| Greenhouse horticulture can play a major role in Flemish rural development, regional economy and employment. However, the sector deals with structural problems. Scale increase of greenhouse firms is required for economic reasons, but high investments and risks make this quasi unsupportable for individual farmers. Clustering greenhouses into greenhouse parks is a possible way out. Through collaboration and mutual material exchanges, firms enjoy scale effects and eco-efficiency is enhanced without individual enlargement. The government is planning pilot projects to investigate possibilities of greenhouse parks in Flanders. Obviously, many obstacles are faced, such as spatial planning, coordination of policy levels and institutions and interactions with... |
