WAGENINGENWORLD MAGAZINE OF WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY & RESEARCH ABOUT CONTRIBUTING TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE no.1 2020

Purifying water with wetlands Reusing sewage and industrial wastewater, page 34

Lovely Netherlands in 2120 Protein from beet foliage Better seed for Myanmar A more natural future ahead Sugar industry to extract Farmers benefit from less with nature-based solutions protein from beet leaves bureaucracy and an app CONTENTS

10 MAPPING A BRIGHT FUTURE In 100 years’ time, the Netherlands could be an attractive mix of green cities, sustainable agriculture and climate-proof nature, claim Wageningen researchers. If we tackle the spatial planning challenges with nature-based solutions. 18 PROTEIN FROM BEET LEAVES After the sugar beet harvest, the foliage is usually left in the fields. The sugar industry is going to extract the protein rubisco from sugar beet leaves. It can replace animal protein in foods. 34 PURIFYING WATER WITH WETLANDS Salinization and drought are increasingly causing shortages of freshwater in coastal regions. In the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen region on the southern Dutch coast, a Wageningen solution is being tested: purifying sewage and wastewater from industrial processes in wetlands.

COLOPHON Wageningen World is the quarterly magazine for associates and alumni of Wageningen University & Research and members of KLV, the Wageningen Alumni Network. A digital version of the magazine can be found at www.wur.eu/wageningen-world Publisher Wageningen University & Research Editor-in-chief Willem Andree Editorial Board Ben Geerlings, Ike de Haan, Jac Niessen, Marieke Reijneker, Irene Salverda, Antoinette Thijssen, Judith van Veen, Delia de Vreeze Magazine editor Miranda Bettonville Copy editor Rik Nijland Alumni news Anja Janssen Translators Clare McGregor, Clare Wilkinson Art direction Petra Siebelink (Communication Services, Wageningen University & Research) Design Gloedcommunicatie Nijmegen Cover picture Buiten-beeld Overall design Hemels Publishers Printer Tuijtel Hardinxveld-Giessendam ISSN 2212-9928 Address Wageningen Campus, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, 6708 PB Wageningen, PO Box 409, 6700 HB, Wageningen, telephone +31 317 48 40 20, [email protected] Change of address­ alumni [email protected] Change of address associates [email protected], mentioning code on adress label Change of career details [email protected]

The mission of Wageningen University and Research is ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important carbon neutral questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 5,000 employees and 12,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is natureOffice.com | NL-077-434311 one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines. print production

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4 UPDATE News in brief about research and developments at Wageningen University & Research

16 THE RISE OF LEGUMES IN AFRICA Ken Giller worked on improving the cultivation of legumes by small-scale African farmers for 10 years. ‘If a method is good, it spreads amongst farmers.’ PHOTO UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 22 PARTICLE PHYSICS COMBATS SECURITIES FRAUD Markets expert Joost Pennings hopes to be able Improving photosynthesis to identify fraudulent transactions on futures markets using technology from the Swiss particle physics ‘The world’s crop productivity is stagnating, whereas pop- laboratory CERN. ulation growth, rising affluence, and mandates for biofuels are making increasing demands on agriculture. 26 RESILIENCE OF CORAL REEFS Meanwhile, rising demand for cropland is competing with Marine biologist Lisa Becking has been researching the equally crucial global sustainability and environmental resilience of coral reefs in relation to the diving tourism protection needs. Addressing this looming agricultural cri- on the Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia. sis will be one of our greatest scientific challenges in the coming decades. We assert that increasing the efficiency 28 LONGER SHELF LIFE WITH SMARTER FILM and productivity of photosynthesis in crop plants will be A new packaging film that adapts to changing essential if this great challenge is to be met. This is precise- temperatures has been developed in Wageningen. ly what we have been researching at our university for the Fruit and vegetables packed in this film stay fresh past decade, and we have found numerous opportunities for longer. for re-engineering photosynthesis. These and any other opportunities discovered are dependent on fundamental 30 BETTER SEED FOR MYANMAR photosynthesis research, including that of WUR scientists. Government, farmers, businesses and NGOs in During our study in Illinois, we switched off a gene that is Myanmar are working towards better seed through responsible for the normal elimination of the toxin in the investments, a handy app and reducing bureaucracy. tobacco plant, and we added alternative genes for breaking down toxins, taken from an alga and pumpkin. As a result, the genetically modified tobacco plant can now produce 25 FEATURES per cent more biomass. Of course, we don’t have much use for a larger tobacco plant, but we want to apply the method to plants that are important to people. So we are now test- 40 LIFE AFTER WAGENINGEN ing our technique on potato and soya plants. Alumnus Gie Liem, a professor in Australia, took his The current engineering prospects range from simple al- students to visit his alma mater in Wageningen. terations, which have already shown signs of being feasi- ble, to substantial redesigns that haven’t left the drawing 44 UNIVERSITY FUND WAGENINGEN board yet, but that may be enabled by new developments in Artist Arne Hendriks wants to help scientists by looking synthetic biology and new understandings of photosynthe- at the protein transition through a different lens. sis. Although some proposed redesigns are certain to face obstacles that force us to find alternative routes, all the ef- 46 ALUMNI forts should lead to new discoveries and technical advances News for and about Wageningen alumni with important impacts on the global problem of crop pro- ductivity and bioenergy production. We shall have to test 48 PERSONALIA the modified crops stringently, but two things are clear: to Information about the lives and fortunes of Wageningen cope with the challenges of the future we are going to need alumni to improve the efficiency of photosynthesis, and a bound- less curiosity driving fundamental research is invaluable.’ 50 KLV Announcements from the KLV Wageningen Alumni Donald Ort, professor of Biology at the University of Illinois, Network was the main speaker at the Dies Natalis at Wageningen University this year.

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 3 EDUCATION ENTOMOLOGY Two Wageningen MOOCs in top 10 Farming flies for peace Two free online courses (MOOCs) Wageningen entomologists are helping former FARC fighters in provided by Wageningen University & Colombia to retrain as soldier fly farmers. Soldier flies are rich Research have been ranked among the in protein and can be used in animal feed. 10 best MOOCs in the world. They are ‘The Science of Beer’ and ‘Sustainable These flies are easy and cheap to rear on Marcel Dicke. After the peace agreement in Tourism: Rethinking the Future’. The organic waste. That results in animal feed 2016, many former FARC fighters turned to top 10 were chosen from 2600 MOOCs plus higher incomes. Karol Barragán small-scale farming but they found it hard offered on the edX platform. from Colombia received a doctorate in to make ends meet. Info: wur.nl/moocs Wageningen for her research on black The researchers aim to identify the ­soldier flies. Now she is using her knowl- ­optimum mix of manure and plant-matter PLANT BREEDING edge in the Insects for Peace project to help waste for the fly larvae. Karol Barragán: ‘If former guerrilla fighters start a new life. we can make the process more efficient, the Urine for beans Wageningen entomologists are cooperating farmers will be able not just to produce good with the Universidad Nacional in Colombia. animal feed for their own livestock but also on Mars ‘We want to foster a sustainable local to earn money from selling the surplus.’ An experiment by space farmer Wieger economy,’ says professor of Entomology Info: [email protected] Wamelink shows that green beans can be grown on the Moon or on Mars using fertilizer from human urine. The Wageningen researcher is attract- ing attention around the world with his experiments with crops in a closed ­agricultural system that could work on Mars, the Moon or the desert. Human urine could play a role here. Wamelink fertilized the green beans with struvite, a salt containing nitrogen and phosphorous that can be extracted from urine. The beans were sown in replica Mars soil, replica Moon soil or standard potting soil. Half the pots also contained struvite. The plants with ­struvite grew much better, particularly those in potting soil and replica Moon soil. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY Info: [email protected] Detecting cancer with biosensors

Two researchers, one from Wageningen and one from Twente, are developing biosensors that can detect cancer in the blood at an early stage. The method is fast and effective.

Pepijn Beekman in Wageningen is studying Beekman and Mathew won the Dutch 4TU biomarkers for his PhD research. He also Impact Challenge for their start-up ECsens. works at the University of Twente, where The prize consisted of tickets to the 2020 a former fellow student Dilu Mathew is World Expo in Dubai where they will be able investigating sensor technology. Together, to present their idea to potential investors. they have developed a detection method Beekman: ‘If all goes well, the technology for diagnosing cancer and enabling more could be on the market in six years.’

PHOTO HOLLANDSE HOOGTE targeted treatment. In November last year, Info: ecsens.com / [email protected]

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ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS

Wealth means more light PHOTO ESA / ANDRÉ KUIPERS

Income inequality can be deduced from the amount of light in satellite images, especially in less developed countries. These are often countries that have little in the way of data on incomes.

PhD candidate Usman Mirza was looking square kilometre, as measured by satellites houses while the poor live in slums or even for a new way to determine the degree of at night, by the number of people living in tents with less lighting. In general, your inequality in income distributions for his there. This let Mirza exclude uninhabited or light footprint increases in line with your research on inequality. Economists usually unlit areas such as industrial estates, forests income.’ use the Gini coefficient but reliable income and deserts. ‘Night light’ turned out to be The advantage of this method is that the data is needed to calculate this coefficient. a good indicator of inequality, especially data from different countries can be com- A study that mapped poverty in different in places where the rich and the poor are pared and also linked to other spatial data, neighbourhoods using Google Streetview segregated. ‘These are often also less de- such as land use or the availability of water. images gave Mirza the idea of examining veloped countries for which there is little or Mirza is an environmental economist. His satellite images and data. no data on incomes,’ explains Mirza. ‘Rich supervisor is professor of Aquatic Ecology The PhD candidate calculated the ‘light people live near to other rich people in Marten Scheffer. Gini’ by dividing the quantity of light per well-lit neighbourhoods in relatively large Info: [email protected]

WAGENINGEN ACADEMY Advances in Feed Evaluation Science Insects as animal feed. Climate-friendly cattle feed. These are or in learning about the latest advances in feed research and just two of the many outcomes of research on animal feed, the feed industry are welcome on the course ‘Advances in which leads to innovations, useful new insights and optimized Feed Evaluation Science’, which will be offered at the WUR diets. There are a great many technical innovations, trends campus. The course will cover pig, poultry, ruminant and pet and advances that are worth considering when we seek to feed and will include lectures given by experts from WUR and ­optimize the nutritional value of feed and feed ingredients. abroad. People interested in formulating precise mixed diets and/ www.wur.eu/academy

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 5 NUTRITION AND HEALTH PHYSIOLOGY Traditional Zambian Old muscles take longer drink to combat malnourishment to recover after excercise In Zambia, 40 per cent of children ­under The muscles of the elderly take longer to recover after exercise than those the age of five suffer from retarded of young people. That is because they are not as good at converting energy, growth due to malnourishment. Two discovered PhD candidate Bart Lagerwaard. traditional drinks that have declined in popularity in the cities could help chil- There has already been a lot of research on that is. It also turns out that physically active dren get more vitamins and minerals. muscle mass in the elderly, but Lagerwaard seniors are not only more muscular than less Sijmen Schoustra of the Laboratory of was looking for an explanation of why older active men of the same age but also that their Genetics supervised three PhD candidates muscles are not able to recover so quickly. mitochondria function better and their mus- in their research on the nutritional value,­ He focused on the mitochondria, which use cles are able to absorb more oxygen. microbiology and production of the oxygen to convert sugars and fats into energy. Info: [email protected] drinks. Mabisi, a fermented boiled maize Lagerwaard used a new method to test the porridge, and munkoyo, fermented milk, muscles of 20 young men and 20 men aged are both good for gut flora and they con- 65 plus. All his subjects were equally physi- tain vitamin B12. cally active. Info: [email protected] Using a device on the leg muscles, he meas- ured the use of oxygen by the mitochondria in the muscle cells. He discovered that the CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR older mitochondria took longer to recover. At least, those in the thighs and calves did. But Lagerwaard found that was not the case for the tibial muscles. ‘Not all muscles age in the same way, which is interesting,’ says

Lagerwaard. He now wants to investigate why PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK

SOIL GEOGRAPHY Light traces betray origins of sand grains Grains of sand can emit a light signal that activity in the seabed. Wallinga normally uses reveals where they come from. This ‘memory’ the signal to determine the age of different lets Jakob Wallinga find out what happens to soil layers but it can also be used to differenti-

PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK the sand that is deposited in the Wadden Sea. ate between the replenishment sand and the local sand. This method is new and will be More veg and Coastal erosion is causing the Wadden is- developed further in the Wadden Sea over the less meat lands to shift slowly towards the mainland. next few years. To stop this, five million cubic metres of Info: [email protected] Restaurant guests seem happy to have sand were dumped in the sea off the coast of somewhat less meat and more vegetables Terschelling in 2018. The idea is that the wind on their plate. However, they do then and sea will spread the sand in such a way as need more varied, colourful and ‘exciting’ to strengthen the island coasts. ­vegetables to be included, such as capers. However, it is difficult to predict what effect These findings come from experiments sand replenishment will have, says Wallinga, in various different kinds of restaurants who is a professor of Soil Geography and that were conducted by Wageningen Landscape. To track how the sand is spread- Economic Research in partnership with ing, he uses a luminescence signal from the Greendish, Unilever Nutrition Research sand grains that were added. That signal and the Louis Bolk Institute. developed in the sand’s place of origin deep

Info: [email protected] in the North Sea as a result of natural radio- PHOTO RIJKSWATERSTAAT

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PLANT BREEDING GREENHOUSE HORTICULTURE Tripling Saudi tomato harvests with less water

Greenhouse horticulturists in Saudi Arabia have managed to achieve an annual production of 80 kilograms of tomatoes per square metre. That is three times as much as the usual yield. Improved climate and irrigation control in which water was applied in a targeted manner using a computer program led to yields that were a factor three higher, while water usage was significantly lower. At present, Saudi commercial greenhouses require 400 litres of water to produce one kilogram of tomatoes. Greenhouse horticulture specialists at the research centre in Riyadh were able to reduce this to 80 litres of water. Hi-tech greenhouses require only three litres of water. Wageningen experts have been working for 13 years now on reducing the use of water and pesticides in the Arabian Peninsula, where the hot, dry conditions

PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK make agriculture difficult. Info: [email protected]

Plant performs better after BIOCHEMISTRY chlorophyll transplant Mould in aster

Plant scientists have managed to replace the chloroplasts in one thale cress inhibits tumours plant with ones from another thale cress plant. The technique could be used to In traditional Chinese medicine, the make plants grow better and faster. Tatarian aster is considered to be a

­medicinal plant. A team of international PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK Plants get their energy from sunlight. In ‘new’ chlorophyll. They can then determine scientists including researchers their chloroplasts, they use that energy which combinations of chloroplasts and from Wageningen has discov- to convert water and carbon dioxide into chromosomes maximize the efficiency of ered that an internal mould oxygen and glucose. Glucose feeds the plant the conversion process. ‘Modern plant in the flower produces active and lets it grow. Wageningen scientists are breeding methods allow us to create new substances that combat cancer studying thale cress in an effort to improve combinations of chloroplasts and chro- and immune diseases. They have this photosynthesis process. Now they have mosomes,’ explains PhD candidate Tom also figured out how the mould managed to replace the chloroplasts in one Theeuwen. ‘Now we have demonstrated does this. This knowledge plant with chloroplasts from another. They that this could result in plants that perform can be used to produce were also able to transplant mitochondria, better, a number of companies are interested the tumour-inhibiting the cell’s energy factories. This did not in finding out whether this could apply to and anti-allergenic change the genetic material of the plant’s their crops too.’ substances­ artificially. chromosomes. The study was published in January in the Info: This new technique will let the scientists scientific journal Nature Plants. [email protected] compare plants with similar ones with Info: [email protected] BIOFUEL CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Emphasizing animal welfare is not effective

Consumers are concerned about animal appreciate product marketing that plays to welfare but often still end up buying cheaper their curiosity or emotions, for example a products that are less animal friendly. picture of a happy animal on the packaging. ‘Marketing strategies geared purely to empha- Another option is putting ‘Did you know...?’ sizing animal welfare are not effective with on the packaging followed by facts about most consumers,’ says Lenka van Riemsdijk. ­animal welfare. Alternatively, the product’s She obtained her PhD in Marketing and improved flavour thanks to more animal- Consumer Behaviour at the end of 2019. friendly farming methods could be promoted. Her research shows that consumers mainly Info: [email protected] PHOTO WUR BIOINFORMATICS Fuelled by seaweed

In Denmark, a car has driven 80 kilometres­ on a mix of petrol and biofuel based on seaweed. That is a first. Wageningen Food & Biobased Research produced the biofuel in question — butanol — from sugars in seaweed. The experiment is part of the European research project MacroFuels, in which the Wageningen researchers work closely with TNO and the Danish Technological Institute. The car tests show that the mix performs just as well as ordinary petrol. Info: [email protected]

EDUCATION PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK Training for Iraqi researchers Bacteria help sugar beet Wageningen scientists will be training fellow scientists at six Iraqi universities If there is a risk of a fungal infection, bacteria in the roots can help protect in collaboration with the Institute for the plant. An international research team discovered which bacteria provide Water Education in Delft and ICRA Global. assistance. The researchers will modernize the uni- versities’ teaching methods by introducing New software developed by Wageningen The researchers used this knowledge to group work and practical assignments. ­bioinformatics experts make it possible to ­select two bacteria with a protective func- The six universities will also send one re- rapidly analyse the DNA of thousands of tion from thousands of bacteria in the searcher each to Wageningen, where they ­species of microorganisms in one go. As a soil, based on DNA analysis. Tests with will write a joint article on climate-proof ­result, scientists from the Netherlands, ­sugar beet showed that the selected agriculture and water management. The Brazil, Colombia and the US were able to ­bacteria are indeed effective against universities want to work with farmers to map the genetic diversity of communities of ­fungal infections. They also discovered find solutions for the shortage of water microorganisms. They discovered which of the ­bacterial gene responsible. and soil salinization. Karrar Mahdi, a the bacterial families living in the roots help The ­researchers, who include Wageningen researcher in the Soil Physics and Land the plant to protect itself. If there is a risk of plant scientists, believe this study marks Management chair group in Wageningen, a fungal infection, these bacteria produce an advance in the development of more is coordinating the project, which is fi- protective substances such as enzymes sustainable crop production methods nanced by the ministry of Foreign Affairs. that break down the cell walls of the with less pesticide. Info: [email protected] attacking fungi. Info: [email protected]

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BIODIVERSITY ROBOTICS Masterplan to save insects Robot trims hedge Wageningen researchers, manufacturer Over 70 scientists from 21 countries have come up with a plan of action to Bosch and five other European universities restore insect populations around the world. They advocate more varied farming have developed a robot that trims hedges landscapes and the gradual abolition of pesticides. and prunes roses. TrimBot2020 is fitted with 3D cameras and has a 360-degree All over the world, insect species are be- could be reduced. Furthermore, more re- field of vision. With its independently coming extinct and numbers of insects are search is needed on the impact of human ac- ­operating arm with pruning shears, it declining alarmingly. The reasons include tivities on insect populations. Collaboration is able to cut a bush into the shape of a the loss and fragmentation of their habitats, is also needed to protect and restore insects’ ­sphere or cube, or to prune roses. The pollution, the use of pesticides and climate habitats. ­process is slow and laborious but the change. David Kleijn, professor of Plant Ecology ­research has increased understanding of To kick-start the restoration and protec- and Nature Conservation, is one of the autonomous navigation, image analysis, tion of insects, an international group of 70 authors. ‘Two years ago, an alarming study deep learning and movement control. scientists published a roadmap in Nature was published showing a fall of 76 per cent That was the aim of this European Ecology & Evolution in January. ‘Insects in the number of insects in German nature Horizon 2020 research project. are incredibly important in a wide range of areas over a period of 27 years. We have Info: [email protected] nature services, some of which are indispen- signs that the decline is continuing apace, sable in food production and safety, for ex- for example based on research by the Dutch ample disease and pest control,’ they write. butterfly society. So something urgently To start with, steps could be taken already needs to be done. There are local initiatives to increase the natural variation in farming but key ­factors such as the loss of habitats landscapes and conserve protected species. and ­excessive use of insecticides must be Pesticides could be replaced by ecological ­combated across the board,’ says Kleijn. alternatives. Water, light and noise pollution Info: [email protected] PHOTO GUY ACKERMANS

ECONOMY Agricultural exports reach record high Dutch exports of agricultural products totalled 94.5 billion euros in 2019, up 4.6 per cent on 2018 and the highest figure for exports ever. This finding comes from Wageningen Economic Research and Statistics Netherlands. The Netherlands imported an estimated 64.1 billion euros worth of agricultural products in 2019. That means the agri- cultural trade surplus exceeded 30 billion euros for the first time ever; it accounted for almost 55 per cent of the overall trade ­surplus for goods.

PHTO SHUTTERSTOCK Info: [email protected]

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 9

CLIMATE

Mapping a bright future In 100 years’ time, the Netherlands could be an attractive mix of green cities, sustainable agriculture and climate-proof nature, claim Wageningen researchers in a vision paper. That’s if we tackle the spatial planning challenges with nature-based solutions.

TEXT NIENKE BEINTEMA ILLUSTRATIONS WUR

he first thing that strikes you is the amount of Solutions programme leader in Wageningen and one of green and blue. Dense forests on the Veluwe and the instigators of the report. He can guess at the reasons T on the sandy soils of Twente, Drenthe and for all the attention, though. ‘We are facing a number of Brabant. Green foreshores around the IJsselmeer bay, huge, complex challenges such as climate adaptation, restored wetlands in the peaty soil areas, wide rivers rising sea levels, the energy transition and housing con- meandering through the countryside. That is what the struction,’ he says. ‘All you hear in the media is doom Netherlands could look like in 2120, according to a scenarios. It seems like people badly need a more hope- ­diverse team of Wageningen scientists. Last December, ful outlook. A graphic can give them that: see how beau- they presented a detailed map in the vision paper A tiful it could be. It really won’t be all gloom and doom. ­natural future for the Netherlands in 2120. As long as we prepare for all those changes in time.’ As The report caused a stir in the Dutch media, and got cov- far as Van Hattum is concerned, this is the core message erage on TV, radio, social media, and in full-page articles of the vision paper and the pretty blue-green map: the in national newspapers. ‘We were quite surprised by all Netherlands could be a very attractive country in 2120, that attention,’ says Tim van Hattum, Green Climate and one that is climate-proof and offers scope for >

THE NETHERLANDS IN 2120 At the behest of the Dutch ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, 17 Wageningen scientists have come up with a vision on how to make the landscape of the Netherlands future-proof. This can help the country tackle the major social transitions ahead, such as climate change adaptation, the energy ­transition, agricultural reform, and urbanization. The main principle is to make optimal use of natural ­processes in spatial planning. Island chain forms foreshore and Natural freshwater separates different water levels estuary

Naturally fluctuating water level agriculture, home-building, industry and nature. It is hoped the report will provide inspiration and pointers for further thinking. ‘It is a very appealing picture,’ says Van Hattum. ‘But it is also well researched and realis- tic. It is not a utopian fiction.’

SAND REPLENISHMENT The vision’s starting point is the concept of nature-based solutions. The idea here is to take the natural processes at work in the soil, water and coast as the basis for tack- ling spatial planning challenges. Sand replenish- ment in the right places can automatically lead to a reinforcement of the dunes along the entire length of the Dutch coast. Dunes help with water purification, and green roofs are useful for tempering rainfall peaks IJSSELMEER WITH WATER LEVEL FLUCTUATION and keeping buildings cool effectively. Besides their pri- The water level of the IJsselmeer is kept stable around mary function, natural solutions often have additional the edges for shipping, with natural dynamic fluctu- positive effects – on biodiversity and the quality of life, ation in the middle of the lake. The Houtrib for example. dyke between Lelystad and Enkhuizen has Nature-based solutions produce dynamic systems been divided into sections, creating little that regulate themselves, adapting to changes islands with bridges between them. A such as rising sea levels. This makes them new freshwater delta has been created cheaper in the long run that static systems at the mouth of the IJssel river. made of steel and concrete. Van Hattum: Maintaining two separate water level ‘We consciously chose to present just one regimes is a new idea, which the perspective, and not to offer other scenarios ­researchers want to develop further. that involve using concrete or doing nothing.’ The reason for this is that the Wageningen ­researchers feel there has been too little interest in nature-based solutions. ‘We are quick to reach for technological solutions,’ says Van Hattum, ‘whereas worldwide forests and wetlands capture a lot of carbon and therefore have the potential to contribute

30 per cent of the necessary global CO2 reduction. And in the process they also increase climate resilience, bio­ diversity, health, quality of life and a whole lot more. That’s why we say: take a good look at this scenario. Just let this sink in.’ It is hard to say exactly what the cost-effectiveness of the scenario is, says Van Hattum. ‘The costs and benefits are much harder to calculate than they are with civil ­engineering solutions, because we have far more experi- ‘It seems people ence with those.’ Also, the advantages of nature-based solutions lie precisely in areas that are not easy to ex- badly need a more press in money terms. What is the monetary value of ­biodiversity, health, quality of life, or recreation? hopeful outlook’ ‘Precisely on those points, this scenario outstrips other solutions,’ claims Van Hattum. ‘We are convinced that

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this is more cost-effective. The next step is to calculate that properly.’

FANTASTICALLY BEAUTIFUL ‘Something fantastic Many of the elements on this map are not new, empha- sizes co-author Michael van Buuren, Landscape has been created, Architecture researcher at Wageningen Environmental Research. ‘What is new is that all those aspects are now and it is feasible too’ interlinked,’ he says. ‘That synthesis. The fact that something so fantastically beautiful has been created, which is actually feasible as well.’ Van Buuren’s role in this project has mainly been ­focused on freshwater. ‘Just look at the lovely lake zone with the Randmeren, the IJsselmeer and the Marker­ long run, you can expect other interesting species too, meer,’ he says. ‘Our proposal is to start managing them such as black storks and Dalmatian pelicans.’ in a very different way. You allow more water-level fluc- More woodland, more cities, and more wetlands too: tuation in the core zone, to create more natural dynam- that raises the question of how all this will fit in this ics. On the edges you keep water levels more stable, overful country. Tim van Hattum’s answer is: ‘We shall partly by creating foreshores and chains of islands. That have to explore where multifunctional use – combining is better for agriculture and for shipping.’ Following two functions – is possible.’ Examples include solar farms different water-level management regimes is a very new and marine protein production, nature-inclusive cities idea, Van Buuren stresses. ‘We want to work that out in and nature-inclusive agriculture. ‘Through the transition more detail.’ to more plant-based food, the right crop in the right Another striking feature is the wide rivers. ‘A lot of the place, and production at sea, we can further optimize water meadows along the Waal have already been desig- our agriculture and that will make room for new nated for temporary water storage and nature develop- functions.’ ment,’ explains Van Buuren. ‘We must carry on with establishing these zones. Instead of reinforcing the WIND FARMS dykes, Wageningen researchers propose a more natural Another noticeable feature of the map is how much of solution. On the inside of the existing winter dyke you the Netherlands consists of sea. ‘The part of the North can build small dykes with water and swamps in be- Sea that is Dutch is larger than our land surface,’ tween them, to hold back the groundwater that wells up says Martin Baptist, a researcher at Wageningen > at high water and wants to seep under the winter dyke and flow on. In the area in between, there can be space for wetland agriculture or nature.’ Wetland agriculture could give us reeds, wetland nature reserves, sphagnum moss and cranberries. You could even graze water buffa- WIDE RIVERS lo there, says the report. Columnist Bert Wagendorp in the Dutch daily De Volkskrant is looking forward to ‘deli- The rivers will have to be able to cious Dutch mozzarella’. carry more and more water. River beds are doubled in area. Instead of DALMATIAN PELICAN reinforcing dykes, you can build small In this plan, the IJssel river will become twice as wide as new dykes inside the current main dykes, it is now. ‘A wider IJssel can help dispose of the addi- with water or swamps between them that help tional peaks in the runoff from Germany.’ A wider IJssel push back water seeping under the main dyke at would also provide more space for new nature areas. high water. This area between the dykes lends itself to wetland crops ‘Thanks to nature development, we already have breed- such as cranberries. The river zone could also serve as a location for ing pairs of fish eagles in the country,’ notes Van floating homes. Buuren, ‘and there could be a lot more of them. In the

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 13 Floating island with Floating island Wind farms with natural hydrogen production for solar energy reefs, shellfish farms and

plant and CO2 storage seaweed cultivation

THE NETHERLANDS AT SEA The map shows large offshore wind farms and floating islands covered in solar panels. Transhipment in the ports can become floating too. Solar panels out at sea make no demands on scarce space on land, and they move with the rising sea levels. Mussels, oysters and seaweed are grown in the North Sea, mainly around the wind farms. Energy and Nature reserve food harvesting in the North Sea is combined with nature development, with nature reserves being established to create space and peace for species such as anchovies and porpoises. Natural reefs with flat oysters and sand mason worms can grow around the Marine Research and another of the project’s instiga- bases of the wind turbines. tors. ‘That part of the Netherlands is often forgotten. I am pleased that it is now on the map.’ There are large marine wind farms drawn on the map. ‘The cabinet has already decided to go for wind power,’ notes Baptist. ‘But those wind turbines don’t last 100 years. You can remove the old turbines, but you can also use the infrastructure, the piles for in- stance, for other purposes such as seaweed farms or oyster farms.’ The map also features floating ­islands full of solar panels. Placing solar panels out at sea makes no demands on scarce space on land. Because they float, they adapt to rising sea levels. ‘You can even make transshipment in ports floating,’ adds Baptist. The biodiversity of the coastal zone will be rich- er in 2120 than in the previous century, the report says. Species such as anchovies, porpoises, bottlenose dol- phins and humpbacked whales will be common again. Nature reserves will be established to give these species space and peace.

MUDFLATS UNDERWATER The western part of the Wadden Sea is not going to sur- ‘We don’t say: this is the vive the rise in sea levels, the researchers predict, and the mudflats here will disappear underwater for good. The way it’s got to be. We want eastern section will continue to be exposed at low tide. ‘To achieve that we shall need more sand replenishment to feed the discussion’ on the seaward side of Ameland and Schiermonnikoog islands,’ says Baptist. Another of the Wadden islands, Griend, is a lot bigger on the map than its current

14 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 CLIMATE

­dimensions. That too will have to be achieved with sand GREEN-BLUE CITIES replenishment. ‘We are not going to let such an impor- tant bird island disappear.’ So the Wadden Sea will New economic hubs are no longer developed in the urban change, but will be no less diverse. Rising seawater west of the country, but on higher sandy soils further inland. temperatures will also attract new species Cities are full of trees and surrounded by woodland, for the such as flamingos, bottlenose dolphins sake of biodiversity and to temper the heat island effect in and whiptail stingrays. the city. There is a lot of open water to improve the city Sand replenishment will continue ­climate and provide a buffer for weather extremes. to be necessary not just in the The dominant building material is wood. Wadden Sea but all along the Dutch coast, especially given that the dunes will be twice as broad as they are now. That will take millions of tons of North Sea sand every year. ‘People often think that costs too much,’ says Baptist. ‘But the alternative, a techno- logical solution, is far more expensive. And doing nothing is the most expensive of all. The Dutch cities of the Randstad will be protected by the dunes. And we really can maintain those dunes ‘A technological solution with nature-based solutions for next to nothing.’ is much more expensive’ POLITICAL CHOICES So all this is possible, but it does mean going into action – something all three researchers stress. ‘It is important to make political choices that look further ahead than the four-year term in government,’ says initiator Tim van Hattum. ‘But that is tricky. And at present problems The Wageningen researchers have also presented their are often tackled seperately. Nature, agriculture, bio­ vision to the ministries of Agriculture, Economic Affairs, diversity, climate, water safety, urban development, Home Affairs and Infrastructure and Water and so on… But of course, all these things are inter­ Management. ‘It seems like we have struck the right connected. Our solution contributes something positive chord,’ notes Van Hattum. ‘I think we’ve sparked off in all these areas.’ something all the way up to the top.’ So what is needed, according to Van Hattum, are not Of course there are still plenty of questions to be an- separate major programmes for water safety and bio­ swered: both technical scientific questions and socio- diversity, as we have at present, but an integrated Delta economic ones. But Van Hattum stresses that the Plan that brings it all together. Wageningen vision is realistic, even with our current The media hype about the project has already drawn knowledge and possibilities. ‘Whether it is also a desira- ­reactions from ministries and businesses. ‘Big construc- ble scenario is not within our brief. That is for the politi- tion companies want to contribute to making the cians to decide.’ Netherlands a healthy and pleasant place to live, by In other words, this is not a blueprint. This is a possible helping to figure out how to create green and climate- line of reasoning, which takes us in the direction of an proof neighbourhoods, for instance,’ says Van Hattum. integral future-oriented vision for the Netherlands. ‘So ‘It really isn’t the case that all they want to do is build we don’t say: this is the way it’s got to be. We want to houses, but they often run up against rigid legislation feed the discussion. And if you ask me, that is already and old-fashioned contracting systems. So that is working rather well.’ W ­another plea we are making to the government: do something about this. Facilitate those companies.’ www.wur.eu/netherlands2120

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 15 TEN YEARS OF N2AFRICA The rise of legumes in Africa Ken Giller has worked on improving the cultivation of legumes by small-scale African farmers for 10 years. His approach has brought significantly bigger yields and incomes to over half a million farmers. Now the project is coming to an end. ‘If a method is good, it spreads amongst farmers.’

TEXT ALBERT SIKKEMA PHOTO GEORGINA SMITH / CIAT PLANT CULTIVATION

e had a formula,’ says Ken Giller, ly higher yields and incomes in 80 per cent professor of Plant Production of cases, says Giller. ‘W Systems. ‘Leguminous crops plus And so N2Africa achieved good results with 80 per cent of the Rhizobium bacteria fix nitrogen from the air, half a million African farmers. Yet Giller is giving you a natural fertilizer. That is a big reluctant to call it an unqualified success, farmers benefited advantage. Together with fertilizers such as ‘because it didn’t work everywhere.’ Not all phosphate and potassium, it ensures a good farmers managed to get better harvests with from the method yield. We had successfully tested this for the the N2Africa treatment, and it was not clear project in small-scale experiments, and then why that was. we rolled it out through N2Africa.’ For 10 years, Giller promoted the cultivation of YIELD GAP these legumes – beans such as the common Giller’s group set up trial plots everywhere bean, soyabean, peanut and chickpea – with four sections: one for the crops alone, among small-scale African farmers, with one with the crops and bacterial inoculants, the aim of improving their food production. one with the crops and artificial fertilizer, The funding from the Gates Foundation has The main funding came from the Bill and and one with all the relevant inputs. Broadly stopped now, so N2Africa is over. But in a Melinda Gates Foundation, which contribut- speaking, the trial plots with all the inputs way, it is not, says Giller. ‘If a crop or a prac- ed 52 million US dollars. produced the highest yields. But something tice is good, it goes on spreading among the The project worked to ensure that farmers in odd happened too. ‘In theory, you get the farmers.’ He points to research by the 11 African countries gained access to seed of biggest increase in yield on the plots with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation new varieties of grain legume crops. As well low soil fertility, where the yield gap – the chair group on the distribution of new seed as seed, the project helped to organize the difference between the actual and the poten- in Africa. If a farmer gets hold of better seed, supply chain so as to ensure access to the tial yield – is biggest. But that is not what he passes it on to an average of 4.5 more necessary fertilizers and the appropriate came out of our tests.’ ­farmers. ‘Based on the 600,000 farmers we Rhizobium bacteria for fixing nitrogen. After extensive analysis, the researchers reached directly, the N2Africa method prob- Preliminary studies were done in every found two more causes of the variation. ably reached up to 2.5 million African ­country to see which crops would be the best Firstly, the cocktail of good seeds, inocu- farmers.’ choice to match local needs and habits, the lants and phosphorus didn’t work at all on And on top of that, says Giller, N2Africa climate and the soil composition. Studies about 10 per cent of the plots. ‘Some soils worked with 30 to 40 local partners in every were also done to find out which Rhizobium were so exhausted that nothing would grow country, including national research centres, strains would be most effective. on them,’ says Giller. Secondly, the variation radio stations, and seed and artificial ferti- in yield turned out to be related to the way lizer producers. Those partners may contin- IMPROVING SALES the plot had been treated in the past. ue to spread N2Africa’s methods. ‘If we The rise of legumes Poor agricultural infrastructure was a bottle- This meant some fields had more micro­ want to measure the impact, we should take neck for the project. The seeds, inoculants nutrients, potassium and magnesium another look in five years’ time.’ W and artificial fertilizer that the project sup- ­available than others, and that had an effect plied and tested were not widely available on the yield too. www.wur.nl/n2africa in rural Africa, and sales outlets for the in Africa ­legumes were poorly developed. The project teams in the 11 African countries therefore sought the cooperation of dozens of local partners to help improve the marketing and ‘RELEVANT CONTRIBUTION’ distribution system. Most of the farmers the project reached, about The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the UK evaluated the claims made by 600,000 in all, benefitted from the N2Africa the N2Africa project, on the basis of interviews with small-scale African farmers in formula. Many of them had never worked Ethiopia and Ghana. The IDS reported that N2Africa made a relevant contribution with bacterial inoculants and talked of a to expanding soya cultivation in northern Ghana. In Ethiopia, N2Africa made a key ‘magic black powder’. In combination with contribution to the production and supply of inoculants and to making farmers good management – early sowing, and more aware of these nitrogen-fixing bacteria. weeding – the formula produced significant-

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 17 SUGAR UNION EXTRACTS PROTEIN FROM WASTE STREAM From worthless leaves to valuable powder BIOREFINERY

After the sugar beet harvest, the leaves are usually left in the fields. That is set to change. In a demo factory, the sugar industry is processing the beet leaves into the protein rubisco, which can replace animal protein in foods.

TEXT ARNO VAN ’T HOOG PHOTO HOLLANDSE HOOGTE

t first sight, it looks like flour or milk pow- ‘You start by grinding up and pressing the der, but the substance the Cosun factory in sugar beet leaves, which gives you a juice Dinteloord makes out of sugar beet leaves is that still contains tiny fibres and sand. The practically pure rubisco, the enzyme that juice goes into a centrifuge and comes out as transports carbon dioxide in plants towards a clear, dark green liquid.’ The green colour the photosynthesis process. Rubisco is not a comes from the proteins with which the household name, and yet it is the common- plant captures light. They react to heating est protein in the world in terms of mass. by coagulating and then get left behind in a Whenever you eat lettuce or spinach, half second centrifuge. The liquid that comes the protein on your plate is rubisco. In its out, which contains the rubisco, is a light pure form, it can be an interesting ingredi- greenish-brown colour. ‘That colour comes ent for use in protein foam, sauces and other mainly from polyphenols, which make fruits food applications. and vegetables change colour when dam- But first you need to get hold of a pure and aged. We remove them with membrane fil- economically viable form of rubisco. Besides ters. After that the juice looks pure enough protein, leaves consist largely of water, fibre but the aftertaste is still green and extremely and chlorophyll. It takes a lot of steps to ­bitter.’ The juice then flows through a porous turn the one to two per cent of rubisco they column with a resin that the odour and contain into a powder. On the factory floor ­flavour components stick to. And the last in Dinteloord, in an area the size of two stage is drying it to form a protein powder. ­volleyball pitches, stands a shredder the height of a man, a press, centrifuges, FLAVOURLESS POWDER ­membranes, columns and drying apparatus. Making rubisco powder odourless and This collection of stainless steel machinery ­flavourless is essential for using it in foods was able to process 1500 kilos of sugar beet such as sweet foams, as an emulsifier in leaves per hour during the harvest period sauces or a binding agent in a veggie burger, from September to December. says Bussmann. ‘The steps in the refining The process revolves around stripping process are not straightforward. We have the leaves step by step, removing the solid detailed knowledge of the flavour compo- components, colour, smell and taste, says nents involved here and how you can re- The Dutch sugar beet industry Paul Bussmann, senior researcher at move them with resin columns. And for ­covers about 80,000 hectares. Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. these kinds of technological developments Each hectare of sugar beet Bussmann started the research on develop- you need to be able to bring together ex- ­produces about 20,000 kilos of ing rubisco purification 10 years ago, and perts from different disciplines, such as leaves, of which the protein rubisco has registered a patent for the refinery protein and process technologists, project makes up one to two per cent. technology. leaders and commercial types. Two PhD >

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 19 Sugar beet leaves are ground up and juiced.

­research projects in Wageningen have also to process waste streams from large vegeta- a large commercial factory. You discover all played an important role in developing the ble-processing companies. Bussmann: ‘You sorts of things and you design things before- refining processes.’’ can isolate rubisco from the outer leaves of hand that then turn out differently to what lettuces too. That factory processed 150 kilos you had in mind. In this phase you can make EGG SUBSTITUTE of vegetable waste per hour. So we could do those mistakes and make improvements, Rubisco can be a substitute for protein ­experiments to see whether it was worth because most of the apparatus is hired.’ from hen’s eggs in many foods. Because no ­scaling up. Sadly, the cooperative decided ­animal is involved, the powder has potential against continuing with a larger factory.’ BEET HARVEST in the market for plant-based and vegan Another important purpose of the demo foods. Bussmann: ‘We know that rubisco EXCLUSIVE PATENT ­factory is to find out what the return on in- performs very well in comparison with egg Meanwhile, Green Protein had obtained vestment is. ‘You can lose some of your pro- protein, whey protein and soya protein. ­exclusive patenting rights to the rubisco tein at every stage. That can only be studied That means you don’t need as much of it. ­refining process, and at the end of 2018 the on the factory floor, which is why we wanted So we don’t look so much at the powder’s company was itself taken over by Suiker Unie, to gather as much information as possible nutritional value, because that is not what the Netherlands’ largest sugar beet proces- during the beet harvest over the four months the industry pays for. Companies want to sor. This company, part of the Royal Cosun up to just before Christmas,’ says Kosters. know: does it foam, does it gel, does it cooperative, already processes other waste Although work in the demo factory went on emulsify? If it does, the price shoots up by streams such as sugar beet pulp, and wants around the clock in a three-shift system, and a factor of 10 or more.’ to develop alternative sources of protein too. 1500 kilos of leaves were pressed per hour, The demo factory in Dinteloord is the finish- The demo factory, which went into opera- this was still only a fraction of the total ing line for now of years of development. It tion at the end of 2019, was built with the ­harvest of sugar beet leaves. Even a large- all began 10 years ago when Bussmann and aid of a large European project grant of scale commercial rubisco factory could only his colleagues at TNO started extracting ru- 4.2 million euros. process 5 to 10 per cent of the Dutch sugar bisco from algae and sugar beet leaves. The ‘That EU grant is very important for research beet leaves, reckons Kosters. About 20,000 group transferred to Wageningen Food and on the technical and economic feasibility, kilos of leaves are produced from every Biobased Research two years ago. By then too,’ says Paulus Kosters, co-founder of ­hectare of sugar beet, and Dutch beet the researchers could already manually Green Protein and nowadays senior protein ­production covers about 80,000 hectares. make a few kilos of pure rubisco out of programme manager at Cosun. ‘Half of the Kosters: ‘The availability of sugar beet leaves hundreds of kilos of leaves. amount is being used to set up the factory is not a limiting factor for now.’ The Dutch start-up Green Protein was inter- and the other half for research. Such a big During the first practical test, the entire ested in the patented process and with ­investment is often a stumbling block, ­process was examined and developed. ‘We ­funding from a large French cooperative, whereas you really do need a demo factory on could only proceed to the next step of the a small pilot factory was built in Normandy this scale to help you decide whether to build ­refining process once the previous step was

20 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 BIOREFINERY PHOTOS SUIKER UNIE The juice is purified, rid of colour, smell and flavour, and dried into protein powder.

grasses, green fertilizers or alfalfa, a crop that is mainly used as livestock feed at pre- ‘Companies want to know: does it sent. We have screened a number of crops in the laboratory. Now that the factory is up foam, does it gel, does it emulsify? and running anyway, we can test them on a bigger scale. It won’t be as extensive as the research on sugar beet leaves, but we can ­learn a lot from it as well.’ Given that rubisco only makes up a tiny per- centage of the leaf mass, the process creates stable. The goal for the first year was a stable doing so you could end up concentrating a lot of leaf waste at the factory. Currently, process on this scale, and then the produc- other, undesirable substances. So you can’t sugar beet leaves only stay behind in the tion of protein. Only in the final weeks of the say: rubisco powder is no different to leaf fields, but the pressed leaf fibres could be sugar beet harvest did we run through the ­vegetables. The turnaround time for an used for livestock feed, says Kosters. And ­refining process from start to finish, and EFSA dossier is a year or two. That is all the liquid waste streams might contain oth- produce protein.’ part of the investment. The chances of it not er usable substances. ‘We will research that being approved are very small, but the sub- too. But for the first few years, we are focus- REGISTRATION WITH THE EFSA mission does affect when you can launch sing on the protein. That product has to be Those batches of rubisco are now being sub- the product on the market.’ profitable to produce.’ jected to further research, explains Kosters. At this point, Kosters cannot predict when Their chemical composition and character- ENDIVE AND LETTUCE the demo factory will have delivered enough istics are being studied, as well as ways of The demo factory will not stand still for information to make it feasible to upscale to a processing them in demonstration products the eight months until the next sugar beet large-scale installation that can refine 15,000 for food companies. The rubisco powder is harvest begins. In that time, a number of kilos of leaves per hour. ‘That is affected­ by also being used to put together a food safety summer crops are being experimentally all sorts of commercial decisions about in- dossier so it can be registered with the ­processed into rubisco powder, says vestments and estimates of the market­ for European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Kosters. ‘A commercial factory will not be ­rubisco powder. Our ambition is to market a This involved checking whether the powder able to operate at a profit if it is only open commercial rubisco product for food produc- can provoke allergic reactions and whether for four months a year. You need to be able ers in 2022. Whether we’ll be talking about it contains any harmful substances. to process crops and leaf waste almost all tons of powder straightaway should become Rubisco is a natural protein isolate, says year round. We are going to run trials with clear in the course of next year.’ W Kosters, but the EFSA looks at other issues vegetable crops such as endive and lettuce, as well. ‘You are refining a protein, and in and also with field crops such as certain http://greenproteinproject.eu

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 21 Particle physics helps combat securities fraud

Markets expert Joost Pennings hopes to be able to identify fraudulent transactions on futures markets using technology from the particle physics laboratory CERN in Geneva. This might make it possible to prevent stock market crashes and fraud.

TEXT KENNETH VAN ZIJL PHOTO BLOOMBERG / GETTY IMAGES

hey did wonder what on earth an Pennings won a data set with transaction data that broke the rules. Agri-business traders ­economist from Wageningen was do- from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange buy and sell grain or potatoes, for instance, ‘T ing among all those physicists and Group (CMG), the largest stock market in the on the futures market in order to cover Nobel Prize winners at CERN,’ says Joost world for futures trading. CMG had run a themselves for the consequences of price Pennings, professor of Marketing at competition for the data. Universities could fluctuations. ‘Sometimes the price goes up Wageningen. CERN is the centre in Europe submit plans outlining what they wanted­ to and down in nanoseconds. Nowadays many for fundamental research on elementary study using the data from the ‘Limited Order transactions are generated by algorithms,’ particles. During a guided tour with an Book’. ‘I think our reputation was the deci- says Pennings. ­acquaintance who works at the site of the sive factor. Not many people know this, but One of the problems in analysing the particle accelerator in Geneva, Pennings Wageningen is a world leader in research on Limited Order Book is that economists do had a brainwave: he saw a similarity between commodities future markets.’ not have the tools to analyse this big data, the billions of collisions between elementary which can amount to thousands of tera- particles over ultrashort timespans and the USING TRANSACTION DATA bytes. So Pennings wants to make use of millions of transactions that take place on Pennings and his Wageningen colleagues ROOT, a CERN program which is capable of the stock exchange in hundredths of a want to study whether it is possible to use storing and analysing the gigantic quantities second. data from the Limited Order Book to find of data generated by the millions of elemen- ‘The people at CERN told me that most out whether transactions have taken place tary particle collisions in fractions of milli- ­collisions go perfectly. Only if a collision is imperfect, or if a particle moves abnor- mally, does it throw up new insights. On the stock exchange, if the bid price and the ­offer price are the same, you have a transac- tion – in CERN terms, a perfect collision. ‘We are going to store and If that is not the case, something is up. I suddenly saw an analogy with the data analyse the transaction data’ we had just received.’

22 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 TRADE AND ECONOMICS

Particle physics helps combat securities fraud

A trader on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, November 2017

seconds. It then converts them into graphics sells the trader’s own contracts at a profit. why it is ultimately up to the law courts or the which reveal any deviations in the collisions All this happens in nanoseconds. In 2010, financial market authority to determine or movements. ‘Together with the people spoofing led to a flash crash in which one whether there is any question of spoofing.’ from CERN, we are going to store and ana- trillion dollars’ worth of stock exchange Pennings has just embarked on a three-year lyse the big data on transactions in ROOT. ­value evaporated on the Chicago Mercantile research project, and cannot yet say what the The question is whether we shall find devia- Exchange in a matter of seconds. data will reveal. He now has stock exchange tions that way.’ ‘The buying and selling of commodities on data from 2015 at his disposal. Maybe that the futures market should always be based was a very virtuous year in which no one SPOOF INTEREST IN BUYING on correct information. That is a fixed rule ­behaved badly. Pennings laughs: ‘There is One of the anticipated anomalies appears of the game. In spoofing, the information is never a dull year on the stock exchange, when a trader uses algorithms to put a series false because the buyer has no intention of ­never. You see, we are going to go ahead of buying orders on the market at just below actually buying. That is not allowed.’ with CERN and we don’t know exactly where than the market price. This creates the Pennings wants to use ROOT not only to track we’ll end up. There is a chance that it leads ­impression that there is a lot of interest in down spoofing, but also in the end to be able to something relevant to society. The only buying. Other traders notice that and buy to say how much risk there is that spoofing is thing we know for sure is that it’s going to the forward contract, thus pushing up the about to occur, based on monitored market be very interesting.’ W price. This ‘spoofing algorithm’, as it is transactions. A forecast based on analysis of called, then cancels the buying orders and big data can be wrong too, of course. ‘That is www.wur.eu/wur-cern-joinforces

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 23 Lisa Becking researches the coral reefs around the Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia. MARINE ECOLOGY

‘Coral reefs are social-ecological systems’

Marine biologist Lisa Becking has just come back from an expedition to the coral reefs around the Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia. Her view of nature as a social-ecological system is reflected in the diverse crew she took along with her. At the university too, she is strongly in favour of diversity.

TEXT ROELOF KLEIS PHOTO ERIK MEESTERS

he coral reefs of the Raja Ampat ment of the six marine nature reserves in the PHOTO BARBARA KIEBOOM ­islands to the west of the Bird’s Head area? And what can we learn from that for LISA BECKING T Peninsula, West Papua, are a paradise nature reserves in other parts of the world?’ on earth and home to nearly 600 species of Raja Ampat gets promoted for tourism pur- Lisa Becking (1978) is a coral and 1500 species of fish. But how long poses precisely because the reefs are still so tropical marine biologist will these reefs withstand the consequences beautiful. ‘That tourism context was impor- and an assistant profes- of warming seawater and a growing tourism tant for this expedition’, says Becking. sor in Wageningen. She industry, wonders marine biologist Lisa ‘Tourism has increased by more than a fac- graduated in Biology at the Becking. She is just back from an expedition tor of 30 since I first went there 10 years ago, University of Amsterdam to the region, where the team studied the from 900 visitors per year back then to (2004) and got her PhD state of the coral. For once, not because it is 30,000 now.’ at Naturalis Biodiversity degraded. Actually, the coral here is thriving. The expedition went to two marine protected Centre and the University areas, which are exploited for tourism to dif- of Leiden (2012). Becking Many reefs around the world have been fering extents. Almost pristine reefs were has received various grants ­affected by ‘global bleaching’: increased sea- compared with spots visited by large num- and last December won the water temperatures causing the world’s bers of tourists. The programme included L’Oréal UNESCO Award for reefs to become bleached and die off. ‘But the usual ecological measurements to gauge Women in Science. Becking not in this area,’ says Becking. ‘Here the the quality of the reef. What was different writes a monthly column ecosystem appears to be resilient. Why is about the expedition vessel the Temukira, in the Dutch newspaper that? Is it the biology, the enormous diversity though, was the make-up of her crew. de Volkskrant. here, or could it be thanks to the manage- Besides ecologists and biologists, there >

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 25 were also sociologists, economists, model- lers and engineers on board. Ecological and ­hydrodynamic research at sea went ‘It is important for the university hand-in-hand with sociological and eco- nomic research onshore. The firm convic- to become more diverse’ tion behind this is that nature conservation and the resilience of nature are inextricably bound up with human activity. ‘Humans have a big impact on coral reefs,’ explains Becking. ‘We’re taking a social-ecological I want to integrate those processes into my now there are three high-speed ferries a approach to ensuring the resilience of the work more.’ week. There is an airport. The number of Marine Protected Areas in the face of B&Bs, most of them huts on poles, has shot ­growing tourism and development. This So you need knowledge about humans in up. Villagers who used to live from fishing ­approach explicitly links the resilience of order to understand and protect nature alone now combine it with tourism-related ecosystems to governance structures, eco­ better? activities.’ nomies and society.’ ‘Humans influence nature and nature influ- ences humans. Nature reserves visited by lots Last December, Becking received the Is that a new insight? of tourists are social-ecological systems. L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in ‘Not really. The human factor has always Tourism is a given, and trying to keep them Science for her research in Raja Ampat. been an aspect of my work. The fieldwork away is no longer realistic. I think there is a The aim of the award is to support women always starts with a cup of tea with the better way of protecting nature by assuming­ scientists in their academic career, thus kepala­ kampung, the village chief, to ­explain that humans are an integral part of the sys- contributing to getting more women into what we want to do and to ask permission tem and thinking about how you can change top academic jobs in the Netherlands. ‘I am to work in the area. Local people always behaviour and adapt policy. No, I haven’t on a tenure track. Most scientists embark join us on the boat, and I always ­learn suddenly turned into a sociologist. My aim is on that with the idea of working towards a loads from them about the area, their inter- still to understand the natural system, but professorship.’ action with nature, their work and village that system has become larger for me, and life. Only it has never been part of my now I work together with social scientists.’ Does a scientist have to be ambitious? ­research before. At some point, I realized The effects of the tourism are clearly visible, ‘I think all scientists are ambitious, only that half of what I observed never got into especially on land, says Becking. ‘You start their ambitions take many different forms. my papers. Nature conservation of coral seeing social change, in terms of the activi- At the moment the definition of a successful reef systems depends on both ecological ties taking place in the village. Access to the academic is extremely narrow: someone processes underwater and socioeconomic area has increased substantially. Two years who is competitive, writes a lot of papers processes at work above the water line. ago, there was a slow boat every two weeks; and brings in a lot of funding.’

EXPEDITION The Resilience of the Richest Reefs expedition to the Raja Ampat islands (West Papua, Indonesia) in January studied the resilience of coral reefs in relation to diving­ tourism in the area. It was financed by the KNAW from the SPIN programme, and by the Dutch Young Academy. The team consisted of scientists from the Netherlands and Indonesia as well as local teachers, nature conservation organizations and policymakers. Besides Becking, WUR was represented by the coral ecologist Erik Meesters, the economist Eva van den Broek, the modeller Ingrid van de Leemput, the sociolo- gist Machiel Lamers, and the PhD students Ludi Aji and Ery Atmodjo.

26 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 MARINE ECOLOGY

­science, rather than expecting individuals, unrealistically, to excel at everything.’

Becking’s ideas about diversity and her views on nature as a social-ecological system are ­reflected in the varied, international crew of the expedition she led. They did the research together as far as possible. So the ecologist went along on visits to villages, and the soci- ologist helped take measurements at sea. As far as is practical, of course. ‘We talk a lot about multidisciplinary work, but it is quite difficult to put into practice,’ says Becking. ‘You don’t speak the same language. By being in the field together in close proximity to the problem, and seeing how other people go about their work, you gain a better under- standing of the kind of data people collect and how that relates to what you do.’ PHOTO JOOST BOTTEMA

Lisa Becking studies the sponges of the coral reef. How did that work out? ‘The cooperation was spectacular. Everyone had a very open attitude to it. I learned a lot from other people’s methodologies and ­approaches. For example, natural scientists What’s wrong with that? about being able to be a successful scientist are used to following protocols and instruc- ‘In itself, it produces perfectly good scien- in different roles and with different talents. tions for their work, and taking measure- tists who do great research. The disadvan­ That would include being an inspiring lead- ments. Sociologists do that too of course, tage is that such a narrow definition creates er, for instance – people who know how but they deliberately leave some room in a very specific image of what makes an to get the best out of their colleagues. Or their conversations with people for seren- ­excellent scientist. It is important to broad- people who are excellent teachers or who dipity, the unexpected and coincidental. en that image so that it reflects a range of engage in dialogue with the general public. That creates the possibility of obtaining un- different people. And by doing so, to make By changing the evaluation system, you expected but highly relevant information. the university more diverse. It’s not about ­create a different academic culture and make That ­interests me. I want to see whether I ­lowering the bar, but about appreciating a room for a wider range of people. The way can build it into my research design as well.’ more diverse range of qualities. Just as an the evaluation criteria at WUR currently The aim is for this pooling of perspectives to ecosystem benefits from high diversity, I work, to become a personal professor you lead to a more complete knowledge of the think the university is stronger – and, frank- have to be a “sheep with five legs”, as we say system. The L’Oréal-UNESCO grant gives ly, nicer – if it has people with diverse talents in Dutch. I see extremely good scientists Becking five months to flesh out the idea, and qualities. Also, the complex scientific doubting if they should stay in academia which she is doing at the Netherlands and societal challenges facing us today call ­because they don’t recognise themselves in Institute for Advanced Study in the for a range of different solutions and there- the evaluation criteria for full professor. But Humanities and Social Sciences (NIAS) in fore for a range of different approaches and luckily, change is in sight. The Universities Amsterdam. ‘I get the space there to think, talents. Nationally, Wageningen scores Association, the Dutch Research Council write and work on new ideas for proposals. poorly on the percentage of female profes- (NWO) and the Royal Academy of Arts and It’s funny really, that you need a grant sors. That could be partly due to that narrow Sciences (KNAW) have written a position to get a chance to think. The peace you definition.’ paper called Room for Everyone’s Talent. In it, need to be able to think associatively and they argue for recognition and rewards not come up with new ideas is really something So we should make more room for just of research and publications but also ­ we should build into our daily lives as diversity? for valorization, science communication, and ­scientists.’ W ‘Yes. Diversity includes gender and cultural education. I think we should aim for teams background, and goes beyond them. It’s of people with different talents. Team www.wur.eu/richestreefs

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 27 Longer shelf life with smarter film A new packaging film that adapts to changing temperatures has been developed in Wageningen. Fruit and vegetables packed in it stay fresh for longer.

TEXT PAUL DE JAGER PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK

t was a stroke of luck. Eelke Westra’s in airtight material, the oxygen runs out and the film remains closed and the product

­colleagues at Wageningen Food & the CO2 level goes up. Then the cells can’t is kept at the right gas concentrations. In I Biobased Research were working on a absorb any more oxygen to generate energy warmer conditions, the permeability to film with high barrier properties, but when with, and they die off.’ ­gases increases so that the oxygen that is

tested, the material they had developed However, respiration in fruit and vegetables needed can go in and the CO2 that is pro- ­proved as leaky as a sieve. ‘We were extreme- depends on the ambient temperature. The duced can go out. ly happy about that. We saw application rate increases at higher temperatures, and The new material is a thermoplastic polymer ­potential as packaging film and we carried goes down at colder ones. And the new film made up of a polymer that keeps the materi- on developing the idea,’ says Westra, reacts to this, adjusting its permeability to al flexible and strong and a polymer that ­Post-Harvest Quality programme manager. gases depending how long the product has ­regulates the gas permeability. ‘As far as we ‘Step by step, we arrived at a new dynamic been in the fridge or at room temperature. know, that is unique,’ says Westra. ‘There packaging material that is highly suitable As a result, the packaged product stays fresh is no existing material with these properties. for the packaging of fruit and vegetables in a for longer. So we think we stand a good chance of modified atmosphere.’ ­obtaining a patent and of developing future OPTIMAL CONCENTRATIONS applications.’ Fruit and vegetables are made up of living ‘We aim at an optimal gas concentration in

cells which absorb oxygen and emit CO2, the packet for keeping the product fresh,’ SLOWING DOWN DECAY ­explains Westra. ‘If the products are packed explains Westra. Under cold conditions, In the food supply chain, much effort goes into keeping temperatures consistently low, to slow down decay. This is not entirely suc- cessful. Fruit and vegetables can be exposed to higher temperatures in transit, and even in the shop. As an example, strawberries might be displayed somewhere prominent ‘There is no existing material but outside the chilled section to stimulate impulse buying. with these properties’ Fresh products are exposed to temperature fluctuations after purchase too. A shopping

28 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 INNOVATION

When cold, the foil stays closed and optimal gas concentrations are maintained

The respiration rate in fruit and vegetables goes up with the temperature

bag can get very hot on a summer’s day. And at home, consumers do not always store food in the best place. The new packaging material adapts to this, extending the shelf life of When hot, the foil becomes more fruit and vegetables and thus preventing permeable to gases so the oxygen food waste. that is needed can go in and the The new packaging material has the biggest CO2 that is produced can go out effect on products with high respiration rates such as strawberries and mushrooms. ‘Those products benefit from a regulated composition of the atmosphere, but current- ly they cannot be packed in film because that will make the gas conditions deteriorate limiting factor,’ thinks Westra. ‘The raw we’re here for as a research institute.’ quickly. Packed in our new film, though, the ­materials are no more expensive and the But no matter how biobased it becomes, it products keep the right gas concentrations, ­manufacturing process is well-known.’ will still be packaging, notes Westra. ‘After which lengthens their shelf life.’ use, it is waste, and we want as little waste as This packaging has already been tested on REPLACING THE FOSSIL COMPONENT possible. And yet we do need to use it, as it pears and mushrooms. The pears remained Westra does have some reservations about has a protective function, which extends the firm, which is considered a quality yardstick. this innovation. The new packaging materi- shelf life of products. The packaging can be At this stage, the research on mushrooms al has a fossil component and a component used for communication too. You can put a mainly focused on the permeability proper- made out of starch, which is biodegrada- sticker on it with product information and ties of the film. The research results were ble. ‘We don’t have to just accept the a barcode. And the ecological footprint of promising enough to start exploring com- amount of fossil material used,’ believes the plastics used is considerably smaller than mercial applications. ‘We are now talking to Westra, ‘We can carry on working towards that of food that is needlessly thrown out.’ W producers of packaging material. They see a replacing that component with biobased market for this. The cost price will not be a material as much as possible. That’s what www.wur.eu/sustainablepackaging

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 29 Better seed brings progress to Myanmar

Farmers in Myanmar find it hard to get ore and more farmers in Myanmar have access to smartphones,’ hold of quality seed. Wageningen scientists ‘M says Abishkar Subedi of the Wageningen Centre for Development are working on this with the government, Innovation. ‘That is why we developed the free app Quality Seeds, which they can use to farmers, businesses and NGOs. This has buy baskets of seeds. A basket is a standard already led to less bureaucracy, new measure in Myanmar.’ Subedi leads Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) investments and a handy app. ‘Now I can Myanmar, a project in which Wageningen scientists work with the Myanmar govern- buy a small rice thresher and send my ment, agricultural research and develop- ment organizations, farmers, national and children to school.’ international seed companies, and NGOs on strengthening the seed sector. TEXT ALEXANDRA BRANDERHORST On his smartphone, Subedi opens the English-language demo version of the app,

30 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 AGRICULTURE PHOTO YE AUNG THU / AFP/ ANP Farmers sowing their fields in Magway, July 2019

which won a certificate of merit in Hong ity seed, running the risk that it has sold out Kong last year at the Asia Smart App by the time they get to the producer. The app Awards. The app is speech-controlled in solves that problem. Burmese, so that illiterate farmers can use it. The story of farmer U Aung Myo Thant from ‘Local seed The home screen shows pictures of rice, Central Myanmar illustrates the importance ­sesame, peanuts and legumes such as chick- of good seed. He grows rice, chickpeas and germinates peas, pigeon peas, black grams and green green grams, but finds himself forced to grams. Users can choose a crop variety and grow local varieties from seed from previous poorly and gives growing season, whereupon the app shows harvests. ‘That seed germinates poorly, and the nearest seed producers and how many produces seedlings that are not uniform, low yields’ baskets they have in stock. The farmers can and gives low yields. So our product doesn’t then phone the producer to reserve seed. fetch a good price and we get into financial ‘Over the whole of Myanmar there are about difficulties as a family,’ he says. 15,000 small-scale seed producers who are The app has given him better access to also farmers, as well as a few national seed ­quality seed. It solved a problem for seed companies,’ says Subedi. Sometimes farm- producers too. Subedi: ‘Seed producers ers have to travel great distances to buy qual- need registered seed as propagation >

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 31 32 WAGENINGENWORLD Subedi. ISSDMyanmar runstrainingcours- train youngpeopleatalllevels,’explains nowto shut itselfoff.Itisveryimportant ­studied abroad,butafterthatthecountry ‘There arestillafewolderpeoplewho simple techniquesforincreasingyields. artificial fertilizers,forexample, or about sector. Thereis notmuchknowledgeabout history hashadanimpactontheagricultural before itbecameademocracyin2011.That closed totheoutsideworldforover30years regime,Myanmarwas Thanks toitsmilitary ­within amonthviatheapp.’ available. Nowtheproducerknowsthat whether theorderedregisteredseedwas the governmenttotellseedproducers sixmonthsfor themselves. Itusedtotake mate­ tries, includingNigeria. ­research institutestoimprove theseedsectorin12sub-Saharancoun- work withlocalfarmers,companies,NGOs,governmentbodiesand Ever since2010,WCDIhasalsoledISSDAfrica,inwhichseedexperts Development Innovation(WCDI). says project leaderAbishkarSubedioftheWageningen Centre for people eatamore variedandnutritiousdiet,farmersearnmore,’ bigger andmore reliable harvests,andasaresult, foodsecurityincreases, of a widerangeofimproved varietiesofnutritiouscrops. Thatleadsto Cooperation (DGIS).‘We are workingontheavailabilityofqualityseed is fundedbytheDutchgovernment’s Directorate-General forInternational which worksonimproving theseedsectorinMyanmar. Theprogramme Since 2017,Wageningen hasbeenleadingtheISSDMyanmarproject, ISSD MYANMAR WORKSONFOODSECURITY rial, inordertoproducecertifiedseed | 1 | 2020 DISEASES ANDPESTS is contributingtothat(seeinset). quality andmarketing.Aneducationproject tension workersandadvisorsonproduct seed. Thesectoralsoneedsagriculturalex- troduce themtonewvarietiesandquality seed producers,anddemonstrationstoin- es onbusinessmanagementforsmall-scale harvest ofgreengrams waswashedaway rainfall. Inoneparticulararea,the entire grown, floodsmoreoftendueto heavier inthewest,where alotofriceis delta longer periodsofdrought.Bycontrast, the Myanmar isexperiencingmorefrequent and problems relatedtoclimatechange. ‘Central and seedproducersalsofacemore Besides alackofknowledge,thefarmers of diseases.To achievethis,thewholesup much moisture,brackishwaterortolerant which aremoreadaptedtodrought,too of cropssuchassesame,legumesandrice, the farmersneedseedsofresilientvarieties causing diseasesandpests,’saysSubedi.So temperature andweatherconditionsarealso regions.Thechangesin ­lower-lying coastal ­recently. Salinizationisadvancing inthe have beenchanged andtime-consuming these discussions,rulesandregulations to seewhatcanbeimproved.Asa result of government bodies,businessesand NGOs every sixmonthswith with consultations with theMyanmarMinistryofAgriculture, tion andtrade.Theprojectworksclosely from theplant-breedingendtoseedproduc ply chainforseedisbeingprofessionalized, MYANMAR - -

PHOTOS ABISHKAR SUBEDI AGRICULTURE

­bureaucratic procedures such as licensing procedures for seed producers have been BETTER AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION simplified and speeded up. One of the challenges for strengthening the seed sector in Myanmar is the lack of Foreign seed companies can do business in knowledge and well-trained people. Wageningen is therefore engaged in improving Myanmar more easily now too. The Dutch agricultural education in Myanmar. At present, after their three-year programme, ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch graduates of the 15 regional agricultural colleges do not have the knowledge the embassy in Yangon are helping to stimulate agricultural sector needs, says project leader Herman Snel of the Wageningen trade, partly through financial support for Centre for Development Innovation. ‘We identify the needs on the labour mar- ISSD Myanmar. ket and help organize regional councils for consultations between educational ‘It used to be a terrible job to get hold of ­institutions, agricultural organizations, companies and government bodies. We ­information about all the licences you needed.­ also advise the government and encourage cooperation between ministries and Companies had to submit applications to the public and private sectors, to secure more support for agricultural education.’ three different departments,’ explains Subedi. The education project is led by Aeres Group from Wageningen, and the programme Nowadays an English-language website is financed by Nuffic, the Dutch organization for internationalization in education. launched in 2018 provides clear information­ about licences for the import, production and sale of seeds. Through this website, the Myanmar Seed Portal, companies can also apply through a single channel. The applica- tions are dealt with behind the scenes by spe- cially trained staff. ‘The country is allocating 800 SEED VALLEY International companies such as Rijk-Zwaan hectares of land to companies’ and East -West Seed sell seeds of crop varie- ties from other South-East Asian countries in Myanmar, says Subedi. ‘Myanmar also wants to produce its own local seed for rice, legumes, oil seeds, maize and vegetables, thereby creating more jobs. To this end, the country is allocating 800 hectares of land in effects of this on the farmers, the ISSD team boss decides something, it happens.’ Central Myanmar to both local and interna- interviewed 1300 farmers. ‘In total, about Myanmar is the poorest country in South- tional companies.’ This ‘Myanmar Seed 62,000 farmers benefitted directly from East Asia and the government is determined Valley’ will also offer facilities for storage, quality seed,’ says Subedi. Among them was to change that. ‘When they see how good the processing, packaging and training. farmer Ma Thein Nu from Chaung Oo, who agricultural sector is in Vietnam and the The ­government hopes to attract foreign grows rice, chickpeas and green grams. The Philippines, they think: we want to achieve ­investors and companies with tax exemp- seed she received germinates well and pro- that too.’ W tions. The government also has plans for duces high yields, she says. ‘Our incomes the small-scale seed producers, who are have gone up. I can now buy a small rice www.wur.eu/issd-myanmar ­required to start working in seed coopera- thresher, send my children to school, and tives. ‘It is easier to organize training cours- renovate our house.’ es and to obtain loans if we work together,’ ‘We are moving in the right direction,’ WCDI explains Subedi. ISSD Myanmar has carried Subedi remarks. The project leader expects WCDI’s course ‘Integrated Seed out pilots for the establishment of local seed that the seed sector in Myanmar will be Sector Development’ will be offered producer cooperatives. The small compa- competitive in South-East Asia in five to again in Wageningen in May. nies that participated had more seed to trade ten years. ‘The culture in Myanmar is hierar- www.wur.eu/academy and saw their turnover go up. To ­assess the chical. The advantage of that is that if the

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 33 Purifying water with wetlands ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

Purifying water with wetlands

Salinization and drought are increasingly causing shortages of freshwater in coastal regions. In the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen district on the southern Dutch coast, a Wageningen solution is being tested: the purification of sewage and wastewater from industrial processes in wetlands. This could provide a buffer supply that the entire district can draw on in the summer months.

TEXT RENÉ DIDDE ILLUSTRATION JEROEN MURRÉ INFOGRAPHIC STEFFIE PADMOS ‘Plants contain enzymes that break down substances such as ibuprofen’

hat salinization of freshwater in the called a helophyte filter, now on a small cubic metres, are the biggest water guzzlers coastal provinces of the Netherlands ­scale, but potentially several hectares in size. for Dow. ‘We try to go on reusing that cooling T would become an ever more serious The filter is a natural basin – which Rijnaarts water as long as possible. To protect our pipes problem was something Huub Rijnaarts calls a ‘constructed wetland’ – that provides we have to add anti-corrosive materials, as well already knew 10 years ago. ‘In the deltas of natural purification. ‘The wetland removes as chemicals to control legionella bacteria. China, Vietnam and Bangladesh, we could organic matter and micro-pollutants that Because a lot of this processed cooling water already see problems, with an insufficient pose problems for the reuse of the water in evaporates during cooling after hot processes, influx of freshwater from the hinterland agriculture and nature, or for the desaliniza- the residue that remains gets more and more combined with the increasing infiltration of tion of the water.’ concentrated and salty,’ explains Groot. Dow salty seawater due to rising sea levels,’ says The first applied tests by WaterNexus are discharges this water in the Westerschelde the professor of Environmental Technology. ­taking place at Dow Benelux, which has the ­estuary, to the tune of about 1.5 million cubic In recent years, the message has got through biggest chemical plant in Western Europe in metres a year. in the Netherlands too that an adequate sup- Terneuzen. The plant needs 20 million cubic This wastewater can be treated in ply of freshwater to households, farms and metres of cooling and processing water a WaterNexus’s helophyte filter to make it fit industry can no longer be taken for granted. year. ‘This company’s main production for reuse, say Groot and Rijnaarts. The wet- The dry summer of 2018 caused particularly ­resource is under pressure. In times of scar- lands are not in contact with ground- and serious problems, with lower agricultural city, industry is the first to be cut off from surface water. And the biological purification yields, shortages of irrigation, cooling and the pipeline. That hasn’t happened yet in the in such wetlands can break down much more drinking water, and shipping brought to a Netherlands, but in an emergency, drinking chemical pollution than a lot of people imag- standstill. water and water for sensitive nature get ine, says Rijnaarts. Industrial process chemi- The Rhine and the Maas rivers supply water ­priority,’ says Rijnaarts. The farmers, who cals that Dow adds to the cooling towers could to almost all of the Netherlands through a increasingly need water to irrigate both their be broken down in the scaled-up wetlands of smart system of channels and pipelines. The arable fields and their greenhouse crops in the future. That is WaterNexus’s ambition. province of Zeeland is the exception. It is not the summer months, are not at the top of ‘The chemicals could be broken down in a directly connected with this ingenious main the priority list of water consumers either. small, controlled area of the wetland, after water system and depends for its freshwater And given the salinization of surface water, which the water flows through to the main on a 120-kilometre-long pipeline from the they cannot just pump water out of the area for storage,’ says Rijnaarts. There humus storage basins in the Biesbosch wetlands ­ditches to water their fields. hydrocarbons are also removed that are natu- nature reserve. ‘Particularly in dry summer rally present in water and become concentrat- periods, people and industry in Zeeuws- CONDENSING STEAM ed due to the evaporation of water in cooling Vlaanderen are very dependent on the scant Dow Benelux, which is encountering a fresh- towers. ‘The whole process creates a supply supply of freshwater from this pipeline. water scarcity not just in Zeeland but at many of good quality water for getting through the And during a long and severe drought, delta locations around the world, can reuse dry season.’ an adequate supply is not guaranteed,’ about half the water used in its plants. ‘By says Rijnaarts. condensing the steam from the production EIGHT BASINS OF REEDS process into water, for instance,’ explains On a small trial plot in Wageningen, PhD WETLAND ­water specialist Niels Groot, professor and student Thomas Wagner demonstrates what Since 2015, he has been doing research in water technologist at Zeeland University of this gentle, biological purification process in the WaterNexus project on the potential to Applied Sciences. Dow obtains the other half a wetland looks like. Eight basins containing collect used freshwater and brackish water of the water it needs from Evides water com- algae and reeds are irrigated with ‘cooling and to purify and reuse it, starting in pany. ‘Some of that water comes from the water’. ‘It is not the real saline cooling water Zeeland. He is doing this with 24 partners: pipeline from the Biesbosch, but in order to from Dow; I replicated that water in the cellar universities, research institutes, consultancy be less dependent on river water, especially in of our lab,’ says Wagner. ‘The basins contain firms, technology suppliers, water boards the summer, we get some of it from purified sand to which humus particles stick, and and water companies. A total of 15 PhD domestic wastewater from the municipal the plant roots absorb disinfection and ­students and two postdocs are doing wastewater treatment installation run by ­anti-corrosion substances, which the micro- ­research on different aspects of the topic. the water board in Terneuzen,’ says Groot. organisms on the roots then break down At the heart of the project is something The cooling processes, which take six million ­further.’ A number of the basins contain >

36 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

IIAIN WI WAENE The WaterNexus project researches the biological purification of industrial and household wastewater in ‘constructed wetlands’ in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. Toxic or undesirable non-biodegradable matter is removed using purification technology either before- hand or afterwards.

Plant roots and micro-organisms break down the organic contaminants

Industry Agriculture Households

Chemical pollution is Plants contain enzymes that can purified in a controlled break down organic chemicals section of the wetland such as ibuprofen

Unwanted no-biodegradable matter is removed with purification technology

Then the brackish water is already suitable for flushing toilets or as cooling water

The surface water in Zeeuws-Vlaaderen, like many other parts E of the world, is plagued by salinization. For some forms of Ion-selective reuse, the water is desalinized afterwards. New energy-saving Porous membranes techniques are used for this, which were developed in electrodes selectively let Wageningen. attract and positive or absorb salt negative ions ions through

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 37 ‘And farmers from the surrounding area could store their surplus water from the ‘We can design an alternative fields in the winter in this kind of wetland,’ adds Johan Elshof of the farmers’ branch water network for the whole ­organization ZLTO. ‘In times of drought in the summer, they could pump it back ­to­ of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen’ water their outdoor crops.’

TOXIC CHEMICALS WaterNexus does not focus exclusively on gentle, biological techniques, though. ‘For a strikingly few plants. ‘In those we have hundred square metres with larger quanti- few substances, such as non-biodegradable looked at the breakdown of the same sub- ties of cooling water than the 150 litres a day chemicals, we use hard chemical decontam- stances by sunlight,’ says Wagner, who re- I test here. Eventually we’ll need a few ination technology to extract them from the ceived his PhD for this study at the end of hectares.’ water,’ says Rijnaarts. ‘Before the wetland February. And that is not all, says Rijnaarts. ‘Plants have treatment for toxic substances for the plants One of the things he studied was how to enzymes at their disposal that work in the or organisms in the wetland, or afterwards if achieve optimal aeration of the roots and the same way the human liver works to break they are problematic for reusing the water.’ micro-organisms by letting the water flow down waste products. The cytochrome P450 For some applications it is necessary to de- through the basins both horizontally and enzyme system, for example, can break salinate the water too. With desalinization vertically, and varying the speed of the flow. down organic chemicals such as the medi- techniques, the researchers want to be able He also studied the optimal order for the cine ibuprofen in wastewater.’ Making use to reduce the salinity of the wetland water ­basins. ‘The main lesson is that we shouldn’t of these plants would mean that domestic to any level required. ‘Some crops or nature aim to break down as many pollutants as wastewater in Zeeland towns doesn’t have areas can cope with a bit of salt water, and possible in a single basin,’ says Wagner. to be discharged into the sea but can be pu- toilets in houses and business premises can ‘Every time, you should leave just enough rified in a wetland and saved for reuse. That be flushed with brackish water too,’ says the pollution for the reeds in the next basin to is a good method for all domestic wastewa- technologist. If the water for industrial or have something to do as well, so they can ter in the Netherlands, which is full of phar- agricultural purposes needs to be less salty, grow and break down the contaminants.’ He maceutical residues. It might also be then WaterNexus wants to use the most adds: ‘We want to work with these kinds of feasible to purify water left over from the ­energy-saving desalinization techniques. compartments in the real-life situation too, cultivation of bell peppers and aubergines in So not only using reverse osmosis, a widely in what we call engineered or constructed the greenhouses of Terneuzen in the basin. used technique, pushing saltwater through wetlands.’ At first he succeeded in breaking down 40 per cent of the anti-corrosion mate- rials, and now he has reached an elimination WATERNEXUS rate of 100 per cent. ‘The micro-organisms need to be given time to evolve and to adapt WaterNexus is a project in which partners collaborate on new solutions for the to the pollution.’ water supply in coastal zones facing shortages of freshwater. It is financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) through the ministry of Infrastructure and Water UPSCALING QUICKLY Management and supported by 24 partners. Besides Wageningen University Meanwhile, similar basins have been in- & Research, they include six other universities (the University of Amsterdam, stalled on the site of Evides water company VU University Amsterdam, Utrecht University, and the Technical Universities of next-door to the Dow plant in Terneuzen, Delft, Eindhoven and Twente), research institutes such as Deltares, KWR, TNO, where the optimal configuration figured out and STOWA, consultancy firms (Witteveen+Bos, RH-DHV and Fugo), technology in Wageningen will be tested on real cooling ­suppliers, water boards and the water companies Evides, Oasen and WLN. water. Wagner does not expect problems. WaterNexus is coordinated by Professor Huub Rijnaarts of the Wageningen ‘I hope that after this test, Dow can quickly Environmental Technology group. upscale to the demonstration scale of several

38 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

a membrane so that the salt stays behind The valuable flora and fauna that the wet- on the membrane filter. That uses a lot of lands foster is an important aspect for the energy for pumping and for cleaning the Netherlands too, says Rijnaarts. It means membrane. WaterNexus is considering two ­cycling and walking routes can be part of the energy-saving techniques developed in landscape. So WaterNexus has invited the Wageningen: electrodialysis and capacitive nature conservation organization deionization (see illustration). Natuurmonumenten, the nature manage- If the purification process in the trial basins ment agency Staatsbosbeheer and some is upscaled to the level of large natural reed ­environmental organizations to collaborate filters used in combination with these more on a follow-up project aiming to strengthen HUUB RIJNAARTS heavyweight techniques, Rijnaarts thinks it the green dimension of the concept. ‘You professor of Environmental Technology: can produce a sizeable buffer of water that see,’ says Huub Rijnaarts, ‘whether there is the whole district can draw on in the sum- a WaterNexus project or not, nature is going ‘Cities can combine green mer months. WaterNexus therefore wants to be faced with salinization due to rising to create models that calculate the supply sea levels. Salt can have negative effects, but water purification with of and demand for water of different quali- we can also create unusual nature areas out harvesting rainwater from ties, with a view to honing the management of freshwater-saltwater transition zones. of the ‘second-hand water’. Rijnaarts: ‘We And don’t forget that these wetlands don’t extreme rainfall’ can soon develop an alternative network just purify water; they also absorb the green- of this kind for the whole of Zeeuws- house gas CO2, thus contributing to climate Vlaanderen, reducing its dependence on mitigation.’ salinization to other deltas. Several twinning the Biesbosch pipeline. This design could projects are already part of the WaterNexus be in place in 10 years.’ WATER IN AMSTERDAM project. In the city of Khulna in Bangladesh, What can be done in Zeeland can also be a proposal is being drawn up to purify urban FISH IN THE DESERT done in other coastal provinces, reckons wastewater instead of discharging it into the Shell is involved in WaterNexus too. Rijnaarts. In Amsterdam, for instance, the river. Rijnaarts: ‘Once treated, that urban Environment manager Albert Janssen: ‘The supply of freshwater in dry summers is water supplies clean fresh water that can be project is interesting because it researches dwindling due to the diminishing influx used for agricultural purposes.’ In Ho Chi integral solutions for the real world.’ Shell from the Rhine and the IJsselmeer. At the Minh City in Vietnam, the Saigon and the needs cooling and processing water too, but same time, more and more saltwater is Mekong rivers converge in the Mekong delta. also ends up with water that is discharged seeping into the soil from the polders and ‘There are enormous industrial estates there when fossil fuels are extracted from deep through the big new locks in the North Sea with hundreds of companies that cannot get layers of rock at all its oil and gas extraction Canal at IJmuiden. Reusing water purified any more processing water from the rivers locations around the world. ‘This produc- in wetlands could be part of the solution because seawater has infiltrated beyond the tion water can contain a wide variety of salts. to this. ‘Just like all big cities, Amsterdam factories’ intake points,’ explains Rijnaarts. So we are very interested in how the wet- needs to create more green infrastructure Three PhD students, two of them Vietnamese, lands can improve the quality of this water to cope with overheating in the city and are researching the possibility of using a and which plants can grow in it,’ says make it more liveable,’ says Rijnaarts. ‘What wetland in combination with hard technolo- Janssen, who studied in Wageningen and is more, cities can combine green water gies for the reuse and storage of water,­ and has been a part-time professor in the purification with rainwater harvesting from for purifying industrial wastewater. But in Environmental Technology group for several extreme rainfall, helping to prevent flooding other countries such as China, Qatar, Oman years. In the Gulf state of Oman, Shell’s of the sewerage system.’ and Saudi Arabia too, a combination of wet- partner Petroleum Development Oman has Together with the Institute for Advanced lands and desalinization technology could created a wetland on the edge of the desert. Metropolitan Solutions and the water board contribute to an extensive reuse of water, says ‘We are exchanging experiences with Waternet, Rijnaarts is studying various op- Rijnaarts. ‘There too, WaterNexus wetlands WaterNexus on that. There are now all sorts tions for improving the Amsterdam water have a lot to offer.’ W of birds and fish in a place where there used system. There is also potential for exporting to be nothing but desert.’ this way of thinking about freshwater and http://waternexus.nl/

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 39 ALUMNUS GIE LIEM TAKES HIS AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS TO THE NETHERLANDS ‘I have praised Wageningen to the skies’

After his PhD in Wageningen, nutrition researcher Gie Liem left for Melbourne. Regardless of the enormous distance, he comes back regularly, and this year he brought a group of enthusiastic Australian students with him. ‘The links between nutrition research, government and industry are strong in the Netherlands.’

TEXT MARION DE BOO PHOTOGRAPHY GUY ACKERMANS

rapped up warm in woollen scarves ‘I want our students to get an international and hats, a group of Australian perspective.’ W ­students walks across Wageningen Campus with a biting east wind against GENERATING KNOWLEDGE them. At home last week it was over ‘The Netherlands is the second biggest food 30 degrees. ‘I’m practically freezing to producer in the world. In this country, the death,’ says a girl in a thick down jacket. knowledge generated in Wageningen gets ‘I had hoped it would get even colder,’ says ­applied in agricultural practice. Australia is a fellow student. ‘I’ve never seen snow!’ 183 times bigger, but is only in 15th place as Nutrition expert Gie Liem (45), who took a food producer. And the Australian food the initiative for the study tour, can’t help ­industry is a lot less innovative than the Dutch laughing. ‘Some of these students have one. A nice thing about this kind of study ­never been outside Australia,’ says Liem. tour is that you have so much more contact ‘That is why we organize our International with your students. I chat a lot with them Food and Nutrition Study Tour every other about their career prospects and I encourage year. It’s a two-week tour of top-ranking them to seize the opportunities they get, for ­international research institutes, and I’ve example by finding out about the options for taken my students to various countries, further studies in the Netherlands. I have ­including the US, Thailand, Singapore and praised Wageningen to the skies to my > Malaysia. This year it’s time to visit the Netherlands.’ Liem embarked on a degree in Human Nutrition in Wageningen in 1994. He is Alumnus Gie Liem, associate professor at now associate professor of Sensory & Deakin University in Melbourne, with his students Consumer Science at Deakin University of Nutrition and Dietetics on campus in in Melbourne, Australia. His motive? Wageningen.

40 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 LIFE AFTER WAGENINGEN

ALUMNUS GIE LIEM TAKES HIS AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS TO THE NETHERLANDS ‘I have praised Wageningen to the skies’ without having to pay extra tuition fees.’ The group’s hostess on this bitter Wednesday morning is Monica Mars, who ‘I want our students started her degree in Human Nutrition in 1994, like Liem, and is now an associate to get an international professor in the Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour chair group. Mars and Liem did perspective’ research together on children’s flavour pref- erences as part of their graduation thesis work. And that is still a relevant theme in this chair group. ‘You cannot make children unlearn their inborn preference for sweet things, but you can teach them to enjoy new students.’The group is made up of 27 Centre, communication about nutrition flavours,’ says Professor Kees de Graaf, who BSc and MSc students of nutrition and ­research to the general public is done well taught both Mars and Liem 25 years ago. He ­dietetics, most of them women. Some of here. There are lots of ex-Wageningen is now leading a large-scale research project the participants are already working in the ­students at the Nutrition Centre.’ focussing on the potential for influencing food industry and are doing a Master’s at Conversely, two groups of Wageningen the preference for sweetness, with a view to the same time. There is also a paediatrician PhD students have travelled to Australia, weight loss. Test subjects follow a sweet or a who is doing a Master’s in nutrition to where Liem was in charge of hosting them non-sweet diet for six months, to find out to ­deepen her knowledge of the field. The at Deakin University, and put them in touch what extent that alters their preferences. students have to apply to join this study with other Australian institutes. Liem: ‘We tour, and pay a contribution to the costs set up an exchange programme, too. LOWLANDS POP FESTIVAL of about 4000 Australian dollars. Students from Wageningen can come to After the introduction there is a demanding From their base at the StayOkay hostel in Deakin for a short period, and vice versa, substantive programme in which the results Soest, the group is visiting not only the are presented of a multi-sensory study at Nutrition and Food Technology department Lowlands pop festival in the Netherlands. in Wageningen but also the Nutrition Test subjects were invited to smell, taste and Centre, the Netherlands National Institute evaluate all kinds of foods at an improvised for Public Health and the Environment food market, and then had a memory test (RIVM), the ministry of Ministry of Health, sprung on them. Where did you see this Welfare and Sport (VWS), the Netherlands product? People have a kind of spatial Organization for Applied Scientific Research ­memory for where you can find which food. (TNO), the Nutrition Alliance at the And it transpired that they recall the locations Gelderse Vallei hospital, FrieslandCampina of high-calorie foods significantly better than and The Hague University of Applied those of other foods. No doubt this character- Sciences. Liem has connections everywhere istic was helpful for survival in prehistoric­ – university friends and other Wageningen times. Nowadays it just helps you get fat. contacts. ‘Just like me, they have climbed The students are surprised to hear that the slowly up the ranks over the past 20 years. degree programme is taught in English and When I got in touch, all the doors flew open that almost all Wageningen Bachelor’s stu- for us.’’ dents go on to do a Master’s. ‘Higher educa- tion works differently in Australia. There is AFTER GRADUATING no distinction between applied and academ- ‘An intensive study tour like this helps stu- GIE LIEM (45) ic degree courses,’ says Liem. A student dents to look beyond national borders and Works: As associate professor, adds, ‘A Bachelor’s degree is considered a explore what they want to do after or maybe Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia good starter’s qualification for the job mar- even during their degree course. Spend a Studied: Human Nutrition, 1999 ket.’ The opportunities for distance learn- term studying in the Netherlands, perhaps? PhD: Monell Chemical Senses Center, ing, such as Massive Open Online Courses The links between nutrition research, gov- Philadelphia, USA and Wageningen (MOOCs), appeal to them too. Liem: ernment and industry are strong in the University, 2004 ‘Deakin University is itself very active in the Netherlands. And thanks to the Nutrition field of distance learning. That is quite usual

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Human Nutrition. Like driving the veterinary ambulance in Rhenen. ‘But that mainly came down to scraping dead cats off the ­asphalt and answering phone calls from people who had seen a lost dog but couldn’t catch it.’ He was also a reporter for the local radio station Rijnstad FM. ‘Local news about all sorts of things, first on Friday evenings and later from seven to nine in the morning before I went to lectures.’ That was how he came to interview Marije Weits during the introduction days for new students. She was a biology student on his corridor in the Rijnsteeg student residence, whom he was eager to impress. ‘She was not best pleased.’ But they have now been married for 19 years and have three chil- dren. Monica Mars still uses a video in her lectures of Liem’s firstborn baby Stijn ­pulling a face the first time he was offered tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter foods.

ADVENTURE In 2004, Liem got his PhD for comparative Australian students have lunch in The Spot student café on Wageningen Campus. research on the taste preferences of American and Dutch children, done in Philadelphia and Wageningen. ‘After that we wanted to go to Australia because it was an adventure. So when a job came up at in Australia, as you could see in the TV series adopted. I would love to set up a similar Deakin University, I went for it and we have The Flying Doctors. Long before the internet ­system in Australia.’ stayed there ever since.’ existed, children in the outback of this vast Matthew Silipo was fascinated to hear Liem comes to Europe regularly for confer- country received distance education through ­first-hand about the relations Wageningen ences, and always pops in on friends and transistor radios.’ nutrition researchers maintain with the colleagues in Wageningen. Two years ago The students are fascinated by the new ­private sector. ‘Nice to see that applications he had a five-month sabbatical at WUR and ­technologies they get the chance to look of scientific research in daily life are so FrieslandCampina. Wageningen’s nutrition at today. ‘Food out of the 3D printer, and much in evidence. That keeps both stu- research is among the best in the world, gastroenterology research in vitro, what dents and professors motivated.’ ­according to Liem. It is more structured here astonishing­ ideas,’ says Jasmine Wright. than in Melbourne. ‘The presence of all ‘I’d never seen anything like it. Up to now ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ­those big companies on the campus adds we have mainly sat in the classroom. On a In passing, Gie Liem tells us a bit about his value. And there is a lot of money here for study tour like this you suddenly discover a career. ‘I originally came to Wageningen to nutrition research, as well as good facilities.’ ton of possibilities for using technology for study Environmental Protection, but I soon He stayed in a static caravan with his nine- food research. I’ve picked up loads of ideas found out it was too technical for me, and year-old daughter Loren. ‘It was a special for topics I would like to do research on that I would prefer to work with people. ­experience to cycle through Wageningen with ­later, such as links between nutrition and My family are all in the medical world. The her. She went to the Jozefschool, where I did health, or personalized dietary advice.’ Her cutting edge where nutrition meets health a study on children and sour drinks in 2003, fellow student Kobe Ferteis would like to and psychology fascinates me. Why do as part of my PhD research. So Wageningen go on to work on campaigns to promote ­people eat what they eat? And why do they felt very familiar. The same supermarkets, healthy diets and public health. ‘Very inter- sometimes eat so much they get far too fat? cyclists everywhere, the directness of the esting to hear how all that is funded in the Liem was involved in numerous extracurric- people. And Loren loved the drinking Netherlands and which strategies have been ular activities alongside his degree in ­chocolate in the Leeuwenborch.’ W

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 43 AN ARTIST AMONG THE SCIENTISTS Desire to downsize

Artist Arne Hendriks is spending a year and a half among the researchers on the Wageningen campus. As artist in residence, he wants to help scientists by looking at the protein transition through a different lens.

TEXT ANJA JANSSEN PHOTO PETER LIPTON

rne Hendriks enjoys a big challenge. lens. At Hendriks’ request, we meet in an the campus takes the form of stories, ideas, Like the transformation that human ­indoor garden on the campus. ‘The sur- presentations, encounters and, hopefully, A beings must go through as a species roundings affect how you feel, how you inspiration. ‘Sometimes all I do is to create to restore balance in their relationship with talk and how you think,’ he says. That is space for other people to shine or to meet the planet. ‘How we are going to produce why he is thinking about creating a Diego each other.’ our food is possibly the most important Rivera-like mural somewhere on the cam- Hendriks is fascinated by the human craving chapter in the book on that transformation. pus, to portray the past, the present and for abundance. By way of illustration, he And within that, the transition to different the future of the protein transition. ‘Murals brings out a pile of postcards. They are sources of protein is hugely important,’ says are much more than pictures. They repre- ­‘exaggeration cards’, showing giant bunch- Hendriks. sent a space for thinking that can go on es of grapes, apples, melons or fish. ‘I can The artist is in his element in Wageningen. providing inspiration for a long time.’ look at them for hours. To me, these cards ‘Here, one big narrative is being written: But Hendriks’s main artistic expression on are a splendid visualization of our deep- everyone who works here has connected in rooted longing for abundance, and the one way or another with stories about us as promise that everything is going to be all a species, and about how we relate to food. right. That promise of abundance is very Every day, thousands of incredibly dedicated much alive in Wageningen. But we have people contribute to those stories. To me, come to realize that the promise is not for that is really inspiring. And it could be really ever. I find it very interesting to see how on inspiring for everyone. Actually I would love the one hand, we as a species go off the rails everyone to be able to spend a period in – because of that longing – and how, on the ­residence at WUR.’ ‘I create space other hand, we have the capacity to gain new Since September 2019, Hendriks has spent insights and to act on them.’ two days a week on the campus, helping for investigation’ As a counterbalance to the craving for ­scientists to take a look at the transition to growth, Hendriks studies all things small, a more plant-based diet through a different and the desire to downsize. In this context,

44 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 UNIVERSITY FUND WAGENINGEN

he launched The Incredible Shrinking Man project 10 years ago. ‘This is the crux of my work, in a way. The Shrinking Man is based on the naïve idea that we human beings need to become smaller, because then we won’t need to consume as much and we’ll be more capable of living in balance with the planet. We can shrink that so passionately desired abundance.’ Hendriks brought The Shrinking Man along to Wageningen. ‘It is the lens I use to look for the small, for less, for downsizing. That might be a very practical example of smaller cows instead of large cows, or of ­algae instead of lettuce, but it is also about our obsession with growth and how we can aspire to less rather than more.’’

CHICKETARIAN Hendriks also introduced eight characters with their own visions about our trajectory as a species. He aims to use these characters to collate and examine the narratives about the protein transition. There is the ‘oceanic farmer’, for instance, who farms seaweed and algae at sea, while the ‘chicketarian’ ­believes a visit to Kentucky Fried Chicken can save the world. For a while now, he’s been walking around the campus with pictures of these characters, and asking people to comment on them. He calls this a job application procedure, to see whether the characters are capable of doing The Incredible Shrinking Man is a key figure in Arne Hendriks' work. their jobs. ‘I thought it would be thought- provoking to invite these kinds of speculative figures into a research context.’ In all the discussions and encounters of his first six months, Hendriks felt ‘incredibly ARTIST IN RESIDENCE welcome’. ‘When you are doing scientific Arne Hendriks (1971) has an 18-month posting as artist in residence at ­research these days, there is not much room Wageningen University & Research for two days a week. WUR contributes to the for stepping outside your own straight lines, costs of this project, which also receives funding from the DOEN Foundation of the whereas scientists are generally very creative Dutch Charity Lotteries. University Fund Wageningen brokered that contribution. people. I try to provide a creative space they The Fund sees the project as important because Hendriks can offer scientists a can step into, and where we can collaborate. whole new perspective on the theme of the protein transition, says public relations The main aim is of course the transforma- officer Fusien Verloop. ‘And he can bring people together in a playful fashion.’ tion. But a transformation starts with having the space to take steps.’ W

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 45 LECTURE ‘We must switch to fossil-free clothing’ The use of polyester in clothing is still on the up. That situation is not tenable, said biobased materials researcher Paulien Harmsen in a World Lecture in Wageningen. ‘We need to switch to fossil-free clothing in the future.’

Of the raw material used in clothing, 92 per cent is new rather than from waste streams or old clothes, and 73 per cent of the material ends up on rubbish dumps or in incinerators after use. ‘Clothing waste is growing because the industry produces an enormous amount of clothing, fashion The World Lecture on sustainable fashion got the audience thinking. is only briefly in the shops and the quality is often poor, which makes recycling as second- and that clogs up the recycling machines. The lecture attracted around 70 mainly hand clothes difficult,’ says researcher Clothing that is 100 per cent cotton or young alumni to Wageningen campus. Paulien Harmsen. She was one of three 100 per cent polyester can be recycled.’ An audience of the clothing-aware, it speakers at the World Lecture on the transi- But polyester is made from fossil raw ­turned out. ‘I asked them whether they tion to sustainable fashion at Wageningen ­materials. ‘In recent years, it has sup- ever looked at the clothing label and knew campus in November. World Lectures are planted cotton and wool in the textile fibre what their clothes were made of, and most an initiative of Wageningen Ambassadors ­market, and its use in clothing is still on did know that,’ says Harmsen. ‘They’re and are organized with the aim of updat- the up. That situation is not tenable. We probably not representative of the rest of ing WUR alumni and business relations on need to switch to fossil-free clothing in the the population. There were also quite a ­societal and technological developments. future,’ says Harmsen. That means more few people who sometimes wear second- It is often difficult to recycle clothing because renewable raw materials are needed such hand clothes.’ of its complex composition. ‘At present, as hemp, flax or bamboo – materials that The World Lectures are organized by almost everything contains some elastane contain cellulose, as cotton does. Wageningen Academy and KLV.

NETWORKS Gatherings of Latin American alumni

Last autumn, there were meet-ups of the Dutch organization for the internation- alumni in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and alization of education Nuffic were involved Mexico, says WUR’s representative in Latin too in some countries. Martinez describes America Francisco Martinez (WUR Organic these gatherings as sociable, small-scale re- Agriculture 2010). unions in an informal atmosphere. For exam- Every autumn, Martinez travels to these ple, in the Colombian capital Bogota, about countries to represent Wageningen at major education fairs. ‘I was looking for some ‘Alumni are the best additional activities as a way of promoting a study in Wageningen. And alumni are ambassadors’ the best ambassadors,’ says the Mexican Martinez, who lives in the Netherlands. 20 alumni including 5 Dutch people had Martinez was able to bring people together ­dinner together. ‘It was really nice meeting­ using Facebook groups of alumni in the them, swapping information and looking countries in question and with the support back at the great times in Wageningen.’ Alumni in Bogota, Colombia of the alumni office. The Dutch embassy and Info: [email protected]

46 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 ALUMNI

GRANT ‘I hope to be able to set up my own research group’

On 26 November 2019, entomologist Only a few laboratories can use the new Chantal Vogels received the Marina test method, says Vogels. ‘Without the van Damme grant of 9000 euros. grant, I would never have had the funds to ‘This will let me attend training learn the method and I would have been courses on an innovative technique ­dependent on experts who have mastered for large-scale testing of viruses.’ this technique. Learning such techniques will help me find my own unique niche The aim of the Marina van Damme grant is and set up my own research group.’ Vogels to broaden and deepen the careers of female would like to return to the Netherlands for scientists. Vogels (WUR Biology 2012) will that. ‘But that depends on the opportuni- use the grant to learn a new technique. ‘The ties that come my way.’ big advantage of this technique is that I will In addition to Vogels, Judith Houtman be able to test all variants of a virus in one (WUR Nutrition and Health 2012) also

go rather than having to study individual PHOTO VERA WILDERS received a grant of 9000 euros. Nienke variants separately.’ Vogels is working as a Chantal Vogels (left) and Judith Houtman van Staaveren (WUR Animal Sciences postdoc at the Yale School of Public Health 2012) was given an encouragement grant in New Haven (USA). She wants to use the of 2500 euros. technique in her research on the Zika virus. environments. ‘For example, whether Zika She hopes to be able to predict the extent to can be transmitted more easily by mosqui- Info: www.universityfundwageningen.eu/ which the virus ­variants can adapt to new toes after a genetic adaptation.’ marinavandamme

GATHERING REUNION Alumni visit circular-agriculture farm

On Thursday 14 November 2019, Eytemaheert became one of WUR’s over 50 Wageningen alumni visited ­research farms at the end of 2019. the Eytemaheert nature farm in the Maurits and Jessica Tepper’s farm ­borders Drenthe village of Leutingewolde. Leekstermeer lake and the Onlanden

They were shown how nature-inclusive Natura 2000 nature area. They have 150 PHOTO GUY ACKERMANS circular agriculture works. blaarkop cows that are fed purely on grass, as the Teppers told the alumni in their Alumni give to charity barn. They do not use any fertilizer or On Saturday 26 October 2019, alumni who ­animal feed brought in from elsewhere. started their degree 25 years earlier returned However, the farm takes clippings from to Wageningen while the freshers of 50 the adjacent nature area and turns them years ago had their reunion on Saturday 16 into the fertilizer bokashi, a mix of November. Both groups collected money for ­clippings, clay and microorganisms that charity. The 1994 cohort donated 1000 euros break down the cell structure of the hay. to the Anne van den Ban Fund. This fund The Teppers are also trying out other lets high-potential students from developing things such as growing oats and malt- countries study at Wageningen. The dona- ing them for use as an ingredient in beer. tions by the 1969 cohort, also around 1000 They also plan to milk their blaarkop euros, will go to the Belmonte Arboretum cows so that they are used as both beef Foundation, which manages the university’s and dairy cattle. former botanical garden. Alumni gatherings in the regions of the Next autumn it will be the turn of the fresh- Netherlands are organized by University ers from 1970 and 1995. Fund Wageningen and KLV in partnership Info: www.wur.eu/25yearreunion Alumni at Eytemaheert nature farm with the region committees. www.wur.eu/50yearreunion

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 47 Prof. Duur Aanen, WUR PhD 1999, has Landscape Research Group of the Czech Executive Board from 2002 to 2014, has been appointed professor holding a person- University of Life Sciences in Prague. become chair of the Landbouwcollectief, al chair in Evolution Biology in the Genetics 10 December 2019. the association that combines all the farm- chair group at WUR. 30 October 2019. ing lobby groups on the nitrogen issue. Jan-Willem van den Beukel MSc, 5 November 2020. Prof. Bram Bregman, WUR Environmental WUR Forestry 2006, has been ap- Protection 1991, has been appointed profes- pointed alderman for the municipality of Corné Kempenaar PhD, WUR sor of Climate Change Interactions between Lansingerland, responsible for sustain- Phytopathology 1988, project manager of the Science and Policy at Radboud University. ability, greenhouse horticulture, greenport, National Experimental Centre for Precision Bregman also heads the Department of finance and land matters. Van den Beukel, Agriculture, has joined the Board for the Nature and Rural Areas at the Netherlands a member of the CDA political party, has Authorization of Plant Protection Products Environmental Assessment Agency. worked as a manager at the accountancy and Biocides (CTGB). 14 January 2020. 2 December 2019. firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers and as a pol- icy officer for the CDA parliamentary party. Bernard Koeckhoven MSc, WUR Agrarian Tijs Breukink PhD, a member of the WUR 20 February 2020. Economics 1983, chair of the Horticultural Executive Board from 2005 to 2017, has been Academic Board, is the new chair of the su- appointed interim member of the executive­ Prof. Erwin Bulte, WUR Forestry 1992, pervisory board of RHP, the European centre board of Fontys until a successor is found professor of Development Economics at of expertise for substrates. 1 January 2020. for the former board member Nienke Meijer. WUR and member of the Royal Netherlands 1 January 2020. Academy of Arts and Sciences, has been Eisse Luitjens MSc, WUR Agricultural Plant appointed a member of the Social Sciences Breeding 1978, has joined the board of the Prof. Adri van den Brink, WUR Land Council (SWR). 1 January 2020. Foundation for Applied Water Research Development 1978, emeritus professor (STOWA). Luitjens is a business developer of Landscape Architecture at WUR, has Aalt Dijkhuizen PhD, WUR Agrarian with the Investment and Development been appointed visiting professor in the Economics 1977, President of the WUR Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM) and a director of the Noorderzijlvest water board. 1 December 2019.

Prof. Hans Komen, WUR Biology 1985, Valuable lessons from the mountains has been appointed director of the gradu- Katja Staartjes picture of the issues in ate school Wageningen Institute of Animal MSc, WUR Food leadership and collabo- Sciences (WIAS). Komen is a professor Technology 1988, who ration. I incorporated holding a personal chair in the department became the first Dutch these insights in this of Animal Sciences at WUR. 1 January 2020. woman to climb Mount book. ‘I hope to inspire Everest in 1999, wrote people to get more out Prof. Dirk-Jan de Koning, Topteams – Samen bergen of themselves and their WUR Zootechnics 1996, has been appointed verzetten (‘Top teams teams.’ international fellow of the Royal Swedish – moving mountains Staartjes describes Academy of Agriculture & Forestry. De together’). the issues using the Koning is a professor of Animal Breeding The book is intended phases of an expedi- at the Swedish University of Agricultural for everyone who tion. ‘Mountains are Sciences in Uppsala. 12 December 2019. works in a team, says a powerful metaphor.

Staartjes, who gave up PHOTO CAREL SCHUTTE Everyone comes up Prof. Frank van Langevelde, WUR Land her job as a manager against their limits Development 1993, has been appointed in the dairy industry ‘I hope to inspire when they’re at high professor and chair holder in the Wildlife to climb the world’s people to get more out altitudes, where the air Ecology and Conservation group at WUR. highest mountain. is thin and conditions He succeeds Prof. Herbert Prins, who retired When she is not on a of their teams’ extreme. You really at the end of October 2019. 1 October 2019. mountaineering expe- get to know yourself dition, Staartjes gives and one another then. Nicole Olland MSc, WUR Environmental talks on collaboration and leadership. She Collaboration becomes particularly difficult. Protection 1998, has become director of also worked for several years as an interim The mountains teach us many valuable the Unie van Bosgroepen, an association manager and these days she is a coach. ‘Over ­lessons for life.’ of independent cooperatives of forestry and the years, I’ve formed an increasingly clear Publisher: Management Impact, 32.50 euros. nature area owners. She was previously an

48 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 ALUMNI

Commission for Environmental IN MEMORIAM Assessment. Slingerland, former director Alumni, KLV members, staff and former of the Environmental Sciences Group at employees of Wageningen University WUR, is director of the Automotive Centre & Research who have recently passed of Expertise. 1 January 2020. away.

Prof. Karin Schroën, WUR Food Mr B.M. Arnolli MSc. WUR Tropical Technology 1990, has been appointed ­director of the graduate school VLAG. She Forestry 1973. 21 November 2019. succeeds Prof. Renger Witkamp. Schroën is Mr J.P. Augustijn MSc. WUR Forestry a professor holding a personal chair in the 1977. 6 December 2019. PHOTO TEB department of Agrotechnology and Food Mr L. van den Berg MSc. WUR Dairy Lucas Noldus PhD, WUR PhD 1989, Sciences at WUR. 1 January 2020. Production 1953. 18 May 2019. professor holding an endowed chair in Mr H.M. van Binsbergen MSc. Behaviour, Information Technology and Prof. Paul Struik, WUR Agricultural Plant WUR Tropical Rural Economics 1964. Innovation at Radboud University in Breeding 1978, professor of Crop Physiology 22 December 2019. Nijmegen, has received the Food Valley at WUR, has received the International Crop Mr S. de Boer MSc. WUR Rural ICT Award for his company Noldus Science Award 2019. The prize is awarded Economics 1962. 21 November 2019. Information Technology. Noldus IT annually by the Crop Science Society of Mr C.J.A.M. de Bont MSc. WUR Rural also won the Parel award given by the America for exceptional contributions to Economics 1974. 23 December 2019. Economic Board, a collaboration be- ­agricultural science. 15 November 2019. Mr J.P. van den Briel MSc. tween public authorities, knowledge WUR Forestry 1986. 14 December 2019. institutions and the private sector in the Prof. Louise Vet, professor holding an Mr L.C. Davidse PhD. Arnhem-Nijmegen-Wageningen region. endowed chair in Evolutionary Ecology at WUR Phytopathology 1972. 5 November Noldus develops measurement and anal- WUR, has been appointed Knight of the 2019. ysis systems for behavioural research. Order of the Netherlands Lion. She received November 2019. the royal honour from the minister Carola Mr E. van Es MSc. WUR Forestry 1964. Schouten when she stepped down from 2 April 2019. her position as director of the Netherlands Mr B.A. van der Haven MSc. WUR Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). Zootechnics 1971. 30 September 2019. ­alderman in Rheden municipality and worked 31 October 2019. Ms J.P. Heemskerck Veeckens-Baretta as a process coordinator for the regional MSc. WUR Tropical Rural Economics 1953. energy strategy of Arnhem-Nijmegen region. 16 December 2019. 1 February 2020. Mr J. Jepma MSc. WUR Zootechnics 1948. 16 January 2020. Marleen Riemens PhD, WUR Plant Ms C. de Jong-Goedhart MSc. Breeding and Crop Protection 2002, has WUR Tropical Plant Breeding 1969. joined the Board for the Authorization of 12 December 2019. Plant Protection Products and Biocides. Mr M. Joordens MSc. WUR Plant Breeding Riemens is the Crop Protection team leader 1963. 5 November 2019. at WUR. 14 January 2020. Mr T.A.M. van Keulen MSc. WUR Landscape Architecture 1956. Anneke de Rouw PhD, WUR Tropical 20 November 2019. Plant Breeding 1982, has been promoted to Chargé de recherche classe exceptionnelle for her Mr F. Kindt PhD. WUR PhD 2004. research on the ecology of farming systems 20 October 2019. in the Sahel and in the mountainous regions Lucie Wigboldus MSc, Mr M.E. Loman MSc. WUR Agrarian of South-East Asia at the French National WUR Zootechnics 2004, has been ap- Economics 1993. 20 June 2019. Research Institute for Development (IRD), pointed director of Nederlandse Brouwers, Mr N.J.B. Mentink MSc. WUR Tropical which specializes in scientific research in an umbrella organization representing­ the Plant Breeding 1988. 23 January 2020. the tropics. 4 December 2019. interests of 10 Dutch brewers. Wigboldus spent the last six years as director of the Kees Slingerland MSc, headquarters of the VVD political party. continued on page 50 WUR Zootechnics 1985, has been ap- 20 November 2019. pointed deputy chair of the Netherlands

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 49 IN MEMORIAM

continued from page 49 Wageningen alumnus at world youth forum Mr H.R. Pijlman MSc. WUR Rural Sociology of the Western Regions 1963. David Fisher MSc, WUR Plant 10 November 2019. Sciences 2019, currently working as an Mr E. Stapelveld MSc. WUR Tropical agricultural advisor, represented the Forestry 1953. 16 December 2019. Netherlands at the Youth Ag Summit Mr E. Steinbuch MSc. WUR Dairy in the Brazilian capital Brasilia in Production 1960. 14 December 2019. November 2019. The biennial gathering Mr K.J. Stol MSc. WUR Farming is intended to support and connect up Technology 1996. 17 October 2019. the new generation of decision-makers in agriculture so that they are better Prof. J. Wieringa. Former professor of equipped to tackle the challenge of Meteorology. 1 November 2019. feeding the world. One hundred young Brasilia to network, get skills training Mr H.J.H. Zegger MSc. WUR Dairy people aged between 18 and 25 came to and set up projects. Production 1954. 15 November 2019.

If you would like to inform us of the death Climate change knowledge of a fellow former student or relative, Bart Verheggen PhD, WUR ­intended for non-specialists who want you can email [email protected] or send Environmental Protection 1996, cli- to know more,’ says Verheggen, ‘and a death announcement to the Alumni mate scientist and lecturer at for people interested in scientific Department, University Fund Wageningen, Amsterdam University College, has knowledge on this subject so that Droevendaalsesteeg 4, 6708 PB published the book Wat iedereen zou they’re better able to assess the different Wageningen, Netherlands. ­moeten weten over klimaatverandering views in the public debate on their (‘What everyone should know merits.’ about ­climate change’). ‘The book is­ Publisher: Prometheus, 15.00 euros.

KLV

KLV winding up Young KV – Writing your first KLV – Closure AGM 1 KLV Farewell event KLV, the alumni association academic article. The first member’s meeting Saying goodbye to KLV in a for Wageningen University & 31 March 2020. klv.nl/events with voting on the disbanding programme preceding the Research, is in the process of KLV. Alumni Open Day. of closing down operations. Plant breeding study circle – 30 June 2020. klv.nl/events 3 October 2020 klv.nl/events Until that is official, in Thematic discussion: September 2020, KLV will CRISPR-Cas KLV – Closure AGM 2 KLV Wageningen Alumni ­continue to organize activities 3 April 2020. klv.nl/pv Second members’ meeting Network is the alumni associa- such as study circle network with voting on the disbanding tion for Wageningen University meetings – and these will still Young KLV – Everyone can of KLV. & Research. The network has be held after the closure. ­network. Workshop ending 22 September 2020. about 7000 members. A complete overview of with networking reception klv.nl/events ­activities can be found at 21 April 2020. klv.nl/events More information www.klv.nl. www.klv.nl

50 WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 KLV

KLV Jozef van de Wouw KLV member since 2003 Horticultural Plant Breeding 1986

A PASSION FOR painting

Jozef van de Wouw discovered his love of painting by accident. When he had to organize the annual family activity in 2008, it was a painting workshop, says the vegetable seed quality manager. ‘A lot of material was left over and it seemed a shame to throw it away. So I sat If you are a KLV member with down and started painting. I became so absorbed that I lost track of the time.’ It turned out a passion, or know someone that others appreciate the work of the self-taught artist too: Van de Wouw now regularly who is, send an email to sells his paintings and exhibits them occasionally too. ‘I often paint rugged animals such as ­[email protected]. Zeeland draught horses. Those beasts look so powerful.’ Van de Wouw also likes to paint wild rock stars such as Queen’s Freddie Mercury and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. ‘My portrait of Eddie Vedder was inspired by the number Black. That’s why I made the background in this painting so dark.’ Visit our website www.klv.nl PHOTO: SJOERD AARDEN

WAGENINGENWORLD | 1 | 2020 51 ­population ofred-billed tropicbirds – thebiggest Michiel Boekenhave observed.Andyetthis flying fish,asLeopold andhisco-researcher There isaplentifulsupply offood–especially ­worried abouthowthepopulation is ageing. the steepslopesofisland.Leopold is About 12,000pairsofthesebirds brood on Netherlands tostudyred-billed tropicbirds. on the islandofSabaintheCaribbean bird Mardik expert Leopoldspent amonth To useuphis accumulatedleavedays,sea- Saba island on tropicbirds red-billed Ageing on thenearby StEustatius islandtoo,but this bird colony. Red-billedtropicbirds brood birds.’ Norare there any‘immigrants’ to without anyincrease innumbersofyoung ing pairscanstaythesamefora longtime raise anychickshere. Thenumberofbrood- in yearout,evenwhentheydon’t manageto Leopold. ‘Theycomebackhere tobrood year ‘These birds reach agreat age,’says and chicksfallprey toratsandstraycats. in theworld–isslowlydwindling:alotofeggs Info: [email protected] Saba hasdonesuccessfully inthepast.’ should berounded up again.That’s something politicians, wesuggested thatstraycats At a meeting fornature conservationistsand as happenedtothewhite-billedtropicbird. is extremely vulnerabletolocalextinction.‘Just tion, butLeopoldthinksthered-billed tropicbird DNA research isneededtoconfirmthat isola between thebirds onthetwoislands. ­research hasshownthat there isnointeraction WAGENINGEN INTHEWORLD -

PHOTO MARDIK LEOPOLD