International webinar to mark Year of Plant Health

To mark the Year of Plant Health, Koppert Biological Systems, in cooperation with CABI, has organized a webinar series that highlights the importance of plant health and how it connects to human health. Inspiring keynote speakers will shine their light on various aspects of plant health and human health and discuss their viewpoints with an online audience of young professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, activists, creatives, chefs and government reps; in short anyone with a passion for plants and people.

The kickoff session, ‘A healthy plant feeds healthy people’, will take place on Tuesday, December 22, at 16.00 hrs CET. It will feature Stijn Baan - Marketing Director at Koppert Cress and agricultural entrepreneur of the year 2020 in the Netherlands - and Mark van der Werf, senior consultant plant health at Koppert Biological Systems.

Koppert Cress is an award-winning horticultural producer and family-owned company in the Netherlands. The company produces freshly-sprouted cresses from 100% natural aromatic plants. In addition to cultivating high quality cresses in a sustainable way, the company’s vision transcends the horticulture sector. ‘Good nutrition is crucial for a healthy life; the production and consumption of fresh, healthy vegetables are inextricably linked to a healthy life and thus healthy humans,’ says Stijn Baan. The company’s Marketing Director is passionate about changing the way people look at food. He represents the next generation as well as a new vision on how that story should be communicated and shared with the rest of the world.

Koppert Biological Systems is an international biological crop control company. Senior Consultant, Mark van der Werf, will elaborate on curative vs. preventative measures and inform the audience about what pest and disease control will look like in the (near) future. ‘The way in which we grow crops at the moment makes the plants an ideal food source for a broad range of pests and diseases. Large-scale monocropping continues season after season and makes it even easier for pathogens to build up. The use of pesticides developed to cope with these problems has been restricted and many pests and diseases have become resistant to chemical agents. We need to change the way we perceive crops and give the plant the tools to fight its own battle through passive and active immunity by working together with microbes in the soil. Once you understand how a plant really works, it’s remarkable what it is capable of,’ says Mark van der Werf.

This webinar series is facilitated by experienced webinar organizer Jungle Talks.

If you want to join the kickoff session on December 22, please register via this link: https://bit.ly/PlantsforLifesession1