rob’s organic cucumbers, peppers and other vegetables are packed in environmentally friendly materials (compostable or from renewable sources) are used. This is because there is firm belief that it makes no sense to pack environmentally friendly products in environmentally unfriendly materials like plastic (made from fossil fuels). Ideally the packaging can be used for (industrial) composting however, when the materials are thrown away they will (as opposed to plastic) not pollute the soil.

biodiversity

It is a general principle of organic farming that every living organism is held in high regard: from the tiniest micro-organism to the mightiest tree towering above it. For this reason, every link in the organic food supply chain is geared towards maintaining and, wherever possible increasing the diversity of plants and animals. In biodynamic farming the principle of managing the farm as a living organism is fundamental. Therefore the horses that Rob keeps on this property play a vital role on his farm by providing nutrient rich manure that can be used to produce compost.

Furthermore, when you enter Rob’s greenhouse and take a little time to study the plants and flowers you will notice a lot more living organisms in the form of fascinating insects. The reason for this is that since organic agriculture prohibits the use of agro chemicals, growers like Rob have to rely on nature to combat harmful insects and fight diseases. This is necessary is because today’s consumer rightly expects a high quality product without insects or fungi. “Natural crop protection” is a fancy name for letting nature take care of itself. Basically what happens is that natural predators are introduced into the greenhouse to feed on the harmful insects that can negatively affect the plant and the fruit. Ladybirds, parasitic wasps and “fast action” mite predators cannot go long without food and therefore they actively hunt other “harmful” insects.

When your soil is healthy, the next priority are the plants. Rob “for me healthy vital plants are the key to great tasting, healthy fruits and vegetables”. This means Rob is constantly monitoring and observing the plants in order to be able to spot problems before they get out of hand. “When it comes to growing strong plants following is essential 1. strong seeds 2. nutrient rich soil 3. regular crop rotation”. “rotating the crop allows the soil, to get some well earned rest and revitalise”.

Since organic farming is all about working with nature as opposed to against nature, legislation prohibits the use of GMO. According to Rob, for him this legislation is superfluous “Personally, I would never use such seeds, I prefer to work with naturally healthy plants!”

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
Red bell peppers have more than twice the vitamin C of a green pepper. Bell peppers are a good source of Vitamin A.
Chili peppers release endorphines in your body, which makes you feel well.

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 tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers.

society

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

Fro Rob, one of the most important key performance indicators under “Freedom” is to give people the chance to develop themselves. For the past 5 years Rob takes care of a “care patient” who spends his day helping out with odd jobs in and around the greenhouse. “The gentleman who is now 40, spends the day helping out with the day to day business. The work is important to him and gives his life structure”.

Since Rob 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. Like all Dutch Nature & More growers, Rob works according to Dutch and EU labor legislation, human rights issues, equal payment etc. are fully respected and adhered to.

climate

For Rob, when it comes to growing biodynamic greenhouse crops, Demeter demands that heating is kept to a minimum. This means Rob has to plan his crops according to the season making optimal use of the warmth (and lack of it) throughout the year. Therefore Rob grows bok choy (Chinese cabbage) in the winter. As Rob explains: “Obviously we try to keep energy consumption as low as possible by growing less energy requiring products during the winter months, our goals is to continue to reduce our energy inputs in the coming years”.

The production of chemical fertilizers (specifically nitrogen) and other agro chemicals like pesticides, insecticides and fungicides is a very energy intensive process. Furthermore, the production and transport of chemical nitrogen for use as agricultural fertilizers comprises of around 2% of global fossil fuel consumption. Organic farming prohibits the use of agro chemicals and as a consequence in this regard is energy friendlier than non organic.

The carbon Footprint has been measured for the secondary production processes of transport, handling and storage:

35 grams per kg of tomatoes

37 grams per kg of peppers

37 grams per kg of cucumber

Bok Choy was not measured. The calculation includes the CO2 emissions of transport by ship and truck as well as the handling of the product from the farm to the warehouse in Europe. We calculated from farm-gate to Central Europe.

Explanation:
The results of the study show the carbon footprint (amount of greenhouse gas emissions) of one kilogram product upon its arrival on European retail shelves.
All greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the assessed supply chain were identified and analyzed through assessment questionnaires, site visits and desktop researches. The assessments are done according to a comparable methodology as described in the PAS 2050 (Publicly Available Specification), a standard for carbon footprint assessment of goods and services developed by the British Standard Institute. The carbon footprint assessment study takes into account direct emissions and indirect emissions. The carbon footprint study was carried out by Soil & More International BV.

water

Rob, like many other organic farmers around the world regards water not just as an input into the agricultural cycle, but as a vital resource that must be protected and enhanced through careful management. Based in The Netherlands (where the next rain storm is just around the corner), Rob is able to collect ample water run off from his greenhouses. The water is stored in a special basin and pumped into the greenhouses when necessary.

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