Trouble with Labour

Greenhouse farming is currently undergoing major changes: where plants used to be cared for and grown only by humans, we are now seeing more and more technological innovations such as robots and intelligent software systems. These developments are often presented as the solution to the growing labour shortage and as a more efficient way to produce food.

With the project Trouble with Labour, Waag Futurelab critically questions that promise. Instead of taking technology as the obvious answer, we ask the question: what do we want the future of work in greenhouse horticulture to look like? And above all: who gets to think and decide about that?

In this project, we are working with a raspberry and strawberry plant cultivation company, Trayplant. Together with their employees, such as seasonal workers, cultivation specialists and HR managers, Trouble with Labour is working on new visions of the future. We also involve stakeholders outside the company, such as national and regional policymakers, LTO, Glastuinbouw Nederland, technology researchers, employment agencies of seasonal workers and trade unions. Using creative work forms, such as making art objects and prototypes, participants get a chance to shape their vision of the future. This is mainly about developing a desired cooperation between humans and robots that meets needs and values of those involved. It is important that all those involved can participate; including people who normally have difficulty accessing policy discussions, such as seasonal workers.

The results of this project, the visions of the future and the artworks, will be shared with the public through an exhibition at TomatoWorld. We are also developing a toolkit that other creatives can work with to form inclusive visions of the future based on collaborative, practice-based and creative research.

This activity was (partly) funded with the PPP allowance of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate from CLICKNL. CLICKNL is the top consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI) of the Creative Industry.