SamenMarkt® was founded in 2015 by prof. dr. F.M. Brazier and prof. dr. O. van Kooten using research and practice to provide the sector with structure and tools in difficult circumstances. In this year, 50% of Dutch greenhouse vegetable companies were unable to fulfill their financial obligations and another 15% lacked the financial means to invest in their own company. The industry needed changes to cope with these conditions.
Greenhouse growers face the practical question how they can establish at a profitable business case for the longer term. One of the important causes for this situation seemed to be the current market structure, in which there is no transparent process of price formation between consumer and retail demand and the supply of greenhouse horticulturists. As a result, greenhouse horticulturists earned little and consumers did not always get the desired quality. The flyer on the left gives a short description of the SamenMarkt® project. A pdf of this short explanation is also available.
Inholland Delft University of Applied Sciences and TU Delft connect research and practice by collaborating with greenhouse growers, supply chain parties, interest groups and Wageningen Economic Research. Using AI, simulations and gaming simulations developed on the basis of agent technology, a safe environment is provided for “experimenting”.
These simulations are used to investigate the functioning of the greenhouse horticultural supply chain and the market. This research examines the possibilities for improving the business cases of greenhouse horticulturists. The research leads to new knowledge about:
- The functioning of the current, non-transparent, market in greenhouse horticulture;
- The possibilities of improving the business cases of SME greenhouse horticulturists with new market mechanisms and chain partnerships;
- The possibilities to model a complex market with agent technology.
In addition, by providing insight, these simulations provide a stepping stone to modeling distributed sales opportunities.
