On 25 June 2026, as part of the innovation support programme run by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs and the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food, we organised the networking event ‘Old Hallte, Fresh Harvest, New Friends’ at the Hansa Coking Plant in Dortmund. The venue symbolises change and transformation: of the economy, a city, an entire region and, for many, their home. In other words, all topics that are central to the BMLEH and its innovation funding programme!

The icing on the cake: horticulture and agriculture are indispensable to this transformation. How can cities become and remain liveable places? How do regions source their food? What might solutions to the challenges of climate change look like? How can innovative products be successfully brought to market?

Through fascinating insights from the projects, participants learnt how ‘forward-looking production systems’ provide answers to these questions. The exchange of ideas and networking amongst participants highlighted just how relevant these individual topics are. Working together towards a common goal via different approaches gave participants a whole new perspective on their work – one that would not have been possible without coming together in this way.

The visit to Hansaponik as part of the EuRipidEs project offered the chance to experience innovations first-hand and get hands-on at the coking plant site. Rolf Morgenstern from die Urbanisten e. V. and the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences also gave an impressive explanation of what the coking plant was all about! This once again made it very clear just how important the industry was for the region and its people, and what potential lies in the creative reuse of former industrial sites.