design 1 : tree fruit polyculture ESTIMATED RETAIL CROP VALUE (EUROS) 100000 150000 200000 250000 300000 350000 50000 0 year 1 year 2 MARKET & SALES POTENTIAL Common products The products generated in this system have a range of market potential. The fruits from the tree harvests have a generally ready market. One potential advantage in marketing and sales for apricots is that they are currently not produced in the Netherlands. The world’s crop primarily comes from warmer climates such as Turkey and Iran. The lettuces, chives, and beans are also commonly consumed vegetables in the Netherlands. Shiitake mushrooms can fetch attractive prices in retail sales (up to 20 euros per kilogram at farmer’s markets). Echinacea, or purple coneflower, is also an increasingly common cut flower. When produced in a biological polyculture, some value could be added to the flower sales by having the plants certified according to an ecological standard, such as the EU Ecolabel, Rainforest Alliance standard, or Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP). year 3 year 4 The flowers can also be dried and kept sealed away from exposure to moisture and sunlight: in this form they retain their valuable properties for up to one year. Dried marigolds can potentially be sold to restaurants or the health and nutritional supplements industry. The winecap stropharia is an additional specialty crop, since it is not a typical commercial mushroom. If well-marketed, however, it could potentially sell at high prices for its scarcity. Otherwise, it can be sold as part of a produce package along with a collection of other crops. ESTIMATED COSTS Because most of the plants in this system are perennials, most of the capital costs for production are incurred during site establishment and the planting year: the construction and installation of the trellising system, installation of the irrigation system, installation of mushroom racking under the trees, and the purchase of tree stock. We estimate that the cost of 2-year old tree stock for one hectare of this intensive orchard would cost an estimated 20.000 euros (assuming a cost of roughly 7 euros per tree). The annual and Specialty products Some of the more unusual elements in this system will require special marketing approaches and preparation. These include the winecap stropharia mushroom, the comfrey leaf and root, the echinacea leaf and root, and marigolds for non-ornamental purposes. Marigold flowers, particularly those produced within an organic or biological cultivation system, are suitable for sale as edible flowers. They have a natural orange color and a mild peppery flavor, which can be used to enhance salads or add coloring to blandly colored dishes (in a similar manner to saffron). Direct sale of marigold flowers to restaurants, or inclusion of marigolds petals in pre-made salad mixes are two potential sales channels. companion plants will vary in cost depending on whether they are purchased as young plants or grown from seed. Land preparation, trellis construction, and planting will take an estimated 450 hours per hectare, with an additional 100 hours of labor for the planting of annual and companion crops. Fruit thinning, tree girlding, and pruning will require an estimated 150 hours per hectare per year. Weeding and pest control will take an estimated 20 hours per hectare, assuming the site is properly mulched, and harvesting requires an additional estimated 1.500 hours per hectare in the initial years, rising to around 3.000 hours once the trees are mature. All together, establishment costs per hectare can be estimated at a ballpark figure of 30.000 euros for plants and materials and 10.000 euros of labor (calculated at 15 euros per hour). Annual replanting of the annual crops, such as the lettuces, beans, and marigolds, is an additional recurring cost. The labor costs for annual operations are estimated at 1.770 hours per hectare per year, which translates to 26.500 euros. These costs do not include energy, property taxes or insurance, office expenses, or overhead. Nor do they include marketing expenses, which, as was discussed earlier, can be as high as 30% of the total value of the crop yield, depending on what kind of strategy is used. ESTIMATED PROFITABILITY Unlike traditional orchards, this indoor version begins to produce at least some valuable crops in the first year, reducing the overall time needed to make a return on investment. By year four, one hectare of the tree polyculture produces a crop with an estimated value of 350.000 euros. Assuming that an old greenhouse is being repurposed for this production system and that the primary costs are the ones described above, we estimate per hectare costs at: 40.000 euros for establishing the system, 30.000 euros for annual operations, and 45.000 euros for marketing. Even with an added 30.000 euros for the un-itemized costs, the system could be profitable from the first year of production. Pagina 36
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