Sharon Groenwold, Project Assistant Corridor Circularity (regenerative agriculture and carbon credits) 

"The love and passion with which growers and dairy farmers talk about their businesses is where I get the most satisfaction."

What is your job at Agrifirm?

I work with my team on new revenue models for future-proof agriculture. Practice is central here. That is why we develop on the farm together with our Agrifirm members. In this way, we put the soil center stage and expand knowledge about regenerative agriculture.

  • Can you tell us more about the 'Corridors'?

    You have the R&D department developing further on Agrifirm's current portfolio and ensuring the optimization of the products and services Agrifirm offers. With the speed at which the current market is changing, it is sometimes necessary to completely change course. The Corridors were set up separately to develop precisely the earning models and innovations of the future.

They are often concepts that have not yet been accepted. We test our projects in practice on the farm, with Agrifirm's customers, because we do not want to develop concepts that do not fit in with practice. Some of the questions also come from the cooperative.  

Corridor has seven departments. Each department develops knowledge on a different subject, such as protein transition or regenerative agriculture. We actually pioneer and immediately test it in practice. If something works, it goes to the business units that can implement it further.

Can you tell something about the team you work in?

Of course! Our team consists of the misfits, the visonaries and the pioneers. This creates a lot of energy that is well streamlined by the project manager. The passion for agriculture shines through. For example, tomato plants, flower seeds and even compost worms are exchanged. The great thing about our team is that we are all flexible. This is necessary in an innovative environment. You never know what will happen tomorrow.

What energizes you in your work?

The unknown, not knowing what will happen tomorrow and a lot of room for creativity. We really have to think out of the box.  During the pilot that I supervise from my role, I talk a lot with growers and dairy farmers. The love and passion with which they talk about their businesses, that's where I get the most satisfaction. 

What is unique about working at Agrifirm?  

You are part of a cooperative and you feel that corporate culture in everything. How we treat each other, but also that we always work from the perspective of our members. Agrifirm represents all sectors from bulbs to poultry. So there are many opportunities to discover which agricultural sector suits you best.  My heart beats faster with arable farming, but if I want to develop in pig farming, this is also possible. That is quite unique.
Vacancies
R&D and Innovation