feeding cities | Rural Sociology Wageningen University

Urban Green Rural Blues is the 2014 theme of Stichting RUW. The opening event will be January 21 with lectures and a debate on how the future city will look like. From 19.00-21.00 in the Public Library (BBLTHK), Stationsstraat 2, Wageningen. Free entrance and free drinks afterwards.

Since 2008 more people live in cities than in rural areas. The world population is growing and urbanisation is expected to continue. As a result, pressure on urban areas is increasing with growing issues and challenges; concerning the urban environment, waste management, traffic, housing and food supply. At the same time, cities are vibrant hubs of creativity where inspirational and successful ideas for a green, clean and healthy living environment emerge.

How can we envision the future of the city? And that of the countryside? How are urban-rural landscapes, communities and relations changing? Join us at our opening activity on the 21st of January to find out!

Rutger de Graaf (TUDelft, DeltaSync, Blue Revolution) will explain why we need to start building on water and Jan-Willem van der Schans (WUR, LEI) will discuss the role of urban food strategies in building a sustainable city. Elma Schoenmaker (BelW climate-green design) will show us several eco-smart, climate-adaptive and bio-mimicry designs.

More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/698683773497788/

By Camilo Ernesto

Next Week in Porto Alegre, Practioners, researchers and public agents interested in sustainable food prosumption will explore the Opportunities and challenges for feeding the cities and the countryside in the Brazilian contexts.

As one of the results of the PUREFOOD intercontinental cooperation the Rural Development Program of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, the Brazilian PUREFOOD Partner or the Rural Development Department of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul organizes the first Workshop in Urban Food Strategies. Professor Sergio Schneider and the food group (http://www.ufrgs.br/weaa/comissao-organizadora/) have set a very interesting agenda for the coming third and four of December. Harriet Friedman, Carolyn Steele, Maria Fonte, Cecilia Diaz and Willem Treep will join a select group of Brazilian researchers and practitioners as Ivana Lovo, Marcos Borba, Livia Barbosa, Patrícia Chaves, Francisco Milanez and Altivo Cunha in a workshop designed to join academia, public agents and food practitioners.

Live streaming and translation from Portuguess to English will be offered. So every one can join and enjoy the seminar. The online streaming will begin on Tuesday 3rd of December at 09:00 am Brazilian Time and will finish on Wednesday 4th of December in the afternoon. The following link will give access to the internet connection: http://multimidia.ufrgs.br/ramgen/broadcast/plageder/aovivo.rm

Full access to the program and information is available at http://www.ufrgs.br/weaa/.