Category Archives: General

General issues.

Future farmers in the spotlight: A project to raise awareness for the situation of young farmers in Europe

Posted on by

Future farmers in the spotlight

‘Future farmers in the Spotlight’ is a project to raise awareness for the need of young farmers and more sustainable food production systems in the European Union.

Describing the idea with the words of project founders Juliane Haufe and Joris van der Kamp:

“Many farmers are reaching the age of retirement: only 6% of Europeans farmers is currently below the age of 35. Young people are needed to take over to sustain food production!
But how can a young future farmer nowadays start up an inspiring farming project? Which options are there to get involved in food production? Which (new) concepts will make a farm sustainable in an ecological sense, will provide an adequate income and will create an added value for the civil society?
These questions urgently need an answer!
Future farmers in the spotlight is looking for these answers! We are visiting already existing farming initiatives all around Europe and make short documentaries!”

To find out more about the project and to watch interesting video clips about the troubles and joys of young farmers across Europe, please visit future-farmers.net

Uitgegeten? #3 ‘De Toekomst van het Platteland’

Posted on by

Zonder het platteland geen voedsel! Maar, heeft u er wel eens bij stilgestaan dat ons voedselsysteem en consumptiepatroon van invloed is op hoe het buitengebied eruit ziet? De afgelopen decennia voelden veel boeren zich genoodzaakt om te investeren in megastallen of om te stoppen. Dit heeft niet alleen economische consequenties, maar is ook bepalend voor andere waarden die we aan het platteland verbinden, zoals; een aantrekkelijk landschap, een gezonde leefomgeving en kennis over de herkomst van voedsel. Tijdens het derde en laatste publieksdebat van de serie Uitgegeten? gaan we met ‘waarden-experts’ in op de toekomst van het agrarisch platteland. Welke waarden willen we behouden of juist ontwikkelen voor de toekomst? Hoe zou het platteland eruit zien als we onze voedselproductie vanuit die waarden zouden organiseren? En, kan duurzaam voedsel de link tussen boer en burger herstellen?

Met: Ton Duffhues (Stichting Atelier Waarden van het Land), Ina Horlings (onderzoeker en docent rurale sociologie, Wageningen Universiteit), Maria Hopman (arts en hoogleraar integrale fysiologie, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen). Met cabaret van Irene van der Aart.

woensdag 26 sept | LUX zaal 7 | aanvang 20.00 uur | entree gratis, met proeverij regionale producten van Oregional | kaarten bestellen via www.lux-nijmegen.nl of aan de kassa van LUX

Uitgegeten? De toekomst van duurzaam eten is een verdiepende debatreeks over duurzaam voedsel georganiseerd door stichting Landwaard in samenwerking met LUX. Onderwerpen die eerder in de reeks aan de orde kwamen waren; de nieuwe voedselketen en stadslandbouw.

Call for papers: EADI Prize for Development Studies 2012

Posted on by

The European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) announces the 13th edition of the prize for excellence in development research. The prize, worth €1 000, will be awarded for an essay on an issue of development studies in any field of the social sciences submitted and written by a postgraduate student from an EADI member country or attending a programme at an institutional member of the Association (see http://www.eadi.org/navigation/contact/members-of-eadi.html). Continue reading →

Learning on Food Security from a regional systems perspective

Posted on by

The ETC Foundation is looking for a volunteer; this may well be the start of an intersting career! You can also contact our education people if you would like to do your master thesis on this topic.

Food Security (FS) is a hot topic in the Dutch and international development debate today. Therefore, learning about FS interventions has priority amongst organisations like ETC.

ETC is involved in a Learn-and-Work trajectory called “Learning on Food Security from a Regional Systems Perspective”. In this trajectory, two learning questions (see below) will be addressed through three case studies in different regions in East-Africa. These case studies will be 1. jointly prepared in a preparatory event, 2. then implemented by organisations in East-Africa in their respective regions, 3. analyzed jointly in an international workshop and then 4. reported and presented both within and outside ETC and partner network. Continue reading →

Living the peasant way of life in Santa Cruz de la Colina

Posted on by

After a longer posting-pause in which I finalized my first research phase, identifying supporters of rural grassroots development initiatives in the Province of Soto, here a new update of my activities in Colombia:

Time is flying and I am finalizing my second research phase, asking grassroots development initiatives to evaluate the support they are receiving to build joint capacities. To be able to speak with rural development initiatives, I was invited to spend a week with a peasant family in the vereda St. Ana of Santa Cruz de la Colina.

Santa Cruz de la Colina, Matanza, Colombia

Continue reading →