‘The future is sky’

Cucumber breeding

Vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan has been active in cucumber since 1937 and partnerships have always been of paramount importance, ensuring continuous innovation and new cucumber varieties with the right resistances and agronomical traits. Its portfolio includes more than 50 available varieties for the smaller high-wire segment alone.

A mindset of shared entrepreneurship

That is the key message in Rijk Zwaan’s first video in its ‘The future is sky’ series aimed at high-tech cucumber growers. Thanks to a mindset of shared entrepreneurship, Rijk Zwaan has succeeded in becoming a knowledge partner in all cucumber segments. Production in low greenhouses gradually evolved as new cultivation techniques disrupted cucumber cultivation methods. Thanks to a mindset of shared entrepreneurship, Rijk Zwaan was able to respond to these rapid developments in line with the company’s ambition to be the preferred breeding partner in all cucumber segments. To realize this ambition, the breeding department and the rest of the company have always strongly believed that it is essential to stay in close contact with growers. 

Innovation in cucumber types for new and existing systems

This ambition is most visible in the company’s high-wire portfolio and expertise; Rijk Zwaan is active across all types and has more than 50 high-wire cucumber varieties in its assortment, ranging from snack cucumbers to long cucumbers

Partnership is in the company’s genes

Partnership is in Rijk Zwaan’s genes. The long-standing relationship of trust with growers enables Rijk Zwaan to not only dream with growers about the future, but also to dare to make decisions and subsequently to do what has been decided together, a solution can always be found – for any climate, any greenhouse and any season Mutual communication and constant exchange of knowledge is valuable in ensuring that Rijk Zwaan knows what is going on in the market and can identify the needs of its partners as the basis for conducting dedicated research into resistances and traits.

From one generation to the next

Rijk Zwaan’s work is far from finished, since innovation never stops. The company will continue to support growers from one generation to the next and keep exchanging knowledge, always with a focus on the future.  Over the coming period, in 'The future is sky' series, the company will share its expertise on industry trends and present growers’ and breeders’ inspirational real-life stories to underline just how much the company values its partnerships. You can plant the seed yourself, but true growth is achieved together. ‘The future is sky’.

Rijk Zwaan in Africa

Are you in Africa and would you like to become a better cucumber farmer? Then the Indoor cucumber cultivation course is made for you. This course has been created to provide you with practical tools and tips for cucumber growers in Sub Saharan Africa. However, we are not just limited to cucumber growers;  Rijk Zwaan Africa offers a wide range of varieties suitable for growing in East, West, and Southern Africa. In case you would like to learn more skills for growing your crop of choice we welcome you to sign up to the free E-learning  platform, where all growers across Sub-Saharan Africa can follow 100% free courses provided by Rijk Zwaan experts to help optimize their cultivation methods.

Rijk Zwaan believes in having a localised approach, which is why we have partnered with an extensive network of distributors across Sub- Saharan Africa. You can contact your local distributor today to learn more about Rijk Zwaan varieties in Africa.