New to the Rural Sociology Group: Introducing myself

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I have been here in Wageningen and at the Rural Sociology Group for two weeks now so it only seems appropriate that I introduce myself.  I’m Jessica Duncan and I have been hired to teach courses in food cultures and food policy.

Conducting field work with women pastoralists in Gujarat, India (Summer 2012)

Conducting field work with women pastoralists in Gujarat, India (Summer 2012)

My teaching philosophy is based on the awareness of the central role food plays in socio-cultural and economic issues and across political discourse at all levels. Using food – with its physical, emotional and symbolic resonance – as a lens, allows us to approach complex problems and search for solutions that can impact our lives and the lives of others. I work hard to create a space where students feel encouraged to test ideas and tackle difficult questions with new concepts. Above all, I teach because I love to learn.

From 2008 to 2013 I worked in the Department of Food Systems, Culture and Society at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Barcelona. Here I developed and taught courses on research methods, food governance, and contemporary issues in food studies. I also supervised a broad range of post-graduate research students on topics related to food cultures and food security. The international nature of the programme gave me the chance to interact with students from around the world on key issues related to the study of food.

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Food4all festival and more … – presented to you by Grassroots science and partners

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food4allWhat are the current challenges facing our food systems. And what can be done? Get a taste of the problems and solutions at the 2nd edition of the Food4all festival. Part of the festival are: a regional farmers’ market, a documentary on Monsanto, a book presentation, and a dinner with music and gastronomic film. Later this year, a 2 day training on the right to food, agroecology and food sovereignty. For more information see the programme below or visit www.grassrootsscience.nl.

Grassroots science & partners are: OtherWise, ILEIA, Boerengroep, Lazuur, Fian, Transition Towns and Project EAT. Contact: leonardo.vandenberg@wur.nl

Also opportunities offered for MSc-thesis research, internship and Academic Consultancy Training (ACT) in 2nd educational period.

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SUPURBFOOD 1st International Seminar

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Vigo videoIn June, the SUPURBFOOD First International Seminar took place in Vigo (Spain). In order to contribute to improving the agro-food system’s ecological performance researchers, policymakers and SMEs from Europe and developing countries discussed the links between short food supply chains and other flows (e.g. nutrients, water, and urban waste) at the seminar. With attendance of over 60 people from 14 countries, a North-South dialogue has started on improving the agro-food system’s ecological performance.

The report on the dialogue, sharing of experiences, exchange of best practice and joint learning at the SUBURBFOOD First International Seminar aims to inspire participants and other interested readers to developing an integrated approach to urban and peri-urban food provision. By clicking on the images above, you can still watch the videos of the live streaming of the seminar. For more information on the SUPURBFOOD project and how you can participate, visit www.supurbfood.eu.

Farming styles in Mato Grosso, Brazil

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by Mateo Mier y Teran

On 11 September in Wageningen I presented my PhD research on contrasting soybean farming styles in Querência, Mato Grosso, Brazil, on the southern fringe of the Amazon rainforest. The diversity of soy farming practices brings into question the simplistic portrayal of farming by the standard narratives that advocate or condemn soybean production in Brazil (e.g. be as a success model to reproduce in African countries or as a threat to the Amazon Forest and small-scale farming). I argue that the heterogeneity of farming styles has to be acknowledge for the implementation of policies for sustainable soybean agri-food systems. Here I will like to share some thoughts that came out from the seminar, and briefly show how I used the farming styles approach (developed by Jan Douwe van der Ploeg and colleagues from the Rural Sociology Group at WUR). Continue reading →

The Course RSO55306: ‘A global sense of place’ starts 28-10-2013, sign in now!

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For whom?

We invite all master students interested in sustainable development, spatial development, community building, place-based policy, rural socio-logy and anthropology for this course.

What?

This course gives an overview of place-based approaches in development. A relational place-based approach is key to the understanding of interrelated rural and urban transformation processes and sustainable development. People are networked to both local and extra-local places.; hence they have a global sense of place and one that is locally specific (Massey 1994; Escobar, 2001). Places are considered as contingent but in time and space differentiated outcomes of three interrelated, unbounded, transformative processes: political-economic, ecological and social-cultural. We will have discussions about:

  • Sense of place
  • Places as sites of negotiation and power struggles
  • The constitution of identities, subjectivities and difference.
  • Politics of place.

poster capita selecta 2013-2 final

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