DaVinc3i

How can the Netherlands maintain its leading position in ornamental plant cultivation in the long term? Which avenues need to be explored to achieve ‘remote trade, logistics and coordination’ ? Cutting to the chase, this is the key question facing scientists and companies who are to work together on the project DaVinc3i (Dutch Agricultural Virtualized International Network with Consolidation, Coordination, Collaboration and Information availability) over the next four years.

The Netherlands’ ornamental plant cultivation industry functions as the center for trade for the whole of Europe. The cutting-edge technology facilitates business in a virtualized world, in which physical flows have been disconnected from the steering and coordination of the flows. This requires cooperation and harmonization within the ornamental plant cultivation industry, so that with the correct information, fragile flowers and plants arrive at the right place at the right time. Projections for the future prepared by different organizations for the ornamental plant cultivation industry include prognoses for marketing, economies of scale, markets, logistics, provision of information etc. How will virtualization affect the various areas, which logistics scenarios are logical? What will the distribution networks need to look like? Observing how other industries, like fruit and vegetables, deal with increasing virtualization.

DaVinc3i, with a budget of two million euro, researches how the Netherlands’ ornamental plant cultivation industry can strengthen its leading competitive position in worldwide production, purchasing and sales of flowers and plants in the virtual trade network in Europe. Research topics include:

will ‘remote purchasing’ become commonplace, through image auctions that can reduce the (refrigerated) storage and transport both in time and distance.