Sustainability Festival & Biodiversity

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It was great weather at the Sustainability Festival in Hemmen last saturday. And buzzing with people at the various places in Hemmen where small scale activities were organised. At the Smidse, which was the main organiser, there was a market with sustainable products such as ecological garden design, electric cars, sustainable paint and a collective who wants to develop a housing site with straw/wood constructed houses.

As ngo Stichting Hemmens Land we also had a stall to launch our new project “Hemmens Land in Bloei”. More than 30 people adopted pieces of 15 square meters of flowery field margin. There are too few flowers which affects the butterfly, the Gelderlander had just reported that same day. Indeed, the adoption of 15 square meter of flowery field margin serves multiple purposes which all come down on enhancing biodiversity, which again the Gelderlander noted down during the festival.

It helps the organic farmers in Hemmen in their pest control, it enriches the landscape and it supports the bees and butterflies which are under treat. On two pieces of land in Hemmen, one of which is opposite the bee-stall which will receive hives from Wageningen during this year, we have sown 3000 m2 with a mixture of more than 20 field flowers fitting the clay soil of this area. The two pieces will be marked with a sign where adopters can see the landscape and pick some flowers. In fact, the year subscription to a piece of flowery field margin is not more expensive than an average bundle of flowers from a shop.

The municipality of Over-Betuwe was well represented during the political debate in the afternoon. All parties in the council were present to give their vision on sustainability in Over-Betuwe. The municipality has a very ambitious sustainability policy with no less than 73 action points to become climate neutral in 2030. A much debated policy since the current times of budget cuts and elections make priorities necessary.

A citizen initiative that actually aims to enhance biodiversity, one of the points in the action plan was therefore welcomed by the municipality. After the political debate, it was time for all ‘sustainability’ initiatives in and around Hemmen to present their projects and businesses. During the presentation of the field margin project of our ngo, the municipality came forward with a donation of 250 euro for our “Hemmens Land in Bloei” project, which we appreciate very much.

With their support and the first 30 citizens as adopters we made a good start last saturday. Coming sunday we have a stall at the fair in Elst. Quite a few adopters more we need before we have the 3000 m2 covered. And if we succeed we are dreaming for next year of a longer field margin along the Hemmensestraat which would make a beautiful entrance to the village.

Second Sustainable Food Planning Conference – Reminder

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As I announced in a blog on the 31st of March, the Urban Performance Group of the University of Brighton (UK) will host the second European Sustainable Food Planning Conference on 29 and 30 October 2010. Planning for sustainable food production and consumption is an increasingly important issue for planners, policymakers, designers, farmers, suppliers, activists, business and scientists alike. In the wider contexts of global climate change, a world population of 9 billion and growing, competing food production systems and diet-related public health concerns, are there new paradigms for urban and rural planning capable of supporting sustainable and equitable food systems? This conference will promote cross disciplinary discussions between active researchers and practitioners in response to this question, and related issues articulated during the first European Sustainable Food Planning Conference held in 2009 in Almere.

Working at a range of scales and with a variety of practical and theoretical models, we will review and elaborate definitions of sustainable food systems, and begin to define ways of achieving them. To this end 4 different themes have been defined as entry-points into the discussion of ‘sustainable food planning’. These are:

  1. Urban agriculture;
  2. Integrating health, environment and society;
  3. Food in urban and regional planning and design;
  4. Urban food governance

For each theme we are seeking contributions. Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words, and e-mailed to Andre Viljoen (a.viljoen@brighton.ac.uk) no later than the 31st May 2010.

For more information, see the conference website.

Intensive Program Slovakia

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By Marlies Meijer, MSc student

When I first heard about the Intensive Programme in Slovakia, I did not really know what to expect. The core of my MSc lies at land use planning, but for my thesis I choose a combination with rural sociology. What triggered me the most was the country. I’ve never been to Eastern (or Central) Europe and saw in the IP a great opportunity to experience transition from communism to capitalism and into EU-membership recently. On the first day the exchange with other students (about 40 from 12 universities, and even more countries) turned out to be just as interesting. Encouraged by cheap beer we had long discussions about everything, but still, mostly about the role of agriculture in the different countries.

For me the three day excursion to different villages in the Nitra-region was definitely a highlight. We were divided into small groups, each with a different region. My group stayed in a small cottage, north of Nitra. We were introduced to mayors of the small villages. I liked to see the differences between the Dutch planning system, where everything is arranged from paving stone to strategic master plans for 2030; and the project-based development in the little Slovakian villages: “if we have the money, we’ll think about constructing a sewerage system next year”. It makes all problems we have on the Dutch countryside (like “verrommeling”) relatively small.

The second day we went to a large cooperative farm. The size was overwhelming: 3000 ha., 120 employees, 800 cows and immense fields of rapeseed. But this was not everything; the cooperative farm (a legacy from communist times) had supporting departments in almost all layers of the market. We visited a bakery, a tool shop and a local grocery store (“Our Home”), all embodied in the cooperative. It put quite a different perspective on the development of short-supply-linkages. Small farms struggle in Slovakia, and we did not see many small scale (innovative) initiatives. What surprised me the most was that agriculture seemed to be disintegrated from all kinds of regional developments. There were no relations between local administration and the agricultural sector, and agriculture was not seen as a positive contribution (or even part of) to the landscape. Moreover the EU LEADER programme focussed in this region on social and economic developments; agriculture was not mentioned in the main objectives. Not surprisingly, since many villages suffer from more urgent problems, like ageing, unemployment, depopulation and a lack of basic social services.

But still, it pointed out that rural development cannot be just about agriculture, it is about the development of rural region entirely as well. Apart from farmers there are so many local actors that also could and should be included. For me it also pointed out that land use planning and rural development are not so different in essence. While approaches could be different, in the end it is about the same: sustainable development of (rural) regions.

Developing Czech Sitopia

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How to get good quality food from your own region? Where to buy fresh and organic food which is in season in the Czech region of Dvur Kralove and in cities such as Trutnov and Broumov? How to get a network going of (potential) producers and (potential) consumers? These were among the questions discussed during a seminar about quality food and permaculture which was held at MIZ in Zdoňov, near the Polish border around 3 hours northeast from Prague on the 14th of May.

During the seminar different aspects of permaculture were presented in both Czech and English to the 10 participants mainly from around Zdoňov. We discussed how to enhance biodiversity, how to build fertile soil, how to start ecological farming and how to set up a regional food network. The seminar concluded with a joint initiative of three presenters to get themselves and their aims known in the region so that other people with similar interest, both consumers and producers can respond.

In a way, this was a tiny start in making Sitopia, I realized today listening to the guest lecture of Carolyn Steel for the Bsc course ‘Agrarische en rurale ontwikkeling; sociologische perspectieven’. Sitopia, she explained is derived from the words “Sitos” and “topos” meaning “food” and “place”. Making place through food, through meals, through sharing, through caring about the origins of your daily meal and thus, searching for a kind of human connection to food which can hardly be expressed in the anonymous context of the supermarket. In this Czech region, there is not much infrastructure yet beyond the faceless produce from globally operating supermarket chains. But just like in many other countries, mentality is shifting and new networks are born each day.

Intensive Experience Slovakia

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by Petra Rietberg

From April 25th to May 1st, an intensive program (IP) on ‘the role of agriculture in regional identity and competitiveness in rural areas’ takes place in Podkylava, a small Slovakian village. For two weeks, around 50 students from countries all over Europe gather to see and analyze rural development in Western Slovakia. Since our flight is obstructed by the ash of Eyjafjallajökull, Marlies and I head off for a journey by car, train and bus and, eventually, are able to make it in time. The majority of the participants has found similar solutions, so the program proceeds as planned. Continue reading →