The Netherlands
June 16, 2016

Unique partnership

Vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan and Naturalis Biodiversity Center are forming a unique partnership to conduct research into biological material. During a visit to the Naturalis collection earlier today, Rijk Zwaan’s Managing Director Kees Reinink signed a three-year contract with Koos Biesmeijer, Research Director at Naturalis.

Kees Reinink and Koos Biesmeijer

“Biodiversity is at the heart of vegetable breeding. It is Mother Nature who offers us the basis for all improvements to vegetables, from better flavour to more effective resistances,” stated Reinink. “In our search for new material we work closely with gene banks, and that’s also one of the aspects of this collaboration with Naturalis. Naturalis has extensive knowledge of biodiversity which makes it an interesting partner for us. This partnership will enable us to exchange knowledge and collections, and make use of each other’s networks. At Rijk Zwaan it’s our mission to work with our partners to make an active contribution to the world’s food security and to help increase vegetable consumption by laying the foundation for healthy and appealing vegetables. Collaboration is important as the basis for tackling global food challenges, and that’s why we’re delighted to have such an inspiring partner as Naturalis.”

Knowledge of biodiversity

“Climate change and population growth mean that the current level of food production will not be enough in the future,” commented Koos Biesmeijer. “At Naturalis, we’re keen to put our knowledge of biodiversity to good use to support the development of new and better-adapted crops. This partnership with Rijk Zwaan will be a real boost to our mission of ‘Exploring the natural world for our future’.”

Website: http://www.rijkzwaan.nl

Published: June 16, 2016