From online learning to two weeks in Wageningen: Enver’s greenhouse horticulture journey

“I sell technology to growers, so I need to understand their expectations and the processes inside the greenhouse.”

His search for that knowledge first brought him to Wageningen University & Research online. After completing the Online Course Greenhouse Horticulture, however, Enver found himself wanting to take the next step: coming to Wageningen for the Summer School Greenhouse Horticulture.

For Enver, the online course offered a way to build his knowledge alongside his work. But it also made him curious to experience greenhouse horticulture in Wageningen first-hand. “I was satisfied with the online course, but afterwards I thought: I have to go there. I wanted to see it, meet the people and go deeper into things that you cannot always fit into an online programme.”

That made the Summer School a natural continuation. For two weeks, Enver could combine classroom learning with visits to greenhouse facilities and discussions with researchers, experts and fellow participants.

“The online education is perfect when you are limited in where you can go. But if you have the possibility to come here, you can interact with the teachers during the lessons and exchange knowledge with people coming from different cultures and agricultural situations.”

The company and greenhouse visits were particularly relevant to Enver’s own work. As someone involved in greenhouse construction, consulting and automation, he wanted to see not only which technologies are being used, but also the strategies behind them.

One of his biggest surprises was discovering how much of what he had been thinking about in his own work was already being researched or implemented. “Sometimes I had been thinking: why aren’t people doing this yet? Then I came here and realised: they are already working on it. It is not only theoretical; there is a very practical side as well.”

Being able to see facilities, discuss ideas with researchers and experience different types of greenhouse structures gave him a perspective that was difficult to gain from a distance.

And there was another benefit he had not quite expected: becoming a student again. “For two weeks, you become a student again. I had almost forgotten what it feels like to be in an educational environment like this. For me, that was a new experience.”

For Enver, the learning does not end when he returns home. He is currently developing a training set-up for greenhouse automation in Turkmenistan and already sees ways to apply knowledge from the Summer School.

One example is his introduction to greenhouse simulation tools. He plans to explore how these can become part of the practical training he provides, allowing people to work through different greenhouse situations rather than only learning how to operate the technology. “I will bring a lot of knowledge back to my company, my business and the people I work with. You need to keep track of what is happening in the market. In this high-tech world, strategies are changing, and you cannot do without knowledge.”

That need to keep learning is especially important to him as greenhouse horticulture in Central Asia develops. New technologies and investments are entering the region quickly, making knowledge about how and why they are used increasingly valuable.

Enver does not see the online course and Summer School as two separate experiences. Together, they have become part of a longer learning journey: starting with the flexibility of online education, followed by the deeper, hands-on experience of studying in Wageningen.

And he is not planning to stop there. “I think my education with Wageningen will continue. I already want to attend other courses. When I go back home, I hope to share what I have learned with my team and with others working in this field.”

It is a perspective that takes Enver back to something one of his teachers once told him: you cannot escape education. At the time, he did not fully understand what that meant. Professional life changed that. “Later in my career, I started educating myself more than I did at school. In real life, you never know what will happen or what knowledge you will need. That is why I keep trying to educate myself.”