Turning trial data into insight: how Margriet explores digital innovation in agri-food
- Margriet van der Burg-van Sluisveld
- Specialist digital commerce at Rijk Zwaan
“I wanted to gain a helicopter view again, not to know everything about everything, but to better understand digital innovation in agri-food.”
At Rijk Zwaan, digitalisation is becoming an increasingly important part of how new vegetable varieties are tested, evaluated and brought closer to the market. For Margriet van der Burg, Specialist Digital Commerce, this digital transformation is part of her everyday work.
Margriet is product manager of an application used by Rijk Zwaan’s commercial organisation to record variety trials. As Rijk Zwaan continues to grow and professionalise, the challenge is no longer simply collecting data. It is making sure that data can be understood, compared and used across teams. Margriet is involved in several projects around definitions, dashboards and data integration. One key focus is ensuring that the definitions used in commercial tools match those used by the breeding department. Another is bringing data from different systems together into one dashboard.
“We are working on definitions, dashboards and ways to bring data together from different systems. The goal is to make the information easier to analyse and use across the organisation.”
For Margriet, this raised a broader question: how can digital tools, data and innovation help agri-food organisations work more effectively, not just technically, but also across people, processes and business needs?
“We are working on definitions, dashboards and ways to bring data together from different systems. The goal is to make the information easier to analyse and use across the organisation.”
The solution: gaining a broader view of digital innovation
Margriet had previously followed a course with a stronger focus on RStudio and big data. This time, she was looking for something different. She wanted to zoom out from the technical details of one tool or system and gain a broader understanding of digital innovation in the agri-food sector.
“I wanted a helicopter view again,” she says. “Not to know everything about everything, but to hear more about digital innovations in agri-food.”
That is what brought her to the course Data-Driven Agri-Food Business at Wageningen University & Research. When her manager shared the course internally and asked who might be interested, Margriet immediately felt it matched her work and curiosity.
The course appealed to her because it did not focus on one single technology or method. Instead, it introduced different topics relevant to professionals working with data, digital tools and innovation in the agri-food domain.
“What I like is that the topics are very specific, but together they give you a broader overview,” Margriet says. “You can never know everything about every subject, but the important things are introduced.”
“What I like is that the topics are very specific, but together they give you a broader overview. You can never know everything about every subject, but the important things are introduced.”
The result: inspiration for daily practice
For Margriet, the course was not about becoming an expert in every digital technology. It was about inspiration, context and practical reflection. By exploring different aspects of data-driven agri-food business, she could better understand how digital innovation might support the projects she is already involved in.
“Sometimes you think: I know a bit about this. And then with another topic, you realise: I do not know much about that yet,” she says. “It makes you think about whether you could use it more, or apply it in your own work.”
“The course gives you inspiration to think: can I use this more? Can I apply this in my own organisation?”
That practical mindset is important in her role. Digital transformation in agri-food is not only about building tools or collecting more data. It is also about agreeing on definitions, connecting systems, creating useful dashboards and making sure that information can support better decisions across the organisation.
For Margriet, the course helped her place her own work in a wider context. It showed how data, digital tools and business processes increasingly come together, and how professionals can start applying those insights in their own organisation.
“You do not need to know everything,” Margriet says. “But it is valuable to understand what is happening, what matters and where you might start applying it.”