Inagro

The practice-driven nature of the research at Inagro requires the research projects to be implemented on an operational scale. 
Which is why Inagro has set up a small-scale yet professional operational infrastructure for various agricultural sectors at its site. 

The infrastructure is adapted to simultaneously test various objects in various repetitions on a certain scale size to ensure the test results are statistically underpinned. The available acreage at our sites is largely insufficient to perform all research. Which is why we also set up trial plots in-situ. To this end, Inagro runs a network of 80 trial plot holders which offers the added benefit that this enables us to conduct research on different types of soil. 

Greenhouse horticulture: 4,200 m² glass and 1,000 m² of plastic greenhouses + 8000 m² new infrastructure for high tech urban farming under developement (https://leden.inagro.be/agrotopia/)

• Conventional produce in soil, hydroponics and vertical farming
• Focus on lettuce, tomato, cucumber, strawberry & various diversification crops

Belgian endives: infrastructure for forcing 100 m³ endive roots of conventional cropping per annum and 10 m³ per annum for organic farming

• Hydroponics
• Forced cultivation in operational facilities and mini forcing facility

Mushrooms:  2 incubation rooms for 30 T compost processing and 300 m³ cultivation space 

• Infrastructure for phase I and phase II composting, focus on compost preparation research
• 9 climatized rooms for mushroom production
• Focus on Paris mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and alternative varieties

Conventional horticulture: 23 ha horticultural crop acreage at the Rumbeke site

• Focus on brassica, leek, carrot, spinach, courgette, peas and beans alongside a wide number of specialities for the fresh product market

Conventional arable farming: 11 ha arable crop acreage at the Koksijde site

• Focus on ware potatoes and seed potatoes, cereals, maize, protein crops, flax and chicory 

Organic farming: 13 ha acreage at the Rumbeke site

• Fully converted to and operated in accordance with organic farming methods
• Focus on horticultural, arable and fodder crops

Aquaculture: 750 m² breeding/cultivation capacity

• all RAS=Recirculating Aquaculture System
• Quarantine room: 3 x 12 m³ (3 tanks /RAS), research room: 4 x 15 m³ (5 tanks/RAS), grow-out system: 1 x 65m³ met 4 tanks
• Hatchery with possibility for research

Insects: 500 m² breeding/cultivation capacity, fully climatized

• 6 different climatized rooms for breeding adults and larvae
• Focus on black soldier fly and mealworm

Bio-energy and bio-economy: 

• biogas-pilot plant 
• test-infrastructure to valorise nutrients out of manure and effluents

Growing chambers

• fully climate controlled 4-layer growing system (freight container) - upcoming in 2020
• several conventional growing chambers

Laboratory

Analysis of soil, water, manure and crops. Over 100 analysis methods have been developed. 
Specialist laboratory equipment in place, including ICP-MS & ICP-AES, segmented flow analysis, automatic titration, ion chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatograpy, Q-PCR & conventional PCR, Kjeldahl analysis, Capillar electrophoresis
ISO 17025 accredited.

Inagro delivers services to industry and SME's in the field of co-creating, testing, validating and demonstrating new solutions and technologies.

If desired by the client, we might use a living lab approach, involving end-users such as farmers and consumers through co-creation activities. 

Agrofood