Kennis arrangeren voor gebiedsontwikkeling II – verslag vanuit de gebieden

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In een eerdere post is al bericht over een verkenning van regionale kennisarrangementen. Van de bevindingen is verslag gedaan in het LEI-rapport “De werkvloer van een Kennisnetwerk Vitaal Platteland; kennis maken met regionale kennisarrangementen’. Het eindigt met aanbevelingen hoe het samen leren doen in en tussen gebieden kan worden bevorderd en ondersteund vanuit beleid en kennisinstellingen met kennisarrangementen. 

In opdracht van LNV is inmiddels voor vijftien gebieden een overzicht gemaakt van ambities, afspraken en behoefte aan ondersteuning bij het inzetten van onderwijs, onderzoek en advies voor gebiedsontwikkeling. De uitkomsten zijn op 6 oktober 2009 met de vijftien gebieden besproken. Van de inventarisatie en de uitwisseling tussen de betrokken gebieden wordt verslag gedaan in ‘Regionale kennisarrangementen; verslag quick scan en kennisdag.

De bedoeling is dat deze vijftien gebieden het voortouw nemen bij het opzetten van kennisarrangementen die het leren doen in en tussen gebieden moeten bevorderen. Ze kunnen daarbij rekenen op ondersteuning van o.a. Netwerk Platteland, Wageningen UR en de Groene Kennis Coöperatie (m.n. Programma Regionale Transitie).

Wichterwest: A network meeting with gains for everybody

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Yesterday, I – together with 66 rural business women- attended a meeting of the rural women’s business network ‘Wichterwest’ at Restaurant Samiramis in Grootegast.

 The establishment of women business networks was initiated by Groningen Province in an attempt to stimulate networking amongst rural business women in the province. Today, each region within Groningen province has a rural women’s network. In the Western region of Groningen province (a.k.a. Westerkwartier) the network is called ‘Wichterwest’ and is organised by the project leader ‘Vereiniging Groningen Dorpen’.

 ‘Wichterwest’ acts as a platform for business women to network, to exchange ideas and to receive information about business. The organisers also arrange offers for business courses and trainings. For example, the organisers are arranging a new training programme which will focus on three different business aspects: a) business start-ups, b) business management and c) market/ marketing strategies. To respond to the great interest of business women in the network and to accommodate its growing number of participants, the organisers are now considering options to set up a foundation with the aim to increase income and offers.

 Yesterday’s meeting started with a speed dating session in which everybody got to know the fellow participants and their businesses. I was impressed by the variety of activities carried out by the women of the Westerkwartier. For example, I met a photographer, a Bed & Breakfast owner, an administrator, a clothes designer, several advisors, an interior designer and the owner of an online farm shop for regional products. The evening proceeded with an exercise to practice efficient networking skills and a delicious three course menu made of organic products produced in the Westerkwartier. Filled with food, excitement rose as the winners of a lottery game were announced. Each business woman was asked to bring a gift made by her company. By winning vouchers for advice, massage and acupuncture sessions, bags of sheep wool and cushions for man and beast, everybody was able to get an impression of the variety of products offered by business women in the Westerkwartier. The evening was completed with three different workshops concerning a) optimal business plans, b) press releases and c) the importance of the entrepreneur for making business.

Even though I am not a business women myself, I returned home filled with positive impressions regarding the innovative spirit and versatility of business women in the Westerkwartier- and a business arrangement made during the networking game- let me recall, I said I was not a business women?

Good food nation: reversing obesity via local food systems

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Recently the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Columbia University published the results of a study on reversing America’s obesity epidemic by reorganising the system of food production, processing and distribution. According to the researchers obesity is widespread due to the national-scale system of food production and distribution, which surrounds children — especially lower-income children — with high-calorie products. Up to 90% of American food is processed, which contains ingredients, often acting as preservatives, that can make food fattening. The MIT and Columbia researchers propose a solution:

 America should increase its regional food consumption. Each metropolitan area, the researchers say, should obtain most of its nutrition from its own “foodshed,” a term akin to “watershed” meaning the area that naturally supplies its kitchens. Moreover, in a novel suggestion, the MIT and Columbia team says these local efforts should form a larger “Integrated Regional Foodshed” system, intended to lower the price and caloric content of food by lowering distances food must travel, from the farm to the dinner table.

For more information, you can read the complete press release by MIT or go the online project results.

Planning realities in Galicia – experiences and reflections

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MSc-student Marlies Meijer has spent five months in Galicia investigating the relation between spatial planning and rural development. Earlier she wrote about her stay and experiences  in Galica: balancing between two realities and land abandonment in Galicia. She has returned to Wageningen to accomplish her MSc-thesis. Currently Marlies is attending the International Student Conference in Copenhagen, organised by the Euroleague Spatial Planning Initiative (ESPI is a network of six Universities) to present the paper ‘Planning realities in Galicia’ (click on hyperlink to download paper) on her experiences, the first findings and some reflection with regard to rural and urban planning in Galacia and collective management of production forest (so-called UXFOR) in particular.

Brochure over stadslandbouw van Wageningen UR

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Binnen Wageningen UR krijgt stadslandbouw steeds meer aandacht en profiel. In een recente brochure  wordt vanuit Wageningen UR een visie gegeven op het concept stadslandbouw, de betekenis voor de stad, de bijdrage van stadslandbouw aan duurzaamheid en de belangrijkste uitdagingen. Ook beschrijft de brochure een flink aantal lopende en al afgesloten projecten op het gebied van stadslandbouw. Zie voor meer informatie een bericht op de WUR-website (www.syscope.wur.nl)  over onderzoek naar systeeminnovatie die moeten bijdragen aan transtie naar duurzame landbouw en vitaal platteland.

Zoals uit eerdere blogs al is gebleken profileert Rurale Sociologie zich ook op het terrein van stadslandbouw. Zo komt Jan Willem van der Schans (Jan-Willem.vanderschans@wur.nl), werkzaam bij het LEI en mede-initiatiefnemer van Eetbaar Rotterdam, met ingang van 1 december onze groep versterken.