Divided Wageningen How Do We See the Future of Agriculture? | P
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Can pigs live on grass?Business to provide ‘It was just like a house boost for Africa party here last night’ High feed prices make new look at old The idea that development aid and profi t Students and Wageningen locals live side challenge interesting. | p.10 | don’t go together is outdated. | p.12 | by side. Which can be tricky. | p.24 | RESOURCEFor students and employees of Wageningen UR no 3 – 13 September 2012 – 7th Volume Divided Wageningen How do we see the future of agriculture? | p. 22 (5(6SEHHOGLQGG 2 >> labour of love >> ARIEN + PARROTS Arien van Leusden, on the ICT support staff with Facilities and Services ‘When you leave he says doedoei’ It all started four years ago when his daughter got a bud- gie. And now it’s a nursery full of parrots. A time-consu- ming hobby. Arien van Leusden spends at least one hour a day on his parrot farm. Feeding the birds, cleaning and giving them some attention. ‘Did you know that a parrot has the IQ of a four- or fi ve-year-old child? They are very smart animals. You can teach them tricks and they can talk. The African Grey is the big talker among the parrots. You can have real contact with them.’ (see also www.pape- gaaienland.nl) RK / Foto: Guy Ackermans Do you have a colleague with an unusual hobby? Tip us off: [email protected] RESOURCE — 13 September 2012 (5(6SEHHOGLQGG PHOTO COVER: GUY ACKERMANS >>CONTENTS no 3 – 7th Volume >> 10 >> 16 >> 20 RESEARCH WITH A ROTTEN SMELL QUEUING PROPPING UP BOOKS, NOT THE BAR Conditions affect how fast a mouse For food, for books, for the bus... Student societies draw students with corpse decomposes. in the first week students spend a help studying rather than with fun. lot of time queuing. STIR The nice thing about journalism is that you often don’t know when you wake up AND MORE... in the morning what topic will demand your attention that day. There was little 2 Labour of love to suggest that the opening of the academic year on Monday 3 September would parrots set the sparks flying. After Jan Peter Balkenende, Kofi Annan and Bernard Wien- 4 News and opinion tjes, this year we had to make do with a horticulture frontman and an American 8 Science scientific networker. Luckily our board chair had a little surprise in store for us. 11 Resource.wur.nl Going against the tide of public opinion, he made a plea for more intensive agri- 12 Africa culture. 16 In the picture It was as if a bomb had gone off. At Resource we got letters to the editor again (a queues rare event now that discussions happen online), we got emails and phone calls 18 Flower power and we were accosted in the canteen. There was even a student demo in the 20 Student societies Forum. The turnout was pretty thin, but it was nonetheless remarkable for being 22 IMO a student demonstration against someone’s ideas rather than the more usual devils’ advocate? protest against a measure affecting students. A stir on the campus then. Well, at 24 Student least it got the academic year off to a spectacular start. 29 Column 32 Typical Dutch Gaby van Caulil names >> D66 is the most popular party on campus. See p.4 13 September 2012 — RESOURCE (5(6SEHHOGLQGG 4 >> news POLL: PVDA AND D66 COME OUT TOP and 47 for D66, the two parties dents Jolande Sap’s party is the one seat from students, none from ð 6WXGHQWVDQGVWDʼnVWD\WUXHWR could form a coalition themselves fourth biggest in parliament, with staff. WKHOHIW with a clear parliamentary majori- 20 seats, while among staff it is the ð %LJPDMRULW\IRUFHQWUHOHIW ty. third (19 seats). Roemer of the So- COALITION FRDOLWLRQ For the poll 611 students and cialist Party seems to appeal to Wa- Even with the Wageningen result it 181 staff members were asked on geningen students too, judging by would not be easy to form a left- Wednesday morning how they the 16 seats he gains. But among wing cabinet. An SP- PvdA-GL coa- If the new Dutch government would be voting. It turned out 6 staff the SP gets no further than 8 lition would arrive at 70 seats were to be elected by Wageningen percent of those asked were not seats. The VVD, too, does better (based on student votes). The UR, it would be dominated by the planning to vote at all and about 20 among students than among staff Christian Union could then help PvdA (labour) and D66 (a left-of- percent were still not sure what to (23 versus 15 seats). them reach a majority. There centre liberal party). So says a poll vote. The division of seats here is The right-wing PVV party hardly would be a majority for a centre- among staff and students held by based on those who had made gets a look-in in Wageningen. With left government, or a so-called pur- Resource on election day. Among their decision. 2 seats from the students and 3 ple one. Not for a centre-right one, Wageningen students both from staff members, Geert Wilders though. But then, this is Wagenin- Pechtold (D66 leader) and Samsom PVV remains a marginal fi gure here. As gen. And anyone who thinks the (PvdA) scored 34 seats. Staff are GroenLinks (the green left) does the 50+ party, which gets one place where they work or study is even more outspoken in their pre- remains a party to be reckoned seat from staff (and none from stu- typical of the Netherlands may be ference: with 44 seats for the PvdA with in Wageningen. Among stu- dents) and the pirate party, with in for a rude awakening. RR FOTO: GUY ACKERMANS FOTO: DIVISION OF SEATS AFTER STAFF POLL DIVISION OF SEATS AFTER STUDENT POLL 99'3YG$399&'$63'*/&86*33YG'SOXV 99'3YG$399&'$63'*/&86*33YG'3LUDWHQ è3$57<)25$1,0$/5,*+76 ‘SOCIAL LOAN SYSTEM IS CLEARER )2&86(672208&+21*2/'),6+é 7+$16/2:678'(17),1(é .HHVYDQ9HOXZOHFWXUHULQRUJD Rights. They focus too much on ,UHQHYDQGHU+HLMGHQ1XWULWLRQ the same certifi cate. QLFIDUPLQJ goldfi sh and whether the bowl is DQG+HDOWKVHFRQG\HDU I’m in favour of a social loan ‘I’ll be voting for Green Left, despi- big enough. Although I must say I ‘This is only the second time I’m system because that’s a lot clearer te their internal problems. They have a lot of respect for Esther able to vote in the national electi- than the slow student fi ne. Measu- want to reduce the tax on labour Ouwehand. ons and I have prepared thorough- res will be taken anyway and you and increase the tax on natural re- I have no idea what concerns ly this time. want a system that can work in the sources. That will improve the cli- my students, but I don’t get the I’m going for D66. I think edu- long term. It’s a lot of money but mate and the environment and impression they are very interes- cation is the most important issue. your prospects are clear. will also automatically keep people ted in the elections. We must invest in that if we want Apart from education, D66 also healthier. Other parties see these I’ll be voting this afternoon but to remain a knowledge economy. scores well on healthcare and na- as separate issues. They want heal- I fear the VVD will be the biggest In addition to their studies, it’s im- ture. They make good choices and thcare to be cheaper or an econo- party. No, wait, cross out VVD and portant that students acquire skills they remain vigilant. They are also mic recovery but they lack an inte- put PvdA instead. That’s a bit mo- through committee work: chai- progressive, and change really is grated view of things. I don’t quite re optimistic.’’ 6Y* ring, collaborating, being asser- needed now.’ NM dare vote for the Party for Animal tive. Otherwise everyone just has RESOURCE — 13 September 2012 (5(6SLQGG news << ',-.+8,=(1029(6'(%$7(21,17(16,9()$50,1*83$*($5 net in 2050. On top of that, the gument met with both declarati- Dijkhuizen had not expected ð &ULWLFLVPIURP:DJHQLQJHQ emerging economies will be more ons of support within Wageningen this response. He is pleased to UHVHDUFKHUV prosperous and consumers there UR and fi erce opposition: nine sci- see a debate, but preferably one ð 'LMNKXL]HQEHPRDQVHPRWLRQDO will be eating more meat and dairy entists wrote a letter to Trouw, the- that keeps sentiments out of it. ‘I UHVSRQVH products. That means we will need re was a small demo by students in am surprised to see how diffi cult to double food production levels Forum and resource.wur.nl was in- even scientists fi nd it to stick to per hectare.’ He repeated the mes- undated with 40 comments. Many facts in debates rather than emo- Chairman Dijkhuizen made a plea sage later that day on the two main of these critics felt that, as the tions. That is rather a cause for for more intensive farming on TV news programmes. head of an academic institution, concern.’ *Y& Monday 3 September in Dutch Dijkhuizen’s statements led to Dijkhuizen should have empha- Newspaper Trouw. ‘There will be a debate about the issues on Twit- sized the diversity of views, given See also pages 6 and 22.