On 21st October 2019, the first section of greenhouse horticultural series training course, jointly organized by LAD and WUR started in Shanghai, China. More than 40 participants from greenhouse related enterprises, government and institutions participated in this training. Dr. Cecilia Stanghellini and Dr. Esteban José Baeza from WUR were the mentors for this four days training course. The first section of the training was mainly about greenhouse technology, including cover material, ventilation, temperature and climate control, CO2 enrichment et al.
Dr. Cecilia Stanghellini has been working at WUR for 30 years, focused on the resource use and management of greenhouses in wet and dry climates. She is [co]author of about 200 publications including a textbook on greenhouse technology. She has led several large international projects, financed by EU, governments or large companies in Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Those projects were on the topic of efficient greenhouse vegetable production and capacity building.
Dr. Esteban José Baeza is a post-doctor at WUR Greenhouse Horticulture and in Physiology and Technology of Protected Crops in the IFAPA Center (Andalusian Agriculture and Fisheries Research and Training Institute) in La Mojonera in Almería. His research focused on greenhouse technology for different climates, with special attention to mild-winter regions. He has participated in serval research projects funded by regional, national or European institutions. He is co-author of 16 peer-reviewed articles, 9 chapters in professional books. He was also invited speakers for more than 60 national and international workshops, symposia (multiple times as guest speaker), courses and seminars.
Both mentors have years of coaching experience. Their training could connect the theory with practical, which made the contents more interesting for the audiences. The interaction between the mentors and trainees were very active.
The course had both lecture part and exercise part, the exercise was aimed to stimulate the trainees thinking independently about the underlying theory. During the exercise session, the mentors and participants calculated, for example, the relation between light and heat, heating demand inside the greenhouse, et al.. The participants not only learnt the theory, but also they improve their logic way of thinking on how to manage the greenhouse climate.
Together with WUR, LAD will further organize more courses in China and try to fill in the gap between knowledge and practical in agriculture in China.
