"Diminishing all the imported fruits and vegetables to zero
by producing them locally"
The problem
unbalanced cashflow
The Maldives are heavily dependent on the few external and remote markets and their own export is very little due to their limited resources. They rely heavily on fossil fuels which are all imported.
This results in a very large outgoing cashflow and relatively little to the local economy.
High CO2 emission
The import of vegetables to the Maldives, over 13 million kilo’s on a yearly basis, generates a lot of CO2. Limiting the amount of imported vegetables will diminish this pollution significantly.
Import dependency
Like all Small Island Developing States, the Maldives import a huge percentage of their food consumption. A staggering 95%. But why? The techniques exist to produce locally anywhere in the world!
"95% of all food is imported"
Maldives, the true meaning of paradise.
When we think of the Maldives, we think of beautiful beaches, guaranteed sunshine. Maybe your next holiday destination? The true meaning of the word paradise. But strengths come with weaknesses.
The Maldives are facing two major problems. Firstly, the heat. This generates a climate which is not suitable for crops to grow. This results in an immense import. In fact, the country imports 95% of its food.
Secondly, the distances between the islands. This makes solid waste management challenging. They just simple cannot process all the waste generated by all the people living and staying on the Maldives.
Growth, which the Maldives encounter, is a positive thing, but it has to be sustainable.
Food Sources
The Maldives are largely dependent on food import to cater the growing population, expatriate community and the large number of tourists visiting the country. Shockingly, 100 percent of their rice, flour and sugar is imported.
The World Bank shows that the Maldives can cater a value of 5% of their food sources, as seen in the visual.
The UAE, Singapore and Sri Lanka are, value wise, the three main importers for this Island nation. India is also one of the main importers, quantity wise. That being said, Maldives’ imported food comes from all over the world, ranging from Australia to Germany, and from India to the United States.
It makes you think, doesn’t it?
Food Sources
The Maldives are largely dependent on food import to cater the growing population, expatriate community and the large number of tourists visiting the country. Shockingly, 100 percent of their rice, flour and sugar is imported.
The World Bank shows that the Maldives can cater a value of 5% of their food sources, as seen in the visual.
The UAE, Singapore and Sri Lanka are, value wise, the three main importers for this Island nation. India is also one of the main importers, quantity wise. That being said, Maldives’ imported food comes from all over the world, ranging from Australia to Germany, and from India to the United States.
It makes you think, doesn’t it?
Food security and adequate nutrition for all is where sustainable development starts.
José Graziano da Silva, FAO General Director
our solution
Who will gain?
Local community
Maldivian tourism industry
Planet
"Transferring knowledge regarding sustainable agriculture, making the country self-sufficient and independent on imported produce."
our sustainable supporters
More details
The Maldives Matter Project is a plan to realize a high-tech, high-end productive and self-sufficient greenhouse in the Maldives. The greenhouse will cool during night to enlarge the difference in day and night temperature. This way it is able to produce crops that cannot be grown within the current climate. Therefore the project will not compete with current farmers, but supplies the locals with high qualitative and fresh vegetables instead of imported crops. The greenhouse will be one hectare in size and consists of supporting facilities. These facilities include a PV panel field, biodigester, desalination plant and water storage. It will not only provide electricity and freshwater to the greenhouse, but will also provide water and renewable electricity to the local community. The biodigester of the Maldives Matter Project will be able to process all of the organic waste
output of the project and is able to diminish the locally produced organic waste significantly. The greenhouse will be able to produce high quality crops. Something the Maldivian tourist industry asks for. Therefore, our biggest target group will be the resorts, hotels, guesthouses and safaris. Besides this sector we aim to deliver to local markets and Malé. Besides bringing the country fresh vegetables, renewable energy and freshwater, the Maldives Matter Project will start a trajectory to implement the knowledge to the local people. The greenhouse will be a location where innovation and education can take place. The Maldives Matter Project will not only enhance the economy towards the local population through its local workforce of 25 people, but also towards the logistically, processing and the supporting products industry.
Meet Our Sponsors
Hoogendoorn is known as the most innovative supplier of process automation solutions in the horticultural industry. For over 50 years they have been striving to optimize greenhouse climate, increase crop yields and manage costs and risks in greenhouse horticulture. Hoogendoorn’s automation solutions contribute to the sustainable use of water and energy and are available in several languages. The products are supported with the customer portal Hoogendoorn Online, the user training, the 24/7 helpdesk and reliable maintenance service, provided via local offices and a worldwide partner network.
The next generation iSii process computer monitors and controls all climate, irrigation and energy equipment in all types of greenhouses worldwide. This user-friendly system features advanced controls, such as pre-control, self-learning heating control and pro-active weather control that anticipates on changing outside conditions. This results in a stable greenhouse climate, efficient water use, low energy consumption and high yields. Via intelligent graphical set points growers can set their own strategy, using any parameter that they desire, such as radiation and wind speed. The system makes use of natural ventilation and is equipped with the best industrial hardware components on the market, including solid state hard drives, fast dual core processors and back-up facilities.
The user-friendly iSii compact monitors and controls basic irrigation in greenhouses and open field and manages climate. Based on the plant’s needs the proper starting moment, the frequency and duration of the irrigation cycle can be selected. By tuning the water dosage to the plant’s needs (and if possible recirculation), iSii compact saves water and fertilizers. The climate software controls amongst others, screens, heating, recirculation fans, vents and Pad and Fan cooling to optimize growing conditions. This increase yields and reduces pests and diseases. iSii compact can be operated via pc, tablet or smartphone. The modular structure of the software allows growers to compile a customized system that only includes controls that are needed.
Work-IT combines real-time information about e.g. staff performance, planning, payroll administration, quality and stock. This allows you to efficiently manage labor, production and crop healthy and it helps you to take cost-saving measures. Work-IT enables you to easily monitor and analyze data, such as personnel performance, harvest activities and crop health. Moreover, quality control, track and tracing and pests and diseases registration ensure food safety.
For more information:
Hoogendoorn Growth Management
Westlandseweg 190
3131HX Vlaardingen
The Netherlands
+31 (0) 10 460 8080
info@hoogendoorn.nl
LetsGrow.com is the online platform for registration and analyses of all climate and management information within the horticulture. Combining the data from climate computers, plant data and images, makes LetsGrow.com the most powerful tool for the complete horticulture, from flowers to vegetables.
Since the year 2000 LetsGrow.com collects data from all different sources like climate computers (all brands), sensors, labor software and data from all kind of machines. They create value to the collected data by adding their own smart solutions and data analysis and with the solutions from external companies like growth advisors and researchers. The combination of the added value and a very clear presentation in the portal of LetsGrow.com makes is possible for the grower to support his decisions on independent data. This will create the opportunity to improve the results even more.
It is possible to use the LetsGrow.com platform in many different ways. Companies with multiple locations use their platform to analyze their own data. LetsGrow.com provides the owner, director and grower the right tools to improve the results of the company. The second way to use LetsGrow.com is to share and compare your data with other growers. To compare and learn from each other the growing results will improve also. A third way to use LetsGrow.com is for crop advisors and researchers. For these professionals it is possible to look, see, and check what is happening on site from a distance. With the use of their smart solutions the professionals can also give support from a distance combined with visits on site.
LetsGrow.com is the online platform for all professionals who work in the horticulture. By bringing all these professionals together on one platform it is possible to learn and improve while the grower is in control over the data!
More information?
Check www.letsgrow.com or email us at info@letsgrow.com.
For more information:
Letsgrow.com B.V.
Westlandseweg 190
3131HX Vlaardingen
The Netherlands
+31 (0) 10 460 8180
www.letsgrow.com
info@letsgrow.nl
More information on Base Consultancy soon.
For more information:
Base Consultancy B.V.
Prisma 16
2495AR Den Haag
The Netherlands
+31 (0) 70 303 0454
www.base-consultancy.nl
info@base-consultancy.nl
facts about the maldives
A country 750 km southwest of Sri Lanka. It is made up of 26 natural atolls lying north to south across the equator. The total land area is twice the size of the Dutch island Texel. The population is spread out over 194 inhabitable islands with a third currently living in the capital Malé. Other 105 islands are self-contained tourist resorts. The average height is 1.4 meter and the highest point is 2 meter above sea level. Thus the Maldives is known as the lowest lying country in the world.
The main Maldivian source of income is from tourism. This contains 27 % of the GDP, followed by fisheries, commerce and construction (between 0 and 5 %). The export is very limited and the dependence on import is very high. Also one third of all the costs of the import goes to fossil fuels. The economic development of the Maldives is very difficult regarding the absence of exploitable land based mineral sources, the limited scope of agriculture and vulnerability to natural disasters and environmental hazards.
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