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Home > News > Stakeholders and scientists shape research on sustainable food systems in the Southwestern Delta of the Netherlands 

The NEW CONNECTIONS consortium, led by Professor Hens Runhaar (Utrecht University) and Professor Niels Anten (Wageningen University), is preparing a research proposal on ecologically sustainable, climate resilient, and water efficient food systems in the Southwestern Delta of the Netherlands (Zeeland and the South Holland islands).  

Increasing drought and salinisation, along with declining biodiversity and water quality, call for a rethinking of how food is produced and consumed. With this proposal, the consortium aims to secure funding through NWO’s Regional Food Futures call. The EWUU alliance’s Institute for a Circular Society (i4CS) supports the consortium in preparing the proposal. 

The proposal explores new connections: 

  • between food production, biodiversity and other ecosystem services at the field level; 
  • between farmers, citizens and other stakeholders at the value chain and landscape level; 
  • between policy domains. 

The goal is to work with stakeholders to develop actionable knowledge for nature-friendly, climate resilient and water-efficient agriculture in multifunctional landscapes. 

Meeting in Middelburg 


Over the past few months, the consortium has held in-depth conversations with regional water authorities, provinces, municipalities, farmers’ organisations, nature conservation organisations, and other stakeholders. On Wednesday, September 16, a stakeholder meeting organised by i4CS together with the Province of Zeeland took place at the beautiful provincial office in Middelburg. The aim was to discuss the proposal and how we want to collaborate if the proposal is granted. Key questions included: 

  • How can we build on ongoing experiments and developments in the region? 
  • How can ongoing policy and area-based processes be supported by this research project? 
  • Which areas are important to study? 
  • And, very importantly: how do we want to work together if the project is funded? 

Outcomes 


The meeting yielded a wealth of useful input and starting points for collaboration, including: 

  • Strong enthusiasm for working through NEW CONNECTIONS on the transition to a future-proof water and food system in the Southwest Delta. 
  • Concrete agreements on how NEW CONNECTIONS can connect with and build on what is already happening in the region. 
  • Clear arrangements on how researchers and regional partners will work together in the research. 

More specific research questions, including:

  • How can visions on the future of agriculture and nature be reconciled? 
  • How can farmers, citizens and other stakeholders contribute to the implementation of these visions? 
  • How do changes at field, value chain, landscape, and policy scales interact? 
  • How, and by whom, can change processes be set in motion?  

        Next steps 


        The meeting has already led to new connections and to a research proposal that responds to the needs of stakeholders in the region. Over the coming weeks, the consortium will incorporate the input from the meeting and finalise the proposal, which will be submitted to NWO on October 6. 

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