Once-in-a-decade international horticulture expo Floriade opens in Almere

Floriade Expo 2022 opens in Almere

Floriade, the international horticulture exhibition, has opened in Almere, in the Amsterdam Area. The once-in-a-decade expo has adopted the theme Growing Green Cities.

From 14 April to 9 October 2022, more than 400 Dutch and international exhibitors will gather at the specially built Floriade park to showcase green solutions to urban challenges and explore how cities can be more sustainable and liveable, from growing food in cities to generating clean energy.

The expo brings together governments, businesses and research institutions to exchange knowledge, expertise and experiences among dozens of country pavilions, greenhouses, an aboretum, forests and waterways.

For the next six months, Floriade will also provide a meeting space for the international green community to come together and work on innovative green city solutions.

King Willem-Alexander will officially open Floriade Expo 2022 on 13 April and the public will be welcome from 14 April. After the expo closes, the exhibition terrain will be redeveloped into Hortus, a new urban district. Then, the grounds will become a meeting place for food producers and manufacturers, retailers, students and researchers working on innovative plans for sustainable future food systems.

Innovation in agritech and food

The Amsterdam Area is an ideal location for such an event. The Dutch are known internationally as experts in horticulture from seeds, bulbs to flowers and plants, and the Dutch capital is fast becoming a hotbed of innovation in foodtech and agritech to meet the challenges of the climate emergency.

Amsterdam-based vertical farming company Infarm is growing its network of urban farms, to help reduce air miles and chemicals and make cities self-sufficient in food production. Amsterdam-founded agritech scaleup 30MHz built a platform that analyses data from in-field monitoring devices to help farmers remotely monitor and manage crops, contributing to more sustainable, future-proof farming. Connecterra, an Amsterdam startup, uses AI to help dairy farmers optimise their processes. Last year, British plant-based meat company Meatless Farm opened a production hub in Almere.