Category Archives: Thesis and internship possibilities

Exploring thesis opportunities within RSO: Meet our supervisors

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Are you a WUR student looking for a thesis topic that engages with urgent social, political, and environmental questions in food systems, rural transformations, and global change?

The Rural Sociology Group offers a wide range of research opportunities across three key themes: Agrarian Change, Food Provisioning, and Rural Development. Each theme brings together a diverse group of supervisors working on critical issues shaping contemporary rural and food system transformations.

Across these themes, students are invited to engage with research that does not only describe change, but also critically examines power relations, inequalities, and possibilities for more just and sustainable futures.

In Agrarian Change, researchers explore the interconnected social and environmental crises shaping agrarian life, agricultural practices, and rural livelihoods. This includes questions around land, labour, ecological transformation, and alternative pathways for agrarian communities. Students interested in political ecology, rural inequality, and agricultural transitions will find a strong intellectual home here.

The Food Provisioning theme focuses on how food is produced, distributed, and governed in both rural and urban contexts. It brings attention to alternative food economies, food justice, and the politics of food systems transformation. This is a space for students interested in food governance, sustainability transitions, and the everyday practices that shape how food systems function.

The Rural Development theme examines ongoing transformations in rural areas and emerging rural–urban relations. It pays particular attention to power dynamics, governance processes, and the lived realities of rural change. Students working on questions of inequality, policy, and rural futures will find rich opportunities for engagement here.

Within these themes, students can connect with supervisors whose work spans critical social science perspectives on food and rural systems. Supervisors bring expertise in areas such as agrarian political economy, food governance, rural transformation, and environmental change, and are open to supporting students in developing tailored thesis projects.

We encourage students to explore individual supervisor profiles and ongoing research projects to identify topics that align with their interests.

If you are considering a thesis within RSO, we welcome you to reach out and discuss possibilities. Engaging with our research community is an opportunity to shape your own academic path while contributing to urgent debates on food systems, rural change, and social justice.

For more information, students can consult the supervisor profiles below or via Brightspace (WUR-only access) or contact the education coordinator at thesis.rso@wur.nl

Internship opportunity | Food Sovereignty & Solidarity Payment

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Internship opportunity at Boerengroep & AgroEcology Works

Goals
• Improving food sovereignty in Gelderland province
• Improving the income of CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture)
• To give people with a low income ( f.e. people who go to the Food Bank), the
opportunity to become a CSA member and harvest their own organic, local food
• Expand the movement for Solidarity Payment and increase awareness

Description of the internship
We are looking for a (preferably Dutch speaking) student who is passionate to be
involved in the movement for food sovereignty and solidarity payment. You will contact
municipalities in the province Gelderland to indicate whether there is a fund available
for people with a low income, and explore the opportunities of linking this fund to a CSA
membership. You will co nduct research by finding out CSA’s in the surroundings of
interested municipalities, communicate with CSA farmers, CSA members and
municipalities.

We are open to your own suggestions about the focus on the internship and there are
always side projects possible, such as organising an excursion to a farm that uses
solidarity payment, working with Boerengroep on other topics that are running,
transcribing interviews on solidarity payment, and we encourage you to work 1 or 2 days a week on a farm and get hands on experience.

Background information
As solidarity payment becomes more and more used and explored in the Netherlands,
we want to dive into the support of municipalities of this agroecological practice. There
are several examples of CSA’s that are part of a municipal program in which people with
a low income get financially supported to become part of a CSA. In this way, people
with a low income benefit from it, obtaining access to organic, local food. Next to it, the
CSA will benefit from it, by obtaining more members and thereby a better income.
Moreover, this collaboration helps farmers to ask for a fair income, as the responsibility of food accessibility is taken off their shoulders.

Requirements
• Passion for social just food systems
• Willing to learn how to interact and communicate with diverse parties:
municipalities, farmers, CSA members
• Understanding and speaking Dutch language is a pre as you need to reach out to municipalities. In case you’re really enthusiastic and don’t speak Dutch, we are open to discuss options.

What we offer
• A working space in Wageningen
• A lot of freedom within the focus of the internship
• Opportunity to meet our wide network in the agroecological movement
• Working in a passionate team
• 2 contact persons; Elske Hageraats (AgroEcology Works), Marcha van Wijk (Stichting Boerengroep)
• An office dog

How to Apply
If you find yourself enthusiastic about the topic of solidarity payment and want to put your effort in making the world a bit more fair, you can contact us by sending an email to st.boerengroep@wur.nl. Please include reasons what you are enthusiastic about and how you would like to shape the topic into something you are passionate about.


Application Deadline: 30th of December

Start Internship: February 1st (date is flexible)

Internship opportunity | Social Justice in the Agroecological movement – Boerengroep & Mycelia of Hope Project

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Are you dreaming of an agroecological world in which farming is inclusive and where allies can work together for a fair food system? Mycelia of Hope is looking for an intern who wants to work on the agroecological pillar of social justice and who wants to make Mycelia of Hope – and the broader agroecological movement – inclusive and caring for people who are marginalized, structurally disadvantaged or in precarious situations.


Mycelia of Hope is a working group within the agroecology movement, in which we build
bridges between farmers, activists and other allies. During our on-farm working days,
activists learn about agroecological practices and can share knowledge on (food) system change. At the same time, farmers can share practical knowledge on agroecology and provide a space to come together, learn and collaborate.


As inclusivity is a struggle in big parts of the European agroecological movement, Mycelia of Hope experiences difficulties in being inclusive and accessible for people in precarious situations. Therefore, we are looking for an intern who wants to help find practical solutions for both Mycelia of Hope and the whole agroecology movement.


Main responsibility
The internship is open for your own suggestions and together we will look at what is most in line with your own ideas. There are two main projects we want to work on: social justice within Mycelia of Hope and social justice within the (Dutch) agroecological movement. As an intern, you can pick one of these two to focus on and we can adjust the tasks accordingly.

Social Justice Mycelia
● Setting up a structure to connect migrants and farmers.
● Find potential ways to compensate migrants for farm work in a fair manner for both the farmer and migrant.
● Look into the legal aspects of the work, funding, and processes.
● Get in touch with other similar projects in different countries or on different topics.

Social Justice Agroecological Movement
● Organize a workshop/skillshare on inclusivity in the agroecological movement: invite people who work on this, who struggle with this or who found solutions.
● Perform a small research project on inclusivity/accessibility within the agroecological movement.
● Interviews/questionnaires with farmers who want to think with us about this topic.

Other Possible Responsibilities
● Share group facilitation with the other group members: Facilitate and coordinate the activities and meetings of the working group in a rotation with the other members of Mycelia of Hope
● Help to organize Farming Days
● Create a detailed agenda for our working days
● Website development

Requirements
● Passion for sustainable agriculture, agroecology, and inclusivity/social justice.
● Organizational and communication skills.
● Ability to work collaboratively in a diverse team environment.
● Ability to work independently
● Demonstrated experience in project coordination or related roles is a plus

What we offer
● A working space in Wageningen (or possibly in Amsterdam)
● A lot of freedom within the focus of the internship
● Horizontal teamwork
● Opportunity to meet our wide network in the agroecological movement
● An office dog

How to Apply
If you are enthusiastic about participating in transformative projects and believe in the
potential of Mycelia of Hope, please submit your resume, and a motivation letter outlining your relevant experience and personal motivation for joining the project, to
st.boerengroep@wur.nl. Please include reasons what you are enthusiastic about and how you would like to shape the topic into something you are passionate about.

Application Deadline: 30th of December

Start Internship: February 1st (date is flexible)

The Mycelia of Hope Project is an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. Join us in cultivating sustainable change and fostering a sense of belonging within our community!

Internship opportunity at Universal Plastic

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Universal Plastic® is a dynamic, young startup based in the city of Gijón in the north of Spain. They are a small but passionate team of seven, dedicated to ocean regeneration through innovative plastic waste collections with a web3-based application. Their team is a mix of tech wizards and creative geniuses, spread over Spain.

Universal Plastic is looking for an enthusiastic intern who is eager to dive into the world of the protection of the ocean from plastic waste. You will be primarily collaborating with their social department, a group of three creative individuals who are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation and social impact. They appreciate pro-active and creative minds.

At Universal Plastic you can contribute to make new ideas happen and save the ocean from plastic!

Want to know more? Contact Britt Trago, britt.trago@universalplastic.io or Joost Jongerden, joost.jongerden@wur.nl

Vacature Master Thesis Onderzoek – De politiek van Nederlandse steun in Palestina en het stopzetten van de medefinanciering van een Palestijnse NGO

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Nederland besloot in 2022 de financiering voor de Palestijnse NGO UAWC (Union of Agricultural Work Committees) stop te zetten. UAWC ondersteunt duizenden Palestijnse boeren, vooral in gebieden op de Westelijke Jordaanoever waar Israël een illegale kolonisatiepolitiek voert. Israël heeft lang druk uitgeoefend op donoren om de steun aan UAWC te stoppen, omdat het volgens Israël een mantelorganisatie is van de Palestijnse verzetsbeweging PFLP (People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine).

Nederland heeft UAWC extern laten onderzoeken door een bureau dat gespecialiseerd is in veiligheidsvraagstukken. Uit het externe onderzoek zou blijken dat sommige (voormalige) medewerkers banden hebben met de Palestijnse verzetsbeweging PFLP. De UAWC reageerde geschokt op het besluit van de Nederlandse overheid en betoogde dat het externe onderzoek geen aanwijzingen had gevonden voor financiële stromen tussen UAWC en de PFLP, noch voor organisatorische banden tussen beide organisaties.

De Boerengroep en Rurale Sociologie hebben in mei 2022 met een beroep op de Wet openbaarheid van bestuur (WOB/WOO) verzocht om informatie met betrekking tot het besluit van Nederland om de financiering aan de Union of Agricultural Workers Committee (UAWC) stop te zetten. In januari 2024 is de gevraagde informatie toegestuurd, bestaande uit meer dan 600 documenten, variërend van (korte) e-mails tot notities. De WOB/WO-documenten bieden inzicht in hoe de Nederlandse overheid tot het besluit is gekomen om de financiering aan UAWC stop te zetten, en meer in het algemeen:

  1. De politieke context waarin een dergelijke beslissing is genomen;
  2. De criteria die het hanteert, en;
  3. De afwegingen die de overheid daarbij maakt.

Voor een kwalitatieve analyse van de documenten en het doen van vervolginterviews wordt gezocht naar een masterstudent. Deze masterstudent dient te beschikken over Nederlandse taalvaardigheid en bij voorkeur bekend te zijn met kwalitatieve onderzoeksmethoden. Het onderzoek is interessant voor die studenten die geïnteresseerd zijn in onder meer i) het politieke krachtenveld waarin overheidsbeleid en besluitvorming tot stand komen, ii) veiligheidsvraagstukken in relatie tot medefinanciering en iii) de politiek van hulp in de context van langdurig conflict. Gezien de omvang van het materiaal, is er ruimte om een eigen invulling te geven aan het onderzoek.

Voor meer informatie: Joost Jongerden (Rural Sociology) en Gemma van der Haar (Sociology of Development and Change)