Category Archives: Policy

Urban Greens Rural Blues – the future city

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Urban Greens Rural BluesUrban Green Rural Blues is the 2014 theme of Stichting RUW. The opening event will be January 21 with lectures and a debate  on how the future city will look like. From 19.00-21.00 in the Public Library (BBLTHK), Stationsstraat 2, Wageningen. Free entrance and free drinks afterwards.

Since 2008 more people live in cities than in rural areas. The world population is growing and urbanisation is expected to continue. As a result, pressure on urban areas is increasing with growing issues and challenges; concerning the urban environment, waste management, traffic, housing and food supply. At the same time, cities are vibrant hubs of creativity where inspirational and successful ideas for a green, clean and healthy living environment emerge.

How can we envision the future of the city? And that of the countryside? How are urban-rural landscapes, communities and relations changing? Join us at our opening activity on the 21st of January to find out!

Rutger de Graaf (TUDelft, DeltaSync, Blue Revolution) will explain why we need to start building on water and Jan-Willem van der Schans (WUR, LEI) will discuss the role of urban food strategies in building a sustainable city. Elma Schoenmaker (BelW climate-green design) will show us several eco-smart, climate-adaptive and bio-mimicry designs.

More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/698683773497788/

Food Rules for Healthy People and Planet – RSA short film

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The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) is “an enlightenment organisation committed to finding innovative practical solutions to today’s social challenges”. The RSA orgnizes various public events. Videos, animation and short films of these inspiring talks are published at the website. Such as the talk by Michael Pollan “Food Rules for Healthy People and Plan“. Of this talk a very nice, awarded winning, short animated film has been made by Marija Jacimovic and Benoit Detalle:

Global nutrient fight: micronutrients and geopolitics – lecture and debate December 10

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Will monopolies, cartels and export restrictions define the future of your food?

RUW foundation will explore the world of the micronutrients in a lecture and debate featuring Wouter van der Weijden (director of CLM), Ellis Hoffland (WUR) en Petra Berkhout (LEI).

Venue: December 10, 2013 in the  Grand Café of the Forum building, starting at 19.30.

Free entrance and drinks afterwards.

GeopoliticsMicronutrients are irreplaceable and are essential for plant, animal and human health. Only about 4% of the world’s micronutrient stocks can be found in the EU (Platform LIS,2012). In the near future Europe will become dependent on other countries, including China, Chili, US, Turkey and Peru for the supply of micronutrients such as selenium and zinc for its agriculture. Find out how borders and international relations influence the struggle for micronutrient supply, how it will affect our food production and what options the EU has to ensure the availability of micronutrients.

FOODLINKS final conference – Sustainable food communities of practice

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On 16 October 2013 the FOODLINKS team organised the  conference Sustainable food communities of practice – meet and eat to present the results of its  three-year project. The conference focused on “Good cooperation between science, society and policy promotes sustainable food consumption and production” looking more particularly into:

  • How short food supply chains can effectively work as policy tools;
  • How to maximise the benefits of sustainable public procurement of food;
  • How to implement sustainable food strategies in European cities.

The conference made a special effort to actively engage the participants’ experience and knowledge in the field, and to verify the findings from the project. The conference experiences are summarised in the video below:

More about Foodlinks and the three action plans published:

Foodlinks is a collaborative project funded by the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission with the purpose of evaluating knowledge brokerage activities to promote sustainable food consumption and production: linking scientists, policymakers and civil society organizations. See the www.foodlinkscommunity.net for more information.

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SOLINSA and FarmPath – joint Final conference in Brussels, December 3 2013

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SOLINSA Final conferenceDecember 3 the EU-funded reserach projects FarmPath and SOLINSA will jointly present their findings at a final conference in Brussels. A detailed programme is available at the www.solinsa.net website. Location: Thon Hotel, Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 75, B-1040. From 9.00 am till 4.30 pm.