TEDxBrainport 2012 - Making the Future Gertjan Meeuws is a pretty stubborn Dutch horticultural engineer, convinced that the way we are producing our food today, won't be a sustainable solution for feeding the world of tomorrow. Born in The Netherlands in 1962, he finished the University of Applied Sciences in 's-Hertogenbosch in 1983. Ever since, he has been involved in improving the performances of crops by combining his plant physiological knowledge with developing mathematical models and disrupting insights. Gertjan says we are using too much land, too much water, too much pesticides and too much transportation to deliver fresh food. He is managing partner of PlantLab, where he and his partners are not looking for improving the existing supply chain, but for creating a totally new and better one, based on their invention: Plant Paradise. Food - Can we feed the world? About TEDxBrainport 2012 - Making the Future There are many challenges in the world today. Hunger and disease continue to affect large parts of the developing world. Financial instability is halting progress in developed countries. We're running out of resources and changing the natural world in ways we don't totally understand. How can we make a better future? Discover the next big bordering-on-crazy ideas for humanity at TEDxBrainport 2012. About TEDx. TEDx was created in the spirit of TED's mission, "ideas worth spreading." The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. At TEDx events, a screening of TEDTalks videos -- or a combination of live presenters and TEDTalks videos -- sparks deep conversation and connections. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.