Working Towards The Future of Irrigation Management

Carlo Vonk, Senior Grower, and Youri Barendse, Growth Specialist at Rainbow Middenmeer are two seasoned pepper growers from the Netherlands. Rainbow Middenmeer grows Alzamora peppers. We visited them to ask about their experience with pepper cultivation, the control irrigation pilot, and the start of the season with Source Irrigation Control. 

Carlo shared that the reason he started working in pepper cultivation at Rainbow almost ten years back is the innovative approach of the organization. Youri, who joined the Rainbow team a year and a half ago also found inspiration in the forward-looking vision of the organization, eager for the opportunities that lie ahead. 

Innovation, however, comes with a set of challenges and these add on top of the pepper cultivation challenges such as maintaining plant health throughout the growing season, dealing with pests and diseases, and optimizing water quality and irrigation strategies that growers have to deal with. Carlo emphasizes the significance of their role in ensuring optimal yields. "It's about managing resources efficiently," he remarks, highlighting the shift towards data-driven methodologies. Youri echoes this sentiment, underlining the importance of adapting to new technologies for sustainable growth. 

"Water quality and irrigation strategies are paramount,” says Carlo. Youri chimes in, describing the ongoing efforts to improve the water quality by, for example, implementing a bubble apparatus that adds more oxygen allowing less disease and mold growth in the water reservoirs, and experimenting with new irrigation techniques using a data-driven approach. At Rainbow, they considered multiple data-driven solutions for irrigation strategies but eventually decided to give Source Irrigation Control a go, because of its ability to cooperate with the growers instead of autonomously taking over without any possibility of intervening. 

By adopting a data-driven approach to irrigation control with Source, the growers aim not only to achieve improved irrigation results and enhance their understanding but also to reduce manual monitoring. Additionally, they emphasize the necessity of solutions like Source Irrigation Control for possibly efficiently managing more hectares and onboarding new growers in the future. It’s hard to find new people with “green fingers” as the industry is relatively small, but it's easier to find people who are good with data since those aren’t limited to agriculture. If data-driven solutions, therefore, develop themselves to prove to be growers' best colleagues, people with different backgrounds can be attracted to the job. 

As the conversation unfolds, a sense of optimism pervades, fueled by their collective determination to overcome obstacles. "We're constantly learning," Carlo notes, "and adapting to new technologies." Youri nods in agreement, emphasizing the need for collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the industry.

"One of the biggest values of Source Control is that we can give water differently, for example, by directing the dry-down in between shots such that the slabs stay on the right level, and the dry-down during the nighttime".

Youri Barendse, Rainbow Growers Group

Their journey represents the spirit of innovation driving modern agriculture, where traditional wisdom intersects with cutting-edge technologies. As they continue to push boundaries and explore new frontiers, Carlo Volk and Youri Barendse stand as examples of resilience and ingenuity in the ever-evolving pepper cultivation industry.