Farm Experience Internship 2016

Posted on June 2, 2016 by miriamvreman

This summer the 3ECTS international summer course “Farm Experience Internship” (FEI) will take place at the Wageningen University. From 25 Juli – 19 August 2016, students will learn all about producing food, food sovereignty, the soil, the reality of farmers/ gardeners/ peasants, nutrient cycles, seeds, biodiversity, agroecology and much more! Besides workshops, lectures and excursions, students will work in a farm or garden for two weeks, to experience the reality on the land and learn all about agroecology in practice!

The FEI is organised by de Boerengroep (Farmers Foundation) and Otherwise. The Rural Sociology group is involved in the organisation and examination of the capita selecta connected to this course.

More info and signing up (subscription closes at 20^th June): https://farmexperienceinternship.wordpress.com/

Panel Discussion: Strengthening Farmer-led Seed Systems

Posted on May 30, 2016 by miriamvreman

On June 15, the Boerengroep, together with ILEIA, Louis Bolk Instituut and Biodiversity International organise a panel discussion “Strengthening Farmer-Led Seeds Systems: focus on access and benefit sharing”. For more information, visit the website of the Boerengroep.

MSc Thesis opportunity: gardening for cancer survivors

Posted on May 3, 2016 by miriamvreman

In the Netherlands, 1 out of 3 people get cancer; about 100,000 individuals per year. More than 60% of those diagnosed with cancer survive. However, survivors often experience long-term side effects of cancer and its treatment, which greatly influences their quality of life, ability to function, success in re-integration in social processes, and long-term survival.

Evidence shows that a healthy diet and regular physical activity are beneficial in cancer prognosis. Most current intervention programs are focused on dietary advice and exercise programs in gyms. However, such programs are hardly appealing to the majority of cancer survivors. We introduce a novel approach which may better fit the needs, possibilities and interests of cancer survivors: gardening. Scientific research underlines the virtues of gardening: it prolongs life, improves mental and physical well-being, increases quality of life and acuity, and supports social cohesion. Moreover it can help to increase consumption of (home-grown) plant foods.

The idea of offering cancer patients the possibility to work in gardens is based on a similar project in the USA. The aim of this thesis is to study this program, specifically by investigating it from the point of view of the patients – how did they perceive the program – and to compare this to the situation in the Netherlands. What is available for (former) patients in both countries, what do survivors need or want, and how would (or in the case of the USA: how did) gardening fit in people’s rehabilitation programs? We invite you to study this from the perspective of Social Practice Theory, which focuses on habits and routines in daily life.

We are looking for a motivated MSc student that is interested in writing a thesis with the Rural Sociology Group on the topic of gardening for cancer survivors. The thesis will consist of a literature-based study, but the student is also invited to travel to the USA to interview (ex) patients and study a similar project there. The report will preferably be written in English.

More information? Contact Esther Veen (Esther.Veen@wur.nl)

Possible Thesis Topics: Trends in Global Food Security Governance

Posted on April 11, 2016 by miriamvreman

We are looking for good and motivated BSc and MSc students to conduct research on the following four topics:

Deconstructing the discourse of evidence-based policy making.

Project: Calls for evidence-based policy making are increasing evident in global food security policy processes, and beyond. For example, the follow up and review process for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to be “rigorous and based on evidence, informed by country-led evaluations and data which is high-quality, accessible, timely, reliable and disaggregated” (UN General Assembly, 2015, para. 74). Behind this push for evidence-based decision making lies a set of highly political questions about what evidence is considered appropriate? How should it be selected? Why? And by whom?

This thesis project will identify and analyse calls for evidence-based policy making made in food security policy processes at the multinational level so as to better understand the political nature of evidence and the implications this has for policies and claims to knowledge and expertise. Continue reading →

RSO en SDC organiseren een kennismakingsborrel voor aanstaande BSc Thesis studenten (BIN)

Posted on March 9, 2015 by miriamvreman

Dinsdag 24 Maart a.s. organiseren de leerstoelgroepen Rural Sociology en Sociology of Development and Change een kenningsmakingsborrel voor studenten van de Bachelor ‘Internationale Ontwikkelingsstudies’ die de intentie hebben dit jaar met hun BSc Thesis te starten.

Deze informele borrel is bedoeld om je kennis te laten maken met onze staff leden en hun expertise, en je hier ook een mogelijkheid te bieden om die personen te ontmoeten die je in je BSc Programma (tot op heden) nog niet bent tegen gekomen. Daarnaast biedt deze borrel de mogelijkheid om een eerste brainstorm op gang te brengen over de mogelijke focus van je onderzoek, om je (uiteindelijk) te helpen met het vinden van een begeleider voor je BSc Thesis.

Daarom zijn jullie van harte uitgenodigd op dinsdag 24 Maart 2015 vanaf 17.00 in onze Lounge (te vinden op de derde verdieping van de Leeuwenborch).

Voor vragen neem contact op met Miriam Vreman (Miriam.Vreman@wur.nl), Onderwijs Coördinator Rural Sociology en Sociology of Development and Change.