When sustainability must remain viable
Eva Kähler-Theuerkauf
Few plants capture summer quite like lavender, with its distinctive scent, blue and purple nectar-rich blooms, and ability to attract a diverse range of pollinators. The plant brings a sense of joie de vivre and enhances biodiversity within the ecosystem—and therefore fits perfectly with the theme of sustainability.
But how sustainably must such a plant be grown? Consumers are increasingly demanding low-residue or residue-free plants, organic plant protection and environmentally friendly production. This is a development that I wholeheartedly welcome. At the same time, based on years of experience as a lavender grower, I know that, when it comes to selling plants, it is often the first impression, appearance and price that matter most.
A leaf with a small blemish or a slight irregularity is often enough to put people off buying a plant. For me, this is precisely where one of the greatest contradictions of our time lies.
Few plants capture summer quite like lavender, with its distinctive scent, blue and purple nectar-rich blooms, and ability to attract a diverse range of pollinators. The plant brings a sense of joie de vivre and enhances biodiversity within the ecosystem—and therefore fits perfectly with the theme of sustainability. But how sustainably must such a plant be grown? Consumers are increasingly demanding low-residue or residue-free plants, organic plant protection and environmentally friendly production. This is a development that I wholeheartedly welcome. At the same time, based on years of experience as a lavender grower, I know that, when it comes to selling plants, it is often the first impression, appearance and price that matter most. A leaf with a small blemish or a slight irregularity is often enough to put people off buying a plant. For me, this is precisely where one of the greatest contradictions of our time lies.
The biggest sustainability challenge is no longer technological; it’s economic viability
Eva Kähler-Theuerkauf President ZVG
“The biggest sustainability challenge is no longer technological; it’s economic viability”
Eva Kähler-Theuerkauf President ZVG
Nature’s perfect imperfection Perhaps we, as an industry, have contributed to the expectation that nature should appear flawless today. Yet anyone who calls for more organic methods, greater use of beneficial insects and mites, and less chemical plant protection must also accept that a plant does not always look like something out of a picture book. Nature’s perfect imperfection must once again be recognised more strongly as a mark of quality. Meanwhile, commercial plant production is making significant strides in sustainability. Nurseries are investing in biocontrol, modern cultivation practices and digital precision farming. New growing media are already enabling many growers to use plant protection products in a far more targeted and efficient way than was possible just a few years ago. We are heading in the right direction. For me, therefore, the biggest sustainability challenge is no longer technological. It is economic viability. This is because the entire supply chain lies between breeding, research and production on the one hand, and the consumer on the other. As long as visual perfection and the lowest price are the main criteria, more sustainable production methods will quickly reach their limits. The customer sees the lavender and the price tag. What they do not see are the investments in beneficial insects, R&D, resistant varieties, alternative growing media, modern greenhouse technology, skilled staff and the expertise that goes into producing every healthy plant. Sustainability requires extra effort and must be recognised as valuable throughout the entire value chain. Technology is not the barrier That is why I also believe the retail sector bears a special responsibility. Anyone calling for more sustainably produced plants must make these achievements visible, actively communicate them and, ultimately, market them. It is not enough to impose higher production standards while at the same time applying the same criteria for appearance and price as before. When it comes to plant protection products, I continue to believe that an integrated approach is the right way forward. Prevention, hardy varieties, cultural practices, biological methods and beneficial organisms must always take precedence. Chemical crop protection remains necessary where economic damage or loss of quality cannot otherwise be controlled. Climate change, new pests and increasingly extreme weather conditions do not make this task any easier.
When it comes to sustainability and its successful implementation, the entire industry—including breeding, research, consulting, production, trade and consumers—must pull together. We at the ZVG, Germany’s federal association of horticulture, together with our regional associations, see ourselves as bridge-builders and networkers. To this end, we also engage in dialogue with political decision-makers. The crucial question for me, therefore, is not whether we want to use fewer plant protection products. We do. The crucial question is whether the entire value chain is prepared to bear the consequences of doing so. After all, sustainable business practices can only function in the long term if all three objectives are achieved in equal measure: people, planet and profit.
Eva Kähler-Theuerkauf is president of Germany’s federal association of horticulture, ZVG, and Landesverband Gartenbau Nordrhein-Westfalen. She is also a former lavender grower.