Wageningen University and Research Set to Host New Vertical Farming Course
October 24, 2024 In January 2025, Wageningen University and Research (WUR) will host a four-week course on vertical farming. Led by academics in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), the course is designed for people who want to get involved in vertical farming and learn about the opportunities as well as the challenges facing this segment of the industry.
Who Should Take This Course?
Growers, researchers, and other professionals in vertical farming that have a general understanding of plant production should take this course. Students at WUR will participate as well, helping registrants research the challenges of vertical farming.
What Will I Study?
The course focuses heavily on plant physiology. As you complete the course, you will:
- Apply concepts from plant physiology, technology, business, and sustainability
- Learn about novel substrates, state-of-the-art LED recipes, and precision environmental control
- Study vertical farming through the lenses of sustainability, profitability, and product quality
How Is the Course Organized?
The course will last from January 6 to January 31, 2025, and covers four different modules. For the first three weeks, the course is entirely online. The fourth module will be a two-day conference at Wageningen on January 30 and 31. Across this four-week period, participants should expect to dedicate 60 hours of study to this course.
While there will be six live online sessions for participants to interact with each other and course instructors, you can choose only view recordings of the online sessions and not attend the in-person conference at WUR. If you’re hoping to attend the live sessions, here’s the schedule:
- Monday, January 6 from 14:00-17:00 CET
- Friday, January 10 from 10:00-13:00 CET
- Monday, January 13 from 14:00-17:00 CET
- Friday, January 17 from 10:00-13:00 CET
- Monday, January 20 from 14:00-17:00 CET
- Friday, January 24 from 10:00-13:00 CET
Who Is Teaching the Course?
The course will be taught by Leo Marcelis, Ph.D., and the program manager is Monique Tulp-Jansen.
How Can I Sign Up?
You can sign up on the WUR website. While registration is limited to 100 to 150 people for the hybrid course, there’s no limit to how many people can participate online. For more information on cost and how to register, click here. Registration closes on December 8, 2024.