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29 October 2021

‘The autonomous greenhouse is not just a concept anymore’

With the increasing global challenges that our sector faces, the need for technological developments to produce food in a more efficient and sustainable way is growing faster than ever. For the second time international greenhouse technology supplier Ridder, has been supporting some of the world’s most promising agri-tech research teams taking on the challenge of growing tomatoes with AI technology in Chinese greenhouses.  

With the increasing population, fossil fuels running low and the growing extreme climate challenges, Ridder is dedicated to sharing its knowledge and providing technological solutions for controlled environment agriculture. Ridder does this to enable sustainable food and flower production all over the world. “We believe that the autonomous greenhouse is part of the future of our industry, which will help us in the search for new ways of providing food for the growing world population”, says Fulco Wijdooge, General Manager at Ridder China. “Ridder wants to be at the forefront of data-driven growing and the implementation of new industry 4.0 applications in greenhouse horticulture. When Ridder sees an opportunity where they can share their knowledge and experience in developing new technologies and solutions, they will take it”.  

Future-proof agriculture
Ridder’s drive to be at the forefront of new technological developments in greenhouse horticulture is one of the reasons behind its participation in the Smart Agriculture Competition. This competition is organized by PinDuoDuo, China’s largest online platform for agriculture, that connects over 16 million farmers with over 824 million users and consumers. Their focus is on investing and innovating along all stages of the agricultural value chain and playing their part in feeding more people and in a more sustainable way. By hosting the Smart Agriculture Competition, PinDuoDuo explores applications of digital agricultural technologies and their feasibility for wider adoption, aiding to their goal of finding new ways to make agriculture future-proof.  

This is the second time the competition is hosted by PinDuoDuo. The 4 finalists’ teams will have to grow tomatoes that are high in quality and yield, using interdisciplinary growing, smart algorithms, and computing technologies, while following sustainable farming practices. “This type of focus on smart and sustainable industry innovation aligns with the core believes of Ridder. That is why Ridder supported the first PinDuoDuo Smart Agriculture Competition and is happy to continue this support”. 

Intelligent greenhouse technology
Each team will be assigned to a 96-square-meter standalone smart greenhouse, which can also be remotely controlled. To give the students the best possible instruments and technologies to help them on their way, Ridder will provide each team with advanced climate control systems, Ridder Synopta control software Ridder intelligent sensor systems, Ridder water treatment systems, as well as other equipment and onsite engineering support.  

Follow the finals of the PinduoDuo Agriculture Competition via Ridder’s social media channels and smartagricompetition.com.  

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