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Events

Anna Roodhof successfully defends her PhD on food forestry and economic viability

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We are proud to announce that on October 19, 2026 our colleague dr. Anna Roodhof successfully defended her dissertation titled: “Reclaiming economic viability through food forestry: Entanglements of discourse, governance and practice”, and supervised by Esther Veen, Lucie Sovová and Han Wiskerke.

In her dissertation Anna studies under which conditions food forests in the Netherlands are economically viable. Grounded in diverse economies thinking, Anna adopts a relational, multispecies and more-than-monetary conceptualization of economic viability – thereby challenging what economic viability even means.

Clearly enjoying pushing the boundaries of what is possible during a PhD defense, Anna surprised and inspired us all with a song of her own making during her ‘layman’s talk’ – as if the defense isn’t challenging enough! For those PhDs still a little nervous at the thought of doing the defense, Anna showed us how you can have a lot of fun with it.

During the defense Anna, supported by paranymphs Marit Meijer and Lieke Moereels, engaged meaningfully with questions from her opponents: WUR’s Arjen Buijs and Chizu Sato, Giuseppe Feola from Utrecht University and Eric Sarmiento from Texas State University. The discussion covered theoretical questions such as the limitations of the diverse economies approach and the representation of more-than-human actors, as well as more applied concerns related to the governance of food system transformation and the risk of food alternatives becoming a market niche for the well-off.

As a Participatory Action Research project, the dissertations reflects Anna’s commitment to always search for opportunities not just to submerge herself into food forestry, but to also invite the community of food foresters in the Netherlands into her research process. She even did so until the very end of this beautiful day. The bites and drinks at the reception and afterparty were, you guessed it, all sourced from beautiful produce from food forest de Fruitproeverij – carefully prepared by Paulien and Laurens. A warm thank you for the great care given to Anna, her family, friends and colleagues.

Congratulations Anna on your monumental achievement! Though we have to miss you here at RSO, we are happy you will not stray away too far from us when you pick a new, exciting position at Wageningen Environmental Research.

Love,
Your colleagues at the Rural Sociology Group

Pictures were taken by Sven Menschel (Menschel Applied Photographic Art – https://menschel-photo.com)

Diverse Rural Identities and Politics of Belonging: Innovation, Intersections, and Entrepreneurship in Rural and Agricultural Territories

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Date: Thursday 15 October, 10.00–12.30
Location: Aurora B 9216, Wageningen University & Research

How can research and policy better recognise diverse rural and agricultural women’s identities, agency and perspectives on innovation and entrepreneurship?

On Thursday 15 October, Wageningen University & Research will host the interactive and interdisciplinary colloquium Diverse Rural Identities and Politics of Belonging: Innovation, Intersections, and Entrepreneurship in Rural and Agricultural Territories.

The session is organised in the context of the International Year of the Woman Farmer and Rural Women’s Day.

Women-led innovation and entrepreneurship

International research projects on women-led innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture and rural areas that were recently finalised provide the starting point for the session.

These projects provide ample evidence of women’s own notions and agency around innovation and entrepreneurship. Covering diverse geographical contexts across the globe, they also show how research and policy can better do justice to these perspectives.

The EU projects Grass Ceiling: Gender Equality in Rural and Agricultural Innovation Systems and SWIFT: Supporting Women-led Innovation in Farming Territories, together with the INREF project FermFood, will form the basis for the discussion.

The projects were conducted at Wageningen University & Research, with Bettina Bock, Valentina Materia and Jessica Duncan in the lead.

An interactive session

Following brief presentations of the most striking takeaways from these international projects, the session will move into an interactive group-work set-up.

Participants joining in person will work in groups, while online participants will join through breakout rooms. Together, they will exchange insights and perspectives on new avenues for research and policy to better embed diverse rural and agricultural women’s identities.

Four main questions will kick off the discussions:

  • What from your research or practice resonates or dissonates with the presented takeaways?
  • What accordingly needs to be added or changed in mainstream concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship to better include women’s notions and agency?
  • What might be the underlying root causes to address, and what research or policy can help to leverage these?
  • What ways forward do you see to collaborate and tackle these issues in research and/or policymaking?

Practical information

Date: Thursday 15 October
Time: 10.00–12.30
Location: Aurora B 9216, Wageningen University & Research
Participation: Free and open to all interested

We prefer participation in person. An online link will mainly be available for participants joining from abroad.

Please register for updates, further details and a calendar invitation via this link.

Further details will be shared with those who register.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to anyone who might be interested.

ESRS 2027: European Society for Rural Sociology returns to Wageningen

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In 2027, the European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) celebrates its 70th anniversary — returning to Wageningen, where the Society’s story began.

We are proud that the Rural Sociology Group will host the 31st ESRS Congress, taking place from 5–9 July 2027. The congress will bring together scholars and practitioners from across Europe and beyond to reflect on the theme “Knowledge for Sustainable Futures: Rural Communities, Social Action and Democracy.”

The congress will explore questions around the knowledge that shapes rural futures, whose knowledge counts, how rural futures are negotiated and contested, and how rural research and social action can contribute to more just, sustainable and democratic futures.

The Call for Working Group Proposals is now open. We invite researchers and practitioners to contribute sessions that bring different perspectives, disciplines and experiences into conversation.

>> 5–9 July 2027 | Wageningen
>> Read the full Call for Working Group Proposals
>> Visit the ESRS 2027 website

Upcoming launch | Library for Transformative Play

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We’re happy to share the upcoming launch of the Library for Transformative Play. On 24 February (16:00–17:00), the library will be launched at Impulse, Wageningen Campus, inviting participants to explore how playful and creative activities can support collaboration across disciplinary boundaries.

Location: Speaker’s Corner Impulse, Wageningen Campus
Date & time: 24 February, 16:00–17:00

The Library brings together games and materials designed to:
– surface worldviews
– facilitate collective imagination
– stay with the trouble
– unmake systems
– embrace ambiguity

👉 Register here

Playing with the Trouble is a 4-year project funded by the Centre for Unusual Collaborations (CUCo). For questions, please reach out to Jessica Duncan.

Upcoming PhD defence: Thirza Andriessen

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We are proud to share that Thirza Andriessen of the Rural Sociology Group will be defending her PhD thesis entitled “Caring for Dignity in Food Assistance: Navigating Norms and Moralities”.

When: February 20, 13.00 hrs
Where: Omnia, Wageningen University

Abstract
This PhD research explores how food assistance in wealthy countries shapes the dignity of recipients. Food charities are criticised for being stigmatising and for framing food poverty as an individual problem rather than a social and political issue. This study focuses on newer forms of food assistance, such as social supermarkets and grocery budgets, which aim to offer support in more dignified ways. Based on three case studies in Belgium and the Netherlands, supplemented by a literature review, the research shows that dignity is shaped in everyday situations: how people are treated, how much choice they have, and how rules are applied. Shopping in a “normal” setting and having product choice can support dignity, but these models can also reinforce moral expectations about financial responsibility and create new forms of dependence, for example on digital systems. The research concludes that there is no single “dignified” model; dignity is enacted through daily practices, care relationships, and wider social norms and moralities.

Online streaming
The defence can also be followed online via a YuJa livestream. Note: the link will become available about 5 minutes before the start (click the 🔔 Event in the top-right corner and then select “Thirza Andriessen”)