Category Archives: Education

Education

Afstudeermogelijkheid: kritische succesfactoren zorglandbouw

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zorglandbouw1

source: guusnet.wordpress.com

Het aantal zorgboerderijen is sinds eind jaren 90 spectaculair toegenomen van 75 tot ongeveer 900. Toch gaat het opstarten van de zorgtak lang niet altijd gemakkelijk. Initiatiefnemers  lopen b.v. aan tegen belemmerende regelgeving, desinteresse vanuit de zorg, of onvoldoende vraag van cliënten. Sommige initiatiefnemers zien desondanks mogelijkheden de zorgboerderij tot een succes te maken. Anderen lukt dit niet.

In dit studentenproject gaan we de ontwikkeling van succesvolle en minder succesvolle initiatieven op gebied van landbouw en zorg analyseren. We analyseren in hoeverre de mate van succes bepaald wordt door ondernemerschapscompetenties van de initiatiefnemers en het vermogen te schakelen tussen de landbouw- en de zorgsector.

Activiteiten:
  1. Selecteren van zorgboerderijen
  2. Interviewen van zorgboeren
  3. Analyseren van de interviews en koppelen met theoretisch kader
  4. Formuleren van aanbevelingen voor de sector landbouw en zorg
zorglandbouw

source:www.stkinderboerderijen.nl

Voor meer informatie:
 Jan Hassink

Plant Research International

0317 480576

Jan.hassink@wur.nl

Bettina Bock

Rurale Sociologie

0317 483275

Bettina.Bock@wur.nl

 

Farming the City: thesis possibilities

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Thesis possibilities at the Rural Sociology Group

Contact person: Petra Derkzen. Petra.derkzen@wur.nl

Growing food in and around cities is gaining momentum (see urban agriculture on our blog). From allotment gardens to vertical farming and rooftop production, new initiatives are appearing on a daily basis. Reasons are divers but urgent; the fight against obesity, the need for social cohesion in neighborhoods, reduction of food miles, education about the origin of our food, climate change buffering and preservation of green space in cities. The exact contribution of urban agriculture to these divers goals, however, has so far received little systematic attention. Contacts with initiatives in the Netherlands and worldwide make interesting research possible, for example:

1. To research small scale intensive urban agriculture farms

According to the conventional norms for agriculture, it is not possible to make a living from half a hectare. However, different types of urban agriculture farms show they can. How can this be the case?

2. To research the development possibilities and constraints for urban farmers

To start a farm outside the city, a few million euro’s are needed. Urban agriculture, however, has not the same costs for land acquisition. In this respect, urban agriculture is accessible for newcomers from all ethnic backgrounds. There are, however, other constraints such as planning legislation and policies which are focused towards food production outside the city, leaving those inside the city unrecognized. What is the background of people who are or who want to be active as urban farmers? What are the possibilities and constraints for these farmers?

3. To research the effects of urban agriculture

Over half of the population lives in cities nowadays. The Netherlands too, is a highly urbanized society. The current trend is that more affluent urban citizens seek a better living space in suburban or rural places. The future city will have to be a more attractive living space to keep a divers population. How can urban agriculture contribute to the quality of life of inner cities? What are the disadvantages and risks of food production in high density environments? What are the (potential) effects of urban agriculture?

4. To research to role of urban agriculture in the local food economy

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Farmers market Des Moines

The current food system is dominated by long chains and a lack of connection between the place of production and the place of consumption. Urban farmers are exploring new local markets for their produce. How do these emerging local chains relate to larger and global chains? Which crops and livestock are suitable for urban farming and which products can better be sourced globally?

 

Boeren in de stad; Afstudeer mogelijkheden

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Mogelijke afstudeer opdrachten bij Rurale Sociologie (RSO)

Contact persoon: Petra Derkzen. Petra.derkzen@wur.nl

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Red Hook urban farm New York

Voedselproductie in en om de stad is dé trend van het moment (zie urban agriculture op deze blog). Van volkstuintjes tot vertical farming en eetbare daken, er ontstaan aan de lopende band initiatieven. De redenen zijn divers maar urgent; het bestrijden van obesitas, het versterken van sociale cohesie, reduceren van voedselkilometers, waar-komt-het-eten-vandaan-educatie, klimaatverandering en behoud van groen in de stad. Echter, de meer precieze bijdrage van voedselproductie in de stad aan deze doelen is nog weinig systematisch aangetoond. Onze contacten met tal van initiatieven in Nederland en wereldwijd maken interessant onderzoek mogelijk; bijvoorbeeld:

1. Onderzoek naar intensieve kleinschalige stadslandbouw bedrijven

Een inkomen halen uit een halve hectare is volgens de gangbare normen voor landbouw onmogelijk. Echter, verschillende stadslandbouwbedrijven laten zien dat het toch kan. Hoe kan dit?

2. Onderzoek naar ontwikkelingsmogelijkheden en beperkingen voor boer-zijn in de stad

Om als nieuwkomer een landbouw bedrijf te beginnen heb je enkele miljoenen euro’s nodig. Stadslandbouw volgt echter niet het gangbare grondverwervings- en opvolgensmodel. Dit maakt stadslandbouw wellicht beter toegankelijk voor nieuwe boeren en voor grotere (etnische) diversiteit in achtergrond. Anderzijds is de wet- en regelgeving alsmede de technische kennis en het ruimtelijk beleid vooralsnog gericht op voedselproductie buiten de stad, en hebben de initiatieven binnen de stad vaak een informeel (niet officieel erkent) karakter. Welke achtergrond hebben boeren die in de stad aan de slag willen? Wat zijn de ontwikkelingsmogelijkheden en beperkingen voor deze nieuwe boeren?

3. Onderzoek naar de effecten van stadslandbouw

Meer dan de helft van de wereldbevolking leeft inmiddels in de stad. Ook Nederland is een zeer verstedelijkte samenleving. Nu vertrekken mensen met genoeg inkomen naar buitenwijken en het platteland. De duurzame stad van de toekomst zal aantrekkelijker moeten worden. Hoe kan stadslandbouw bijdragen aan een beter leefbare stad? Welke nadelen en risico’s zitten er aan voedselproductie in de stad? Wat zijn de (potentiële) effecten van stadslandbouw?

4. Onderzoek naar de plaats van landbouw in en rond de stad in de lokale voedselvoorziening

Het huidige voedselsysteem wordt gedomineerd door lange ketens en het ontbreken van een geografische band tussen de voedselproductie in een bepaald gebied en de consumptie daarvan in de stad. Stadsboeren zoeken nieuwe afzetmogelijkheden voor hun voedselproductie. Hoe verhouden deze lokale ketens zich tot de globale? Voor welke gewassen en houderijen heeft lokale productie een grote meerwaarde en voor welke is global sourcing een duurzaam alternatief?

Can farmers inform policy about multifunctional agriculture?

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By Leonardo van den Berg (MSc. student International Development Studies, Wageningen University) & Klarien Klingen (graduate International Land and Water Management, Wageningen University).

On the 8th of October we participated in the mini-conference about multifunctional agriculture organized by the Rural Sociology Group. We would like to share some thoughts about the conference and relate them to our thesis research experiences in Brazil.

Gianluca Brunori spoke of the benefits of multifunctionality in Tuscany. Here, farms are not merely production spaces rather:

  • Educational sites where children learn about biodiversity and breeds of animals.
  • Sites where farmers are community leaders and negotiate with public institutions.
  • Sites where food quality is negotiated with consumers and subsequently created. This not only entails consumers’ feedback on wine but also farmers educating consumers on what other parts of a cow are edible.

These thoughts turn past and present public concerns of educating farmers upside down and coincide with our thesis experiences in Brazil, where we studied a movement of innovative peasants. Here, farmers refused to be assigned a role as a poor class and instead re-established their role as experts over production, consumption and the environment. Their knowledge, farming systems, and achievements surprised social and natural scientists.

Roberta Sonnino and Katrina Rønningen focused on state policies. Sonnino criticised the little support UK policy grants to multifunctional agriculture. She argues that the UK equates best value with low costs. The few developments in multifunctional agriculture have occurred despite rather than thanks of state action. An exception is the Scottish case where an increase in organic and locally produced school meals gained €150.000 of regional revenues. Rønningen showed us another picture: in Norway multifunctionality has been embedded in society for a long time. She says it started with market demand and that it is now supported by policy: the government aims at having 20% of the food locally produced by the year 2020. Farming as a profession is highly appreciated by the public: farmers are seen as managers of cultural heritage and as producers of healthy food.

Two things struck us about these two cases. First, the UK case shows how difficult it is to penetrate the neo-liberal armour that defines not only political but also much of our own rationality. Policies are often perceived as an obstacle rather than as enabling factors. It was this hostile context in which Brazilian peasants operated. Through diversification, agroecology, and community forms of exchange these peasants have increased their autonomy enabling them to pursue their own values. Second, the case of Norway gives us a taste of the role public policies could play in the valorisation of farmers as (re)producers of healthy food, nature, landscape, biodiversity, and public health. That most governments are lacking this is no secret, even according to a market oriented, middle size farmer in our research area:

I could fence a water source, buy some wire and provide some poles. If it were more, how do you say; all this imprisonment of all that is commerce, if it were more humane, looked more at the human side, I think there would be more left and all of society would gain from this (interview November 2009).

In short: we would argue that that the lessons from the third world should not be underestimated. Our experience learns that some of these cases may be running well ahead of theory and policy practice.

New ideas, but where are the new policies?

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On behalf of Merel Heijke: second year student Master of International Development Studies at Wageningen University.

Thursday the eight of October I took part in the mini-conference: ‘Dynamics and Robustness of Multifunctional Agriculture: Lessons from abroad’ organized by Wageningen University’s Rural Sociology Group. I participated in the conference because since I came to Wageningen to study International Development Studies (I did my bachelor in interdisciplinary social science at the University of Utrecht), I really got interested in the way life is approached by people in the countryside. The topic multifunctional agriculture however, was quite new to me. Some considerations:

This conference opened my eyes about the difficulties people can face with certain top-down rural policies. The Norwegian guest Katrina Rønningen argued that too much attention and pressure is directed towards rural actors active in multifunctional agriculture. People that do not have sufficient knowhow and capacities to adjust their business to this way of life, fail and get into a lot of stress. This might be a consequence of a second point of view that struck me that afternoon, namely: policies implemented by the (national and/or local) government may not be relevant or can even hinder the development of new ideas. From a sustainable point of view: if we, as the global society, want to sustain the luxurious life we have, we need to adapt. Export versus quality, economical versus sustainable, short-term incomes against long-term investments – the choices are hard to make when governmental policies do not really support new initiatives (even the cheap ones) or the advertisement to the big public. An interesting topic to study…

I am very curious what the future will bring us… How will our food be produced in twenty years? What does our relationship with the countryside look like? How is our land going to be used? Let’s have an other conference about this subject in five years! This international exchange of information was really interesting and asking for new thoughts to develop. I am hungry for more!

Merel Heijke