Tag Archives: Education

Education

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.

Local food at the Rhederoord estate – gastronomic highlight II

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Earlier MSc-student Renee Ciulla added a post on our gastronomic field trip to the Rhederoord Estate. I made a video clip of the display of local food and explanation by patron cuisinier Gerhard van den Broek of the Rhederoord Estate. As I shot the clip with a regular photo-camera, by way of experiment. The quality is not excellent, also because of the yellow atmospheric light, but still the food look very tasty and the explanation whets your appetite. Rhederoord was indeed a gastronomic highlight for the students and myself!

You can watch more video clips on Rhederoord at http://www.youtube.com/user/rhederoordnl

Local food at the Rhederoord estate – gastronomic highlight

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By Renee Ciulla  – Msc-student attending the course Origin Food: a market for identity

On April 8th, the Origin Food course (see earlier post) was treated to a gastronomic excursion to the Rhederoord estate near the town of Arnhem in De Steeg. Located on 12 ha, the estate provides a magnificent view over the foothills of the IJssel valley and Veluwe forests. The Rhederoord  is mainly known for it’s restaurant which offers a fine dining experience, sourcing most of their products from the surrounding countryside or within the Netherlands. However, the estate also caters events, hosts weddings and can accommodate over 250 guests in their 22 rooms. Possibilities also exist to book business and private meetings.

Despite the snowy morning, grey clouds and traffic delays in Arnhem, our group was in high spirits when we saw what greeted us in the foyer of the Rhederoord: a cheerful group of staff awaited to take us to a tastefully decorated coat room followed by a delicious estate-made apple tart on a delicate butter crust. As we mingled with our steaming cups of coffee, the sounds of clinking forks and laughter drifted up the wood-paneled walls and out the large paned windows to the manicured gardens and rolling fields. After our mid-morning feast we sat for an entertaining and inspiring history of the Rhederoord. The goals are to support local farmers and producers in every culinary aspect of their restaurant which they believe is reflected in the flavors and visual appeal. Additionally, the estate tries to educate other chefs and visitors about how to grow their own vegetables and herbs. A garden near the entrance of the restaurant displays various herbs, strawberries and vegetables enabling chefs to see first-hand what these foods look like in their growing state. Sheep and cows are also owned by the estate for their own supply of local meat.

Buffet of local food at the Rhederoord estate

After our outdoor tour we couldn’t have been more surprised when we saw the buffet that welcomed us downstairs. Glowing in the atmospheric, perfectly positioned lights was an assortment of local gastronomic gems: pates, organic sheep, goat and cow cheeses, savory thinly-sliced ham, loaves of freshly baked breads with Dutch wheat, and mounds of warm rolls. Local greens and cabbage made some delicious salads. Meats included blood sausage, sea bass and river lobsters. The food was bursting with flavor and succulent textures- the entire room fell silent during our first ten minutes of eating as everyone floated in their personal eating heaven. A wine tasting of foud Dutch wines followed with ample joking about the quality of Netherlands wine. As for me, I was too distracted with the dessert still sitting on the buffet table: beautiful croissant-type cream puffs filled with fresh-egg custard and pieces of dark chocolate; every bite melted in my mouth.

The entire experience to Rhederoord was reminiscent of a family Christmas dinner. We all left feeling extremely grateful for the learning experience and culinary delights. Thanks to Dirk for organizing a spectacular and delicious trip!

Romashki or a Life Less Ordinary, part 2

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By Thomas Mcintyre

Once upon a time…Do you, my dear reader, believe it is possible to live in a fairytale? This may seem like a strange question on a rural sociology blog, and indeed it is. It is not a question I thought seriously about before, though I confess I have been predisposed to curling up on a chair in front of the fire and entering the world of fairytales through a book or through my imagination… but to live in one! This seems rather preposterous, and you would be forgiven for wondering what this has to do with serious anthropological research. But like any good research, setting out into the unknown has raised some strange questions I have had to stew on. If you answer a tentative yes to the opening question, as I am now inclined to do, then would you entertain the thought of writing a fairytale thesis? After all, if the reality you are studying is a fairytale, then would it not only be appropriate that the written representation of this reality should also be a fairytale? Now, I suppose you would like me to explain what I mean by living a fairytale and writing a fairytale thesis, especially its academic justification and application. But first things first: my arrival to Romashki.
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Origin Food – course on Origin Food Products

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Over the coming education period, covering eight weeks from March 1 till April 23, our group will again provide the MSc course ‘Origin Food:  a Market for Identity’. The course is compulsory for students of the Specialization Gastronomy of the Master Food Technology, but is open to students for other educational programmes as well.

Prosciutto di Parma

Food products with a geographical indication are becoming more important worldwide, both in economic and cultural terms. In the course a distinction is made between officially acknowledged ‘regional typical products’  with a protected geographical indication (such as Parma ham, Boerenleidse kaas, Café de Colombia) and ‘local food’ sourced locally by e.g. restaurants, shops or online box schemes.

The course deals with a range of questions on OFPs organised around five weekly themes: 1) Originality factors; 2) Regulation and legislation; 3) Marketing and branding; 4) Sustainability impact; and 5) Consumers’ appreciation, regional gastronomy and food tourism.

The course consists of a combination of lectures, guest lectures by experts, a gastronomic excursion and group assignments to study the particularities of Origin Food Products.

Contactperson: Dirk.Roep@wur.nl