Excursions and Summer Schools

An opportunity to visit different sites and understand first handed the Dutch agricultural systems. Cooperation was the main recurring theme, whether it was in the research, farming or political aspects. The Dutch infrastructure embodies to its core the word cooperation. No matter the field, they all try to work with all different stakeholders involved in the industry in order to develop, innovate and grow. Our excursion started in Wageningen University, their cut-edging facilities reflected their academic work. The Dairy farm “Eemland Hoeve” and the “World Horti Center” allowed us to see how a farm can have multifunctional uses by applying the right business plan and cooperation. We visited a protected nature area of “Natura 2000”, the Oostvaardersplassen, and observed how policies of nature preservation are actually put into practice. The discussion on nitrogen in the Parliament and the Ministry of Agriculture gave us a lot of insights as well as a clearer understanding of the current problems that the Netherlands are facing. Visiting an architect’s studio and “The Keringhuis” (the world’s largest moveable barriers) allowed us to understand the engineering of how the Netherlands has armed itself against high tides. This excursion made me realize the importance of the agriculture sector for the general well-being of the country, and about the endless possibilities that we have in this field after this master’s program.

During the Pentecost week, our students could gain practical insights along the whole agri-food value chain - from animal husbandry to food production, trade, markets and marketing.