wageningenupdate - Wageningen UR

4
wageningen /09
update
Food production in 2050:
Two times more for
two times less
pagE 14

COLOPHON
Termites emigrated, bringing their food with them
Thirteen million years ago, the first termites migrated from the African
mainland to the then still termite-free island of Madagascar. They took their
own fungal species, with which they live in symbiosis, along in their intestines
and that way, secured their own survival. That is the conclusion of
researchers Tânia Nobre and Duur Aanen of the Laboratory of Genetics in
a study of the evolutionary history of termites and fungi. Both were collected
in Africa and Madagascar in the period 2000-2006. In the laboratory,
they isolated the DNA of more than one hundred and fifty different termite
colonies and the associated fungi. It was found that all termite colonies in
Madagascar originate from one single joint emigration of termites and fungi
from Africa to the island, possibly by wind, driftwood or with the aid of
birds. For termites such as those in Madagascar, the fungi serve as important
food source, but they also help convert refractory plant material into
digestible food.
Info: duur.aanen@wur.nl
Wageningen UR – the organisation
photo: J.J. Boomsma
Wageningen Update is the quarterly
magazine for alumni and business relations
of Wageningen UR (University &
Research centre) and members of KLV.
It is published by Wageningen UR, in
co-operation with KLV.
Editorial office Costerweg 50, 6701 BH
Wageningen, P.O.Box 9101,
6700 HB Wageningen. +31 317 485531,
wageningen.update@wur.nl
Editors in chief Viola Peulen (general),
Monique Montenarie and Paul den Besten
(alumni part)
Edition manager
martijndegroot.communicatie
+31 23 5299009, info@martijndegroot.com
Language editing
martijndegroot.communicatie
Desk editor news items Maaike Breedveld
Text Nienke Beintema, Maaike Breedveld,
Laurien Holtjer, Egbert Jonkheer,
Nicolette Meerstadt, Korné Versluis
Photos Guy Ackermans, Age, ANP,
J.J. Boomsma, Foto Natura, Getty
Images, Bart de Gouw, Edgar van der
Grift, Hollandse Hoogte, Rob Huibers,
Lineair Fotoarchief, Satoru Muranaka,
Fabrice Ottburg, Shutterstock, Theo
Tangelder
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alumni: alumni@wur.nl,
relations: wageningen.update@wur.nl
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‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’. That is the mission of
Wageningen UR (University & Research centre). Our staff of 6,300 and our 9,600 students
from over one hundred countries are working in our realm of ‘healthy nutrition
and living environment’ all over the world, both for governments and for the corporate
world. The power of Wageningen UR lies in the bundling of specialized research institutes,
Wageningen University and Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences as
well as in the cooperation from within different natural and social science disciplines.
This leads to scientific breakthroughs that can rapidly be translated into practice and
education.
That is the Wageningen approach.
Cover photo: Hollandse Hoogte, Simone
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Back cover photo: Satoru Muranaka (IITA)
Wageningen International
info.wi@wur.nl, +31 317 48 68 07

the quarterly magazine from wageningen UR
(university & research centre)
ISSUE 4 december 2009
contents
4
14
22
26
2 POLYSTYRENE REVISITED
Wageningen UR is at the Dutch cutting edge when
it comes to the development of bioplastics. An
example is Biofoam. Other applications are about
to emerge.
4 SHEDDING A NEW LIGHT
Tests with LED light offer new insights into the effect
of light on plants. With that knowledge, growers are
able to cultivate more efficiently and save energy.
10 BRIDGE OF LIFE
The construction of ecoducts to connect nature areas
is a costly matter. But research by Alterra shows that
it’s worth it. Animals and people alike make ample
use of the world’s longest ecoduct, the Natuurbrug
Zanderij Crailo.
14 FOOD PRODUCTION IN 2050
Technically, the world can be fed in 2050 without
exhausting its resources. The question is whether
humankind will succeed in organizing the global
economy in such a way that even the poorest will
benefit from it.
20 Salty with soy sauce
Less salt but just as tasty. Researchers from
Wageningen UR have shown that it is very well
possible.
22 STOP TBC
Together, scientists from around the world are
working on the development of new vaccines against
tuberculosis. Driving force behind this collaboration
is the Wageningen Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative
foundation.
26 COMPETING CLAIMS
Together with other organizations, Wageningen UR
has developed a program that may offer a solution
when land use interests collide: Competing Claims.
In southern Africa, it has already resulted in farmers
refusing to be stepped on: neither by elephants nor
by authorities.
IN BRIEF
8 NEWS
12 environment
18 FOOD
24 AGRICULTURE
33 CALENDAR
THEMES
30 Alumni Activities
32 APPOINTMENTS
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

Text Nienke Beintema
Polystyrene
revisited
Wageningen UR is at the Dutch cutting edge
when it comes to the development of bioplastics.
An example is Biofoam, which resembles
polystyrene but is made from sugarcane.
Other applications are also about to emerge.
INNOVATION
Bright white chunks of styrofoam stuck on the
banks of a small stream or left in the woods,
ugly for eternity. If it is up to Karin Molenveld
and her colleagues, that will change. These foams
will then become ‘green’ materials, fully biodegradable.
“Styrofoam is a very commonly used packaging
material,” says Molenveld, researcher at the
department of Biobased Products and responsible
for the project Groen Piepschuim. “It is also very
often used as insulation material, for example in
homes. Making ecologically sustainable foam would
mean a huge gain for the environment.”
Conventional styrofoam is very hard on the environment.
It is made from natural oil, a finite resource,
and during its production, a great deal of carbon is
released. For ‘foaming up’ the tiny balls of which
styrofoam is made, pentene is required: A volatile
compound that is highly flammable and polluting.
Styrofoam waste cannot be recycled and is not
biodegradable either. “In all these areas, our
Biofoam is an improvement,” explains Molenveld.
In the past three years, Wageningen UR has been
working on this biodegradable foam, made from
vegetable ingredients such as sugarcane. “With this
project, we addressed a specific question from the
industry,” Molenveld continues. “Synbra, a plastics
manufacturer in the province of Brabant, approached
as and asked: How can we make styrofoam more
environmentally friendly? The company was facing
increasingly strict regulations and wanted to become
a leader in the area of bioplastics.”
Lactic acid molecules
The Biofoam production process is similar to that of
conventional styrofoam. That is an advantage, as it
means that manufacturers do not need to purchase
new expensive machinery. Styrofoam is made of
polymers: long molecules consisting of a repetition
2 / 3
‘Every week, the number
of possible applications
increases’
Christiaan Bolck
Karin Molenveld

photo’s: Guy Ackermans
Bio as basis
Biofoam is one of the biobased
products Wageningen UR is
working on. “We are also oriented
towards other sustainable
bioplastics,” says Christiaan
Bolck, program coordinator of
Biobased Products, “for example
for manufacturing household
appliances, electronic housing,
automotive parts and components
in paints, coatings and flooring.”
This summer, the Ministry of
Agriculture, Nature and Food
Quality (LNV) awarded a subsidy
to the national program Biobased
Performance Materials, in which
Wageningen UR participates
together with eight other
knowledge organizations and
more than thirty companies. “In
total, about eleven million euro is
spent in this project, of which
eight million from LNV,” according
to Bolck. “There will be seven to
eight projects; we’ve already
started on the first one. We will
focus on matters like improving
water and temperature resistance,
mechanical properties and price.”
of the same building blocks. Granules made of those
polymers are ‘foamed up’ into small balls, which are
then compressed into the required shape.
The polymer in conventional styrofoam is polystyrene,
derived from natural oil. Biofoam, in contrast,
consists of lactic acid molecules. Molenveld: “You
obtain those by fermenting sugars from plants. That
can be done with for example sugarcane, grain or
tapioca, depending on the country in which your
plant is located. Eventually, it also has to be possible
to use waste streams.”
Carbon dioxide is used to ‘foam up’ the lactic acid
polymer granules. That is much cleaner than pentene,
and not flammable. “Synbra is already using this
process in practice,” says Molenveld. “We are now
predominantly involved in its optimization. We are for
example investigating how to make foam with a lower
density and a higher thermal stability. Furthermore,
we are looking into how to make the process cheaper
and more efficient, for example through the use of
certain additives.”
When oil becomes scarce
Synbra will produce its own lactic acid molecules in
the future. To that end, the company, one of the
biggest players in the market, is now setting up its
own plant. The first products are expected to enter
the market next year. “Every week, the number of
possible applications increases,” adds Molenveld.
“Not only packaging materials, but also more durable
products such as planters, foils, coffee cups,
insulation material for the construction sector and
even fibers to make clothing.”
And how about its price? “For the time being,
Biofoam is still more expensive than conventional
plastics,” says the researcher, “but if we end up
paying for pollution at some point and the demand for
sustainable products increases, the price difference
will drop further and further. Certainly when oil
becomes scarce.”
Molenveld is optimistic: She thinks that increasingly,
companies will want to acquire a ‘green’ image, and
that consumers will pay more attention to that. “This
trend will undoubtedly continue. And in Wageningen,
we would like to contribute our two cents to it.”
Though coins are not made from Biofoam yet.
Info:
karin.molenveld@wur.nl
christiaan.bolck@wur.nl
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

Text Egbert Jonkheer
foto credits
Shedding a New
Light on
Cultivation
Under Glass
LED LIGHT
4 / 5

The excitement surrounding the use of LED light in greenhouses is increasing.
Tests with the tiny high-tech lamps offer new insights into the effect of light
on plants. With that knowledge, growers are able to cultivate more efficiently
and save energy.
More and more greenhouse growers use
artificial light. This way, they extend the
growing season, obtain higher yields and
harvest a better quality product. An important
disadvantage of lighting is, however, the high energy
consumption. The expectations were therefore high
when LEDs entered the greenhouses a few years
ago. LEDs offer various starting points for making
lighting more energy-efficient.
An important difference with conventional growth
lamps is that LEDs are able to emit large quantities
of one color. This makes it possible to offer plants
exactly those wavelengths from which they obtain
most energy for their growth. Commonly used lamps
emit a mix of colors, of which the yield differs by
color. The leaves for example reflect part of the green
light. That is why plants look green to the human
eye. Plants are most sensitive to red light. And it just
so happens that red LEDs are most energy-efficient.
LEDs are currently more expensive
and hardly use less energy than
the gas discharge lamps the
growers are using at the moment
Researcher Jan Willem de
Vries of Wageningen UR
Applied Plant Research
amidst immature tomato
plants that still have LED
lamps hanging over them.
Philips and Lemnis
provided the lighting
photo: Rob Huibers
Cucumbers
In practice, the yield of the LED lamps is still
disappointing. “LEDs are currently more expensive
and hardly use less energy than the gas discharge
lamps the growers are using at the moment,” says
university lecturer Wim van Ieperen of the Horticultural
Production Chains Group of Wageningen
University. “Gas discharge lamps have been
developed extensively and hence are very efficient.
Moreover, you cannot just flood plants with an
excess of one or a few light colors. You also affect
the plant’s development. In tests with cucumbers,
we do clearly detect an increase in photosynthesis
in the leaves when we ‘add light’ by way of red-blue
LEDs between the plants. But this is not directly
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

‘The influence of light
is a complex system,
which we have to learn
to understand again’
translated into higher production. The plant
develops less rapidly and its leaves curl because
of the unnatural color proportions. This results in
the absence of any increase of production, by
definition. The influence of light is a complex
system which we need to learn to understand
again.”
In the past years, there have been many tests
with LED light, by growers and LED suppliers as
well as by Wageningen UR. The experiences differ
and many new discoveries require further
research. That is taking place abundantly.
Wageningen UR plays an important role in it.
LED LIGHT
The technology
behind LED
LED is an abbreviation of
light-emitting diode. It is an
electronic chip consisting of
two minute layers of semiconductors.
One layer is charged
positively, the other negatively.
As soon as a current
runs through the diode, the
excess of electrons in the
negative layer wants to fill the
holes in the positive layer.
The electrons have too much
energy to fit into the hole and
the excess energy is emitted
in the form of light. The color
of the light depends on the
used semiconductor material.
LEDs generally work on
low-voltage current and have
a long life. They are rumored
to be energy-efficient, but
that is only partially true.
A very well-known and a very
energy-efficient application is
the on/off light on electronic
equipment. The new
generation of LEDs does well
as light source in for example
traffic lights and flashlights.
With growth light, it is
important to convert
electricity in as many photons
(light particles) as possible.
At the moment, LEDs do that
less efficiently than the gas
discharge lamps commonly
used in greenhouses.
6 / 7
On the left, Wim van Ieperen, on the right, Leo Marcelis
with in the background a made-to-measure LED lighting
unit for research purposes
Night and Day
Part of the research addresses the question as to
how plants function in light of different wavelengths.
Basic knowledge about light colors is
available. In the past, extensive investigations took
place into the effect of small differences in the
composition of red light. The ratio between
wavelengths in the red part of the spectrum
controls different processes in the plant. It tells the
plant how close it is to another plant, for instance.
Based on that, it will grow higher or, in contrast,
remain relatively compact. The effects of blue light
were investigated before. The difference is that this
used to be done by means of filters. Van Ieperen:

“LEDs give a much higher
intensity of one light color. Plants
respond differently to that.”
In laboratory experiments with
chrysanthemums, Van Ieperen
discovered that it is possible to
use LEDs to separate growth light
and control light. Chrysanthemums
bloom in the fall, which
means that the plant only starts
making buds after a period with
long nights. In order to be able to
harvest flowers in other seasons,
growers mimic this process by
covering the crop with a dark
screen. Normally, this would
hamper growth as photosynthesis
halts when there is no light. Van
Ieperen succeeded in making the
chrysanthemums grow at a
combination of red and blue light
which was registered by the
plants as a dark period. Further
research in practice should show
whether the duration of cultivation
of the flowers can be
shortened.
photo: Rob Huibers
possible by LED technology. LEDs function
optimally at about 25 degrees Celsius whereas gas
discharge lamps reach temperatures of 300 to 400
degrees. “It causes a different temperature
distribution in the greenhouse,” says Leo Marcelis,
team leader of Crop Management at Wageningen
UR Applied Plant Research and since recently
professor by special appointment in Plant Cultivation
in Energy-Efficient Greenhouses. “Measurements
have told us that the temperature around the
tops of chrysanthemum plants is one degree lower
under LED light. That is a lot, when you consider
that growers fine-tune their plants with tenths of
degrees. In some cases, the heating will have to be
turned up. An advantage is that the growers can
arrange this. There is not always something they
can do when there is too much heat.”
The low heat production and their smaller size mean
that LEDs can be close to the plants, and even hung
between them, so that the light is used well for
growth. Marcelis: “With the current lighting, you
lose five two eight percent to crop reflection. You
may be able to eliminate this loss that way. It
makes a difference in terms of energy and means
less light pollution for the surroundings. That’s also
why this is an important research issue.”
Combined use
Van Ieperen and Marcelis clearly enjoy the new
developments sets in motion by LEDs. There are
two PhD students on the subject, investments are
made in facilities for research, and the topic brings
several sub-disciplines together. In addition to the
scientific joy, they also have the conviction that the
LED technique will cause an important change in
practice. On the short-term, they foresee a combined
use in which the gas discharge lamps will
remain the basis for the growth light provision and
LEDs will fine-tune the crop. Considerable is the
word they use for the extra yield possibilities
brought on by LEDs, but they are prudent enough
when it comes to expressing their expectations of
the LED technology in money or percentages of
energy savings. “Some suppliers have predicted
huge energy savings to the growers. It turned into
a disappointment. We’re positively surprised that
LEDs are already close to economic application in
practice.”
Info:
leo.marcelis@wur.nl
wim.vanieperen@wur.nl
Turn up the heat
Another possibility for controlling
crops lies in the decoupling of the
production of light and heat made
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

NEWS
New: Centre for
Development
Innovation
The ‘Wageningen UR Centre for
Development Innovation’ is a new
component of the Social Sciences
Group at Wageningen UR. The
Centre focuses on strengthening
organizations through capacitybuilding,
training programs and
courses. In addition to countries in
Eastern Europe and the Third
World, it will also serve global
organizations. The Centre will
build on the activities of the CD&IC
(Capacity Development and Institutional
Change Programme),
which is to become part of it, and
will be supplemented by specialists.
Wageningen International
Front Office will change its name
to ‘Wageningen International’.
“That way, the operational branch
becomes separated from policy
and from the coordination of international
projects,” says Bram Huijsman,
director of Wageningen
International. “The Centre fits well
into the Social Science knowledge
unit, while the front office of Wageningen
International will retain its
neutral role as intermediary.”
Wageningen International will integrate
the policy and coordination
of the international activities of all
components of Wageningen UR
and Van Hall Larenstein.
Info: bram.huijsman@wur.nl
market. Roughly twenty million
dollar is available for, among other
things, research and development
of new products and optimization
of logistics, quality control and
packaging. During a working visit
of a Chilean delegation to Wageningen
in September, the cooperation
in the area of education and
research was fleshed out. “The
atmosphere was excellent during
this working visit,” says Peter Zuurbier
of the Latin America Office.
“The pro cess has the immediate
attention of the Chilean Minister of
Agriculture, and its pace is fast. In
October, researchers from Wageningen
and university chair Aalt
Dijkhuizen participated in a conference
in Santiago to discuss further
plans for the international
center with our partners and the
food industry.”
Info: peter.zuurbier@wur.nl
Global Combination
of Forces
Wageningen UR and French
research institute INRA (Institut
National de la Recherche
Agronomique) will cooperate
more intensively. Among other
things, they want to submit joint
research proposals to the European
Union. Marion Guillou, CEO
of INRA, and Aalt Dijkhuizen, chair
of Wageningen UR, signed an
agreement to this end during the
Opening of the Academic Year.
INRA and Wageningen UR both
work in the domain of healthy
nutrition and living environment
and are among the largest European
institutes in that field. The
agreement includes exchanging
researchers and specialists, setting
up joint research projects, and
cooperation in international
research programs. In addition,
the partners can make use of each
other’s research facilities, such as
the Restaurant of the Future. One
of the first joint projects is in the
area of aquaculture. In his opening
speech, Dijkhuizen also
announced cooperation agreements
with research institutes in
Brazil, Chile, China and with the
Massey University in New Zealand.
EFAS 2009: making
connections
More than eighty participants from
over fifteen countries met in October
in this year’s European Food
and Agribusiness Seminar (EFAS)
Chile gearing up
NEWS
Wageningen UR was selected as
development partner for an ‘International
Center of Excellence for
Innovation in the Food Sciences’ in
Chile. In May 2009, a cooperation
agreement was signed to that end
during the visit of Chilean president
Bachelet and agriculture minister
Hornkohl to Wageningen.
Chile would like its fruit industry to
obtain a top spot in the export
Fish market in Santiago de Chile
photo: Lineair
8 / 9

Nice assessment
results
????????????????
Plenary discussion of business cases at EFAS
in Rome, a joint initiative by
Wageningen UR (Aalt Dijkhuizen)
and Harvard Business School
(Ray Goldberg and Peer Ederer).
With backgrounds varying
strongly, all segments of the agrifood
business were well represented.
During the seminar, ten
business cases were extensively
discussed in smaller groups
among the participants as well as
in plenary sessions with the CEO
or senior executive of the company
involved.
These discussions focused on the
fact that society as a whole faces
the challenge of increasing total
food production to feed an estimated
9 billion people in 2050,
while cutting its ecological footprint
significantly. This challenge
was deemed feasible by participants,
as long as all segments of
the agri-food chain cooperate,
and that connections are established
in the various sectors.
During the seminar, several new
roles within the global food system
were defined, including that
of agriculture, which requires
‘new farmers’ – demonstrating a
higher level of education and an
increased use of technology. The
new role of expanding economies
in the global food system was also
established, taking as an example
Brazil’s rapid development,
strength and self-confidence in
terms of production, logistics, cost
prices and quality. Furthermore,
globalization was redefined, with
the slogan ‘think global, act local’
making a come-back as the adagio
for companies expanding beyond
their national borders.
The seminar witnessed a shift in
thinking from the conventional
line of thought about protecting
the environment, toward considering
corporate social responsibility
and ultimately placing shared values
at the core of business. Ultimately,
‘it is of less importance
which route is chosen’ said EFAS
participant Kees Wantenaar, chairman
of the Supervisory Board of
FrieslandCampina, ‘as long as the
focus is clear and the execution is
excellent’.
According to participants, the seminar
was of high value and turned
out to enable companies operating
in the global food system to gain a
broader perspective on feeding
the world whilst reducing pressure
on the ecosystem.
Info: www.efas.wur.nl
Wageningen UR came out of the
latest international rounds of
assessment with flying colors, so
the final reports of the assessment
committees revealed in September.
The five investigated research
schools and 82 research groups
received predominantly good
grades. Eighty percent got a least
a 4 on a scale from 1 to 5. “That
means that internationally, we
have a strong profile,” says rector
Martin Kropff in Resource (24 September).
According to the rector,
tightening the quality policy has
borne fruit: For all research
schools, the grades are better than
five years ago. Experimental Plant
Sciences (EPS) leads with a 4.5 in
quality, immediately followed by
the nutrition research school
VLAG (4.4). Nearly twenty of the
research groups obtained an average
grade of above 4.5. A grade of
5 represents ‘world-leading’ and 4
for ‘good international level’. A few
research groups received a grade
of 3 (‘good’) or lower; they are
asked to indicate how they will
improve quality. The assessments
are based on the findings of a committee
of foreign professors. It
holds meetings with professors,
researchers and lecturers on the
basis of extensive self-assessments
of the research schools.
photo: Guy Ackermans
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

Text Laurien Holtjer
Bridge of life
NATURE
The construction of ecoducts to connect
nature areas is a costly matter. But research
by Alterra shows that it’s worth it. Animals
and people alike make ample use of the
world’s longest ecoduct, the Natuurbrug
Zanderij Crailo.
Right in the middle of the Goois Natuurreservaat,
that’s where the world’s longest
ecoduct is found. At a length of eight
hundred meters and a width of fifty to one hundred
meters, it’s a “heavy infrastructural work of art”,
in the words of Poul Hulzink, head of grounds
management at the Goois Natuurreservaat. There
is not much to see on top of the bridge. There is
sad-looking grass with some hesitating heather
here and there. “It takes some time to develop.
The northern part of the natural bridge is slightly
cooler and there we want woods and shrubs,”
explains Hulzink. “In the warmer southern part,
we’re keeping the landscape open.” Eventual
objective is a varied bridge landscape in which
various animal species feel at home.
But the ecoduct is already doing what it is
supposed to do. “All mammal species living in the
surroundings of the bridge have been spotted on
the bridge,” states Fabrice Ottburg, researcher at
Alterra. To be able to assess whether ecoducts do
indeed contribute towards connecting nature areas,
Alterra has kept records of which animal species
have been using the bridge since its opening in
2006. For one and a half years, students and
dozens of volunteers kept daily tallies of which
animal species passed the bridge on the basis of
tracks in especially constructed sand boxes. In
addition, a camera and a sensor registered every
passing animal and feces and diggings revealed
the presence of hares, foxes and rabbits.
Jumping board for amphibians
The results are positive. Animals are making good
use of the passage, in spite of the local crowdedness.
The Natuurbrug Zanderij Crailo is the only
ecoduct in the Netherlands that walkers, cyclists
and horse riders are allowed to use. And they do.
Counts by Alterra show that
approximately three thousand
people daily cross here via the
path especially made for them.
It does not appear to impact the
bridge’s function. We startle a
roebuck, which jumps out of the
cane when we climb the fence
that separates the path from
nature. It vanishes like an arrow.
“Before the bridge was opened,
the first roes already showed up.
Even roes with fawns were seen
on the bridge. It is a sign that
they feel safe,” says Hulzink. At
least – as long as people stay on
natuurbrug
Hilversum
Utrecht
A27
Laren
Anna’s Hoeve
Huis ter Heide
A1
Soest
Eemvallei
Baarn
A28
In addition to the A1 area near
Crailo, the northern part of the
Utrechtse Heuvelrug must be
de-slivered at the following
locations:
• Anna’s Hoeve
• A27/Utrechtseweg south
of Hilversum
• A27 near the Eem valley
• Larenseweg between
Hilversum and Laren
• A28 at Huis ter Heide
photo: Edgar van der Grift
Doe with fawn,
five minutes
after midnight
photographed
with infrared
photo trap
10 / 11

‘Even before the bridge
was opened, the first
roes already showed
up’
photo: Fabrice Ottburg
The nature bridge
viewed from west
to east, from the
former watchtower
Roe track in the
tracks bed; the side
hooves of the front
feet did not leave
an imprint
photo: Fabrice Ottburg
the path. “As soon as people start climbing the
fence, the roes are gone,” adds Ottburg.
There is a dried-out pool on the middle of the
bridge. “It is leaking,” explains Hulzink. The clay
layer that was supposed to prevent water from
oozing away isn’t working as planned. Yet, the grass
feels wet and it is greener than on top of the bridge.
When Ottburg lifts a wooden panel, three small
water salamanders and six immature brown frogs
scoot away. Even though the pool isn’t filled with
water, it is still a soggy location in the dry area.
That makes it an important ‘jumping board’ for
amphibians, which cannot travel large distances
in one go. “We would love to have more of these
spots,” says Hulzink. “Because research has
revealed that they are crucial for animal species
that like wet conditions.”
Slivers of nature
In addition to very common species, rare ones also
use the bridge. A badger and a pine marten have for
example been spotted several times, to the delight
of both gentlemen. “There are badgers south of
Hilversum. In 1982, only four animals were left.
Owing to the construction of tunnels and grids, the
population has managed to recover but it is now
running into certain boundaries such as the A1 and
the Hilversums Kanaal. The natural bridge is at the
center of the Gooi area and can connect the isolated
partial population with other partial populations in
the North,” says Hulzink.
The construction of the ecoduct cost almost fifteen
million euro. “Many people wonder whether such an
expensive bridge is necessary,” says Ottburg. “But
it’s not just this bridge. It concerns all sorts of
constructions that are made to connect slivers of
nature. And when all these connections have been
realized, they offer animal species such as the
badger and the pine marten a good chance of
survival.”
Info: fabrice.ottburg@wur.nl
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

environment
Unlimited exchange of information
via the web site should
change that.” Hartemink cooperates
with eleven international soil
institutes and the system will be
filled with relevant soil information
within five years. The maps
will be linked to Google Earth.
Designers and policy developers
can use this information in their
decision-making regarding global
questions such as food production,
water management and climate
change. GlobalSoilMap.net
obtained a seed capital of eighteen
million dollar from the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation.
Info: alfred.hartemink@wur.nl
ENVIRONMENT
The Nederlands as
Silicon Water Valley
On 1 July, the project Dutch Delta
Design 2012 was launched at the
town hall of The Hague, in the
presence of prominent names from
the water sector. Wageningen UR
fathered this ambitious project, in
which by now more than forty parties
participate. Objective is to
position the Netherlands as the
world’s Silicon Valley for water,
where global expertise congregates,
international events take
place and key players are found.
To achieve this, the water sector
and knowledge centers cooperate
with the creative industry. There
are eight Water Expertise Centers,
all over the country. Scientific
manager Wim Cofino of Alterra is
initiator of the Water Expertise
Center Eastern Netherlands, in
which Wageningen UR cooperates
with the universities of Nijmegen
and Twente, water boards and the
photo: Hollandse Hoogte
corporate world. “Water, food and
energy compete in this region,”
Cofino explains. “To realize solutions,
an innovative approach to
cooperation between the public
and the private sector is required.
We want to use the opportunities
in this area by means of flexible
network organizations.”
Info: wim.cofino@wur.nl
or saskia.knoppersen@wur.nl
Digital soils
A project to create a digital soil
map of the entire world was
launched in New York and Nairobi
early this year. GlobalSoilMap.net
will meet the need for current soil
data, and create soil maps available
through the latest technology.
“There is a great need for actualized
and digital soil information”,
says global coordinator Alfred
Hartemink, researcher at ISRIC,
Wageningen UR. “Currently, that
information is still often outdated.
Safe planetary
boundaries
For the first time, a group of 28
scientists – including researchers
from Wageningen University – has
assessed the safe limits for the
human effect on the global environment.
This concerns limits for
CO 2 and other critical environmental
components; they ensure that
the earth will remain livable for
future generations. The new
approach is presented in Nature’s
September 24 issue. According to
Wageningen professor Marten
Scheffer, there is a high probability
that drastic global changes will
cause severe problems for humankind.
“We argue that it is important
to indicate as clearly as possible
what the safe boundaries are
within which we can be reasonably
certain that humankind will
be able to prosper for countless
generations in the future.” The
scientists’ intention is to provide
clarity for politicians and policymakers.
They emphasize that the
indicated limits are tentative estimates.
The estimates suggest that
the safe limits have already been
exceeded in three areas: Climate
12 / 13

change, species extinction, and
the nitrogen cycle.
Info: marten.scheffer@wur.nl
Soy forever
The Round Table on Responsible
Soy (RTRS) has reached an
agreement on the principles and
criteria for a more sustainable
production of soy. The criteria
address aspects ranging from
soil fertility and protection of
biodiversity to employee rights.
These criteria are now about to
be tested in the field. “The big
challenge is to arrive at certification,”
says Linus Franke,
researcher at Wageningen UR.
“There have to be good, measurable
indicators that apply globally.
In addition, certified soy
must be kept separated from
non-certified soy during processing
and transport.’ Franke looked
into the agro-ecologic sustainability
of soy, and into power and
legislative relationships in the
soy chain in Brazil, Europa’s
main supplier of soy. “The soy
chain is developing very rapidly,
both in the expansion of arable
land and in genetic modification
and other innovations. The producers
do see the importance of
sustainability, but are highly
dependent on trade parties.
‘Who will pay for it?’ is therefore
an often-heard question.” In the
RTRS, soy producers, trade,
processing and social organizations
work together. The Ministry
of Agriculture, Nature and Food
Quality is an important financial
sponsor of the platform.
Info: linus.franke@wur.nl
The soy chain is
developing very
rapidly
photo: ANP
Purple-loosestrife in agriculture
State of the Country
The Dutch government’s ideas
regarding a livable, vibrant and
sustainable countryside are contained
in the Agenda Vitaal Platteland
(AVP). Wageningen UR has
developed indicators to determine
what the effects on society are if
this agenda is carried out. Eight
themes are important for the development
of the countryside: Nature,
agriculture, recreation, landscape,
soil, water, reconstruction of the
sandy areas and social-economic
vitality. For each theme, measurable
indicators were developed.
One of the targets, for example, is
‘to develop and retain the Netherlands’
recreational attractiveness’.
This objective was translated into
‘every Dutch citizen should be able
to recreate in nature at cycling
distance of ten minutes’. The indicators
are described in the brochure
Stand van het Platteland, in
which the baseline for 2007 and
the measurement method can also
be found. All data of the Monitor
AVP will be stored in a central
database, managed by the unit
Legal Research tasks (WOT)
Nature & Environment at Wageningen
UR. This information will also
become available to third parties
via the web.
Info: herman.agricola@wur.nl
photo: Shutterstock
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

Text Korné versluis
can the world be fed in 2050 without depleting the planet? technically, all problems can be
solved. the question is whether humankind will succeed in organizing the global economy in
such a way that even the poorest will benefit from it.
FooD PRoDUctIon
In 2050:
tWo tIMes MoRe
FoR tWo tIMes
Less
FEEDING THE WORLD
3.2
3.1
3.0
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3
2.2
foto credits
2.1
2.0
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.0
Global Demand
Global crop yield
1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989
14 / 15

Graph:
Development of
physical yields
and the global
demand for food
crops, index
1965 = 100.
source: Goldman
sachs
can we produce twice as
much food while using two
times less fertilizer,
pesticides and other inputs? That
question took center stage during
the symposium at the Opening of
the Academic Year on 7 September
2009. Rector Martin Kropff
called it a challenge for Wageningen
UR: ‘Feeding the world
within the carrying capacity of
planet earth’. In other words: two
times more for two times less.
In any case, full professor Rudy
Rabbinge wasn’t very worried as
to whether this ambition is
realistic. He considers it a “highly
feasible target”. Even better: “It is
more or less correct that twice as
much vegetable production will be needed in 2050.
But two times less input? Pesticide use can easily
be decreased by eighty percent, provided you carry
out agriculture in the right locations and using the
best ecological techniques. For water and nitrogen
too, much bigger steps can be made. The knowledge
is available, but much depends on political
decision-making. Politics are aimed at maintaining
the status quo. Just think of European agricultural
policy. It is not focused on dynamics but very often
on existing interests.”
yield Gap
This summer, the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations FAO also pondered the
question as to how to feed the world in 2050. Its
reply fits in with what Rabbinge says: The world’s
population can easily be fed, also with a doubling of
the need for crops. Many countries are currently
2015
‘tWicE lEss inpUt?
pEsticiDE UsE cAn BE
DEcREAsED With As mUch
As Eighty pERcEnt!’
2009
photo: hollandse hoogte
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
WAGenInGen UPDAte 4/09

producing a lot less food than is theoretically
possible. Farmers are not geared towards producing
as much as possible, but towards achieving the
highest possible profits, after all. If that can be done
without expensive fertilizer and pesticides, and
without expensive labor, great. A farmer in Ukraine
currently harvests 2500 kilogram of grain from one
hectare, on average, whereas almost 8000 kilogram
per hectare is taken from less suitable soil in the
United Kingdom. But that gap does not only exist for
Ukraine or other developing countries. This yield gap
is also still much too large in the United States. The
yield there could be twice as high, if all available
means are used.
Why is there still hunger?
In the 1990s, researchers in Wageningen calculated
that the world would be able to feed at most 47
billion people royally. Last year, sociologist Niek
Koning published an update of that calculation.
Consumers do throw food away, said Koning, so
twenty percent of the production must be regarded
as lost, for starters. In order to feed 47 billion
people, you would have to use all good agricultural
soil. But that’s not possible because towns also take
up space, as do nature areas. Agriculture, therefore,
cannot take up much more space than it already
does: 43 percent of the planet’s land surface. If you
then take a suboptimal production of 80 percent
into account, you can still feed 16 to 24 billion
people.
But if that is the case, then why are millions of
people still hungry? Arie Kuyvenhoven, emeritus
professor of Development Economy, pointed out
during the symposium that production is only one
side of the story. “You have to start with the
question: What would people like
to consume in the next thirty
years? You might find that it is
likely that you will need twice as
much of some types of crop. But
we know that, for example, the
demand for rice decreases when
the consumers’ income increases.
We also know that people want
to eat more vegetables and meat.
I therefore miss the role of the
consumer in the debate.”
Production is not
the only thing
Key question is not how to
increase the production, according
to Kuyvenhoven, but how to
ensure that everybody can buy
food. “Look at the current
situation. We produce enough.
The problem is that there are one
billion people who do not have
enough money. You can not solve
that with production alone. If you
want to provide a healthy diet to
all malnourished persons, you
‘yOU hAvE tO stARt With
thE QUEstiOn WhAt
pEOplE Will WAnt tO
cOnsUmE in thE nExt
thiRty yEARs’
Graph: changing
composition of the
diet in various
countries,
1971-2003.
source: FAo 1971
2.430
Cal.
1.990 2.040
Brazil china India
FEEDING THE WORLD
2003
3.110
Cal.
2.930
2.470
16 / 17

Planet earth can
feed up to 16 to
24 billion people
only have to produce a slightly
larger amount of food. But if you
did that, the food would not end
up with those poor people. That
requires an increase of the
purchasing power. If that doesn’t
happen, the increases production
goes into storage.”
The current hunger in Africa is
maintained, according to Kuyvenhoven
and Rabbinge, because not
enough is invested in agriculture.
Kuyvenhoven: “Large countries in
Africa have given little priority to
agriculture. Policymakers thought
that the countries would develop
without a good agricultural
system, on the basis of mining
and industry. That turned out to
be incorrect. A well-functioning
agricultural system supports the
rest of the economy by providing
cheap food. As long as food is
expensive, the wages remain
relatively high because people
have to be able to buy food.”
Free trade
In order to deal with the planet
efficiently, trade is indispensable
according to Kuyvenhoven. “Many
environmental groups see trade
streams as sources of pollution
and therefore want to produce
locally. That often is not smart.
You have to produce where that
is best possible, also in terms of pressure on the
environment. There is criticism that we import ‘land’
that way from Brazil and Argentina, as if that would
be unethical. Brazil and Argentina have a lot of land,
with a lot less pressure on the environment, so let
them use it. It’s probably better for the planet if we
produce a little bit less meat here and little bit more
there.”
That free trade will eventually lead to the most
efficient production is a statement that Erwin Bulte,
Kuyvenhoven’s successor as professor of development
economy, wouldn’t fight. But that doesn’t
mean that the world will embrace this system in the
next few decennia. “After last year’s food crisis, I no
longer dare feel certain of that. We have seen that
various countries protected their markets at the
time. What long-term effect this will have isn’t clear
yet.”
Bulte thinks that large steps towards improving the
world’s food provision can be made in the African
countryside. “The largest gain can be made there
in improving national institutions. There are many
farmers who have hardly any access to financial
services and have to transport their products along
pitiful roads. Huge gains can be made there with
simple existing technological means. Eventually,
it will also be important that they can sell their
products on the global market fairly, and who
knows, they may later improve the yields with newer
techniques. But again, the biggest gain can be made
in establishing good institutions and better infrastructure
in those countries.”
Info:
rudy.rabbinge@wur.nl
arie.kuyvenhoven@wur.nl
erwin.bulte@wur.nl
2.470 3.300 3.040
cereals
vegetable oils
meat
sugar & sweeteners
Morocco UK UsA
photo: Shutterstock
3.110
3.460
3.760
milk & products
animal fats
other
fruits/vegetables
WAGenInGen UPDAte 4/09

food
FOOD
Growing grain profits
In 2007 and 2008, the world market
prices for grain and inputs such as
fertilizer rose sharply. At the same
time, the international trade is
increasingly dominated by only a
few large agribusinesses. Civil society
organizations are increasingly
concerned about the potential
impact of these two trends. Oxfam
Novib therefore commissioned
Wageningen UR to carry out a
study into the role of multinationals
in the grain sector. The study
confirms that the three largest
companies (Cargill, ADM and
Bunge) are set to make huge profits
in these times of high prices
and great demand for their products.
The power and influence of
these multinationals in the market
is still increasing. However, in
Africa their influence in the grain
sector is very limited as the transaction
costs and risks in Africa are
too high.
Info: gerdien.meijerink@wur.nl
SENSITIVE to
novel foods
Hypoallergenic foods hardly help
at all when it comes to solving
food allergy problems. This is
because food can never be guaranteed
to be free from allergens, and
allergy patients are often extremely
cautious. That is what Margreet
van Putten at the group Market
Knowledge and Consumer Behaviour
at Wageningen University concludes
in the PhD thesis she
defended in September. Food allergies
for fruits and nuts, for example,
occur among one to two
percent of adults and five to eight
percent of children. “There are no
medications for food allergies,”
Van Putten explains. “That is why
we wanted to investigate whether
novel foods might be able to play
Hypoallergenic Santana apples can
only help people with a mild allergy
a role. In novel foods, the allergens
can be rendered harmless with all
sorts of techniques, such as
genetic modification or radiation.”
Unfortunately, food allergy patients
are far from fond of the new foods.
Van Putten: “Allergy patients are
very cautious. They have to be, as
minute traces can already cause
an allergic reaction. Since there is
no such thing as 100% guaranteed
allergen-free food, novel foods can
only help people with a mild
allergy.”
Info: lynn.frewer@wur.nl
How adventurous is
your lunch?
Since the opening of the ‘Restaurant
of the Future’ in 2007, food
selection behavior in a group of
registered lunch users has been
systematically recorded. Of this
group, one third selects the same
foods every visit, the so called
‘unadventurous’. The ingredients
and the energy content of the food
were measured as well. René de
Wijk, senior sensory scientist at
Wageningen UR: “We found some
interesting results. For instance, it
was observed that younger users
have a higher caloric intake compared
with older users. And users
with above-average body weight
have a less varied eating pattern.
The choice of food also changes
during the workweek: On Fridays,
men treat themselves to a snack,
women to a creamy dessert.”
These results are used for both
public and private research; the
latter involves observing consumer
behavior with respect to specific
products and product groups.
Info: rene.dewijk@wur.nl
photo: ANP
18 / 19

photo: Foto Natura
Immature eels
Eels remain
contaminated
Red eels from large Dutch rivers
are still highly contaminated, says
a report published by Wageningen
UR. However, this does not apply
to eels from other water sources,
such as the IJssel Lake, Gooi Lake,
Sneek Lake, and the so-called
Loosdrechtse plassen and Markermeer.
The report presents results
for eels caught between 2004 and
2009. Wild eels caught in the Netherlands
account for only approximately
5% of the eels consumed in
the Netherlands; 95% originate
from fish farms. Earlier studies
have revealed that farmed eels
comply with the product standards.
A total of 65 samples were
analyzed for dioxins, PCBs and
heavy metals. 54% of the samples
contained levels of dioxins or
dioxin-like PCBs above the
accepted limit. These compounds
accumulate in the body and can
cause serious health problems.
The encountered heavy metal levels
did not exceed the limits. The
report also contains recommendations
on how the quality of eels in
‘clean’ regions needs to be tracked.
Info: jeannette.leenders@wur.nl
World Food Security
Event
University Chair Aalt Dijkhuizen
participated in the World Food
Security Event in New York on 26
September, an initiative of the Secretary-General
of the United Nations
Ban Ki-Moon and US State Secretary
Hillary Clinton. The meeting was a
follow-up to the G8 meeting in Italy
earlier this year, at which 27 countries
agreed to invest twenty billion
dollar in improving the world food
production, notably in development
countries. Dijkhuizen: “The topic of
this meeting matches our core activities
seamlessly as well as with initiatives
Wageningen UR is
developing within the framework
of ‘Agroproduction in the 21st century’.”
Most countries were represented
at the ministerial level. In
addition, organizations like the
World Food Program, the World
Bank and the World Economic
Forum were present. In the past,
Princess Máxima had argued for
Wageningen UR’s participation
during a meeting with Clinton. In
New York, Dijkhuizen solidified the
contacts with various international
partners. “The president of the
New York Academy of Science
would for example like to cooperate
in the area of food & health,
a wonderful opportunity.”
Chilean Dutch
collaboration
explored
On May 18 to 19, a workshop was
held in Santiago de Chile on collaboration
in plant biotechnology
between INIA, the University of
Chile and Wageningen UR. The
workshop came about following
regular interactions between Peter
Zuurbier of the Latin America
Office of Wageningen UR and INIA
over the last years. The primary
aim of the meeting was to identify
potential opportunities for collaboration.
Therefore, plant genetics
and biotechnology experts from
both countries were brought
together to discuss areas of common
interests. Besides the Dutch
delegation, approximately 30 Chilean
experts attended the workshop.
Both groups were very
enthusiastic about the possibilities
for joining forces. The meeting was
used to identify and prioritize
areas where collaboration may
result in complementary and
added value. These areas are
found in biological research as
well as in the field of proteomics
technology applications, quantitative
genetics and cisgenesis. Also
collaboration regarding education
activities was identified as an
opportunity.
Info: peter.zuurbier@wur.nl
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

Text Nienke Beintema
Less salt but just as tasty:
It sounds like a fantasy for
people with high blood pressure.
And thereby, also for the food
industry. In conjunction with soy
sauce manufacturer Kikkoman,
researchers of Wageningen UR
have shown that it is very well
possible.
Salty with
soy sauce
photo: Getty Images
Experts can say what they like about healthy
food, but when ‘healthy’ doesn’t taste just as
good as ‘unhealthy’, consumers often stop
listening. Researchers at the Center for Innovative
Consumer Studies are very aware of this. Consumer
acceptance is the first requirement in every
development in the nutrition sector.
“One of the issues in which this plays a large role
is the salt content of food,” explains researcher
Stefanie Kremer. “Salt is bad for people with high
blood pressure, but as soon as you lower the salt
content of food, consumer acceptance declines. Salt
content is a very important component of taste
perception.” That was revealed by research Kremer
and her colleagues carried out at the Restaurant of
the Future (see box). When an industry partner
approached Wageningen UR with the request to
help resolve this salt dilemma two years ago,
Kremer was instantly interested.
That partner was Kikkoman, a Japanese producer
of traditional soy sauce. Would it be possible, they
were wondering at Kikkoman, to use soy sauce to
replace salt in foods to some degree, as a result of
which the consumer would take in much less salt
without the dishes becoming less tasty? Yes,
Kikkoman suspected, on the basis of its knowledge
of traditional Japanese cuisine, but it was looking
for a scientific underpinning. “A nice challenge for
us,” according to Kremer. “And also an ideal
opportunity for measuring taste perception objectively,”
adds Ryo Shimojo of Kikkoman.
“Wageningen UR has a strong tradition in that area.”
FOOD
20 / 21

Test Restaurant
The Restaurant of the Future
is a unique research facility of
Wageningen UR. In this test
restaurant, where visitors come
to have a meal just like in a
‘normal’ restaurant, researchers
look at all sorts of aspects of
consumer behavior regarding
eating and drinking. In the
restaurant, they monitor the
visitors closely, among other
things with cameras, and look
at things like food choice, where
the visitors walk and how they
eat. The laboratory section
enables consumer panels to test
foods in controlled conditions on
for example taste, smell and
texture.
Broad applicability
Kikkoman’s soy sauce is definitely
not the same as the ketjap manis
the Dutch people know from
Indonesian cooking, Shimojo
quickly elaborates: “Our soy
sauce only contains four ingredients:
water, soy, wheat and salt.
Ketjap manis also contains sugar
and a range of other seasonings.
Ketjap is much sweeter and
provides a completely different
taste sensation.” Its preparation
is different as well. Japanese soy
sauce undergoes an exceptionally
long fermentation process: at
least six months. Ketjap manis,
in contrast, is fermented in a few
weeks. Shimojo: “That long
fermentation gives our sauce a
very typical, salty taste. When a
Japanese person wants to make
his or her food saltier, he or she
will first add soy sauce, and salt
only after that.”
‘A Japanese person will
first add soy sauce to
his or her food to make
it saltier and after
that, salt’
The research focused on salt substitution in typical
European dishes. “We wanted to demonstrate that
this principle also works in non-Oriental cooking,”
Shimojo explains. “We used salad dressing, soup
and a dish with fried pork.” Consumer panels
assessed the dishes in five different variations – for
example different kinds of soup – at varying degrees
of salt substitution by soy sauce. It turned out that
the salt content in the three product groups – dressing,
soups and pork – could be lowered by 50, 17
and 29 percent, respectively, without consumers
judging the dishes as less tasty. “A remarkable
result,” feels Shimojo, “certainly if you consider how
important salt is for taste sensation.” “People did
taste a small difference in the taste profile,” Kremer
adds, “but this had no negative consequences for
the acceptance of the dish. And they were unable
to name that taste difference.” It is possible that
compounds in the soy sauce compensate for the
less salty taste, suspects Kremer. “That’s why you
can use this salt substitution in all kinds of tasty
products like potato chips, pizza, bread... The
applicability is very wide.”
Overwhelming responses
The proof of principle has been furnished, Kremer
summarizes, though Wageningen UR will investigate
this matter further. In consumer research, it is also
important to know whether a certain taste sensation
could change over a longer time period, for instance.
The main step, say both researchers, is to make this
idea known in wider circles. Not only with the
public but particularly in the food industry. That
publicity angle will have to be tackled by Kikkoman.
“We do of course present these results in the
scientific world,” says Kremer, “by means of
publications in journals and presentations at
conferences. The first responses were overwhelming.
The demand for such a strategy turns out to be
huge. The salt problem is currently one of the main
issues in the food industry.”
Info: stefanie.kremer@wur.nl
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

Text Laurien Holtjer
Together, scientists from around the world are working on the development
of new vaccines against tuberculosis. Driving force behind this collaboration is
the TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI) foundation, which was established
last year under the umbrella of Wageningen UR.
Stop TBC
HEALTH CARE
To eliminate tuberculosis globally. That is the
target for the year 2050, set by the network
‘STOP-TB Partnership’, initiated by the World
Health Organization (WHO). “But the realization of
that target is still very remote,” says Jelle Thole,
director of the TBVI foundation. Because at this
time, one third of the world’s population is infected
with tuberculosis, although not everyone develops
symptoms straight away. Annually, another nine
million new patients become infected with the
tuberculosis bacterium, and the disease claims
almost two million lives. Every eighteenth second,
someone dies from the condition.
Impressive numbers. With good reason, the
European Union invested heavily in research into
tuberculosis in recent years. More than thirty
research institutes, universities and companies from
Europe and Africa cooperated on project basis
towards the development of new vaccines against
tuberculosis.
That cooperation gained shape in the project
TB-VAC, which was financed by the European
Union from 2004 to the end of this year. But since
last year, the research on vaccines against tuberculosis
has acquired a more structural spot via TBVI,
the foundation set up by Thole and resorting under
Wageningen UR. “The foundation’s objective is to
keep the consortium together that worked in the
previous projects and continue to work along the
same line,” Thole explains.
Vaccine
An important problem in the battle against tuberculosis
is the lack of an effective and affordable
vaccine. The current vaccine, BCG, was developed
over a century ago but it’s still the only available
means of protection. It works in young children but
not in adults. To stop the spreading of tuberculosis,
several vaccines are therefore required, explains
Thole.
A lot of money is required to develop the vaccines
from their discovery to the realization of actual
vaccines. Fundraising is therefore
a core task of TBVI. The foundation
strives to acquire two
hundred million euro in the next
ten years. The donations should
come from governments and
NGOs, as well as from the
industry such as pharmaceuticals.
This year, the foundation has
already received twelve million
euro for research and three million
dollar from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation for communication
and fundraising. Thole thinks
that the success of TBVI lies in
the results obtained in the
tuberculosis research of the sixth
European framework program
(FP6), which he coordinated from
within the Animal Sciences Group
of Wageningen UR. The international
group of scientists presented
five potential vaccines against
tuberculosis, among other things.
That way they showed that it is
certainly technically feasible to
develop new vaccines.
But the vaccines are not usable
yet, not by a long shot. “We have
achieved many results, but we
still have a long way to go. We are
now testing the vaccines produced
by the FP6 research for
safety and on whether the vaccine
causes an immune response.
Then we will investigate whether
it does actually offer protection,”
Thole states. “We have brought
one vaccine to the point of testing
for effectiveness. All things going
well, it may be used for the first
time in 2017,” says Thole.
photo: ANP
Mother in India
carries her
daughter with
tuberculosis out
of the tuberculosis
hospital in
Ahmedabad.
According to the
WHO, tuberculosis
claims more
than 300,000
victims annually
22 / 23

Communication
The foundation is supported by
a board of trustees containing
various well-known names, such
as former members of the
European Parliament and of the
cabinet as well as people who
contributed significantly in the
development of vaccines. In
addition, there are a steering
committee and a Board of
Governance, in which Wageningen
UR is represented. The
directors of the Animal Sciences
Group, Martin Scholten and Dick
Pouwels, are both members of
the board.
The money will not only go to research. The TBVI
foundation also is aiming at communication, with
active support from the Board of Trustees. Thole:
“They give advice and help us present the worldwide
problem of tuberculosis better to politicians and the
corporate world. We want to increase the attention
to tuberculosis by giving the disease a face. If we
present the problem well, we can also show the
importance of an effective and affordable vaccine.”
Info: jelle.thole@wur.nl
‘Annually, nine million
new patients become
infected with the
tuberculosis bacterium’
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

AGRICULTURE
already applied for four S genes in
various crops at the cultivar level.
Info: bai.yuling@wur.nl
Benchmarking Good
Agricultural Practices
AGRICULTURE
Potato is the worlds
third most important
food crop
Potato Genome
Sequence Published
The Potato Genome Sequencing
Consortium (PGSC), an international
group of scientists, has
released the first draft sequence of
the potato genome. The PGSC
started work on the project three
years ago. The resulting blueprint
of the genes of the potato plant
could revolutionize breeding programs.
The potato, a key member
of the Solanaceae family, is the
world’s third most important food
crop and its most important vegetable
crop. Access to the potato
genome sequence, the genetic
blueprint, is expected to help
potato scientists understand yield,
quality, nutritional value and disease
resistance in potato plants.
More importantly, the potato
genome sequence will enable
breeders to reduce the ten to
twelve years currently needed to
breed new varieties. The PGSC was
established by the Plant Breeding
Department of Wageningen UR in
January 2006 and has developed
into a global consortium of
research groups from fourteen
countries. The first draft assembly
can be found at www.potatogenome.net
Info: christian.bachem@wur.nl
Silent Genes are
Golden
Plants can be made resistant
against disease by switching off
a gene, so-called gene silencing.
This new cultivation strategy enables
durable resistance, argue
plant breeders from Wageningen
in the journal Molecular Breeding.
Switching off genes was already
being used to improve quality
aspects of plants, but not yet to
increase resistance. Researcher
Yuling Bai, who published together
with professors Evert Jacobsen and
Richard Visser, explained how it
works in Resource (10 September):
“Some genes, called S genes or
susceptibility genes, respond to
signals of the pathogen and gives
it access to the plant, which is then
attacked. By switching off the
S genes via silencing, you block
access for the pathogen.” The same
effect can also be obtained by
breeding plants in which the S
gene is switched off as a result of
spontaneous mutation. Mutations
are recessive, however, and gene
silencing is dominant, which
makes the latter much easier to
apply to plant breeding. Earlier, Bai
demonstrated that a tomato plant
is no longer susceptible to mildew
when you switch off a certain S
gene. Such recessive resistance is
photo: Hollandse Hoogte
As part of a food safety program in
collaboration with the Thai Ministry
of Agriculture, Wageningen UR
studied the national benchmark
processes of Chile, Kenya, Malaysia
and Mexico. In these processes,
certification of food is compared
with GLOBALGAP standards, with
the objective of having national
and international standards produce
the same results. A comparison
of the case studies can guide
governments in the development
of Good Agricultural Practices
(GAP) certification systems. GLO-
BALGAP is a private organization
that sets voluntary standards for
GAP certification around the
globe, among other things, with
respect to food safety and sustainability.
The study shows that government-led
initiatives are part of
sector-wide policy, including legislation,
while quality systems from
the private sector focus more on
alignment with international standards
and development of export
markets. In Chile and Mexico, the
GAP programs are developed from
the bottom up by large producers
and then supported by the government.
In Kenya and Malaysia, the
initiatives specifically target small
farms.
Info: olga.vandervalk@wur.nl
Best Dissertation
on International
Development
Wageningen University’s Rutgerd
Boelens has won the Thesis Award
Competition for the best dissertation
in the field of international
development that was produced at
24 / 25

a Dutch university in 2007 or 2008.
State Secretary for Finance Jan
Kees de Jager presented the prize,
which was established by The
Amsterdam Institute for International
Development. Boelens’
research dealt with power strategies
around the management of
water irrigation in the Andes mountains
in South America. In this
region, water rights systems tend to
be extremely complex and diverse.
Attempts by governments, NGOs
and industry to control these rights
evoke resistance from farmers.
Boelens found that these attempts
for more control fail to appreciate
the local context, history and specific
character of these water rights
and, as such, the farmers’ fight for
survival. Boelens, who currently is
an associate professor of Irrigation
and Water Engineering at Wageningen
University, received his doctorate
with distinction in 2008. He was
supervised by Jan Douwe van der
Ploeg, professor of Rural Sociology
at Wageningen University, and
Hans Achterhuis, professor emeritus
of Philosophy at the University
of Twente.
Info: rutgerd.boelens@wur.nl
Prize animal testing
alternatives to Ivo
Claassen
The Dieter Lütticken Award 2008
for animal testing alternatives was
granted to Dr. Ivo Claassen of the
Central Veterinary Institute (CVI)
View of Andes
mountain range
in Peru
at Wageningen UR. The € 20.000
award was presented in Rome during
the 7th World Congress on
Alternatives and Animal Use in the
Life Sciences. Claassen and his
team developed an in vitro test for
the activity of vaccines against the
Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV).
Previously, this activity was tested
in chickens, as a means of quality
control for the vaccine. This is no
longer necessary, thanks to the
new method. Claassen: “The development
and validation of this assay
and finally the inclusion of the
assay in the European Pharmacopoeia
monograph on inactivated
NDV vaccines was a very successful
project by the CVI in close collaboration
with the European
Directorate on Quality of Medicines
(EDQM). I am very happy and honored
it has now received wide recognition
with this prestigious
award.” Intervet/Schering-Plough
Animal Health sponsors the Dieter
Lütticken Award. This way, the
company supports scientists who
contribute significantly towards
animal testing alternatives.
Info: dorine.luijkx@wur.nl
European Dairy Sector
Losing Ground
The dairy sector in the European
Union is an innovative player on
the global market, the LEI institute
concludes in a report for the European
Commission. But in spite of
growing exports, the sector’s market
share is declining because the
global market is growing faster. In
the mid-1990s, the European dairy
sector covered 79 percent of the
global market; by 2006 this had
dropped to 72 percent. This is
mainly a consequence of changes
in the EU’s commercial policy.
Notably New Zealand benefits from
the increasing dairy demand. A
higher labor productivity and more
added value make up for this loss
in market share to some degree.
Dairy companies in the EU notably
innovate in the area of products
and less in the areas of marketing,
operations and processes. The
product innovation results in new
products, but also in the development
of new ingredients for functional
foods. The supplying
industry also contributes to the
innovations in the dairy industry.
Info: gemma.tacken@wur.nl
photo: ANP
photo: Lineair
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

Text Nicolette Meerstadt
Competing
Claims
LAND USE
26 / 27

Together with other organizations,
Wageningen UR has developed a program
that may offer a solution when land use
interests collide: Competing Claims. In
southern Africa, it has already resulted in
farmers refusing to be stepped on: neither
by elephants nor by authorities.
Competing Claims looks
at reality from all
sides and tries to
locate bottlenecks in
order to solve them
photo: Getty Images
A
lot of hard work is underway in southern
Africa to realize a mega-sized nature
reserve: The Great Limpopo Transfrontier
Park. Country borders are abolished and large
animals can freely move in an area three times the
size of the Netherlands. Connecting existing wildlife
parks – such as the Kruger Park in South Africa,
the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and the
Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe – to create
this huge nature reserve is a dream of, among
others, the late Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
and Nelson Mandela. Reality still needs to scale a
few hurdles, says Ken Giller, full professor of plant
science. “It is an important park because it
contains all large animals. That’s fun for the
wildlife, but how about the people? Seven
thousand people are living in this area in which
lions roam freely. Elephants trample crops, and the
cattle competes with wildlife in the fertile areas
along the rivers. Those are moments when
diseases like tuberculosis and foot-and-mouth
disease are transferred from animal to animal.”
These farmers therefore have to move to the edges
of the park, where twenty thousand other people
are already living.
Seen from all sides
This kind of competing land use interests is called
Competing Claims. That is also the name of a large
research program financed by the Interdisciplinary
Research and Education Fund (INREF) of Wageningen
University, together with different foreign
partners. Competing Claims is a prime example of
an interdisciplinary field of study. Seven disciplines
of Wageningen University work together in the
research program, from plant and soil science to
communication and rural development. In total,
two postdocs, fifteen PhD and several master
students are working on projects in Africa and
South America.
The interdisciplinary setup is an important
condition to arrive at results that work, to program
leader Giller, but for the PhD students, it’s initially
quite a change to apply knowledge from other
disciplines. Giller: “When they start out, they are
often still locked in the limitations of their own
disciplines. We try to lure them away and create
a synthesis between the different natural and
social sciences.”
Maja Slingerland, teacher of vegetable production
systems at Wageningen University, is involved in
various projects in Africa and Brazil, from within
Competing Claims. She explains her role on the
basis of an example: “Suppose there is a water
shortage. What often happens is that the available
amount of water is calculated. The most efficient
distribution is then calculated on the basis of the
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

LAND USE
photos: Lineair
Sugar cane
for ethanol
production
Illegal wood
processing in
Sumatra
Partnership
Wageningen UR has a Partnership
Program with the Directorate of
International Cooperation (DGIS)
at the Ministry of Development
Cooperation. In that program too,
Competing Claims is an important
theme. The objective has two
sides: To combat poverty and to
protect vulnerable natural
resources in developing countries.
There are four Competing Claims
investigations within the Partnership
Program, namely into:
– Consequences of legal and
illegal logging in Ghana and
Indonesia.
– Competition around the use of
water in the Incomati river
basin in southern Africa.
– Bio-energy and its influence on
food production in southern
Africa.
– Improving income and management
of natural resources in the
Central Rift Valley in Ethiopia.
“A lot of development programs
are immediately related to
Competing Claims,” explains
coordinator Wim Andriesse.
“Every project involves five to ten
people from different disciplines
in Wageningen, always in a
network of dozens of staff in our
partner institutes in the developing
countries, in which the
projects are carried out. The
Ministry of Development Cooperation
uses the knowledge from this
research program also in its policy
development.”
28 / 29
model. But that way, you overlook the social
processes that often make such a calculated
distribution unrealistic. Competing Claims looks at
reality from all sides and tries to locate bottlenecks
in order to solve them.”
The approach
Every Competing Claims investigation relates to a
specific situation, but the approach always contains
the same three basic elements: Taking stock of
interests, outlining scenarios, and negotiating. The
first step is mapping all stakeholders with a claim
on the land. Giller: “We look at various levels: Local,
regional, national and global. From each of these
levels, rules are imposed or pressures exerted on the
local situation. One global interest is preservation of
biodiversity and at the national level, legislation
applies and the country’s export position is important.
But the regional chiefs also put pressure on
local decisions.”
For each group of stakeholders, its rights and duties
are looked into. The researcher then develops
scenarios on the basis of that analysis to arrive at
more balanced land use. Giller: “Those scenarios
make that we work really interdisciplinary. We
cooperate with different experts in the area of
‘With every step and with
every investigation,
we consult at the local
level to see whether our
findings are correct’
sociology, ecology and agriculture science.” But
notably support from the local population is very
important: “With every step and with every investigation,
we consult at the local level to see whether our
findings are correct. On the basis of those talks, we
then choose a scenario to execute.”
Negotiation, the third step, is important to realize
such a scenario in real life. Slingerland: “We are a
knowledge institute, so we acquire knowledge. That
way, we try to influence the power balance. Knowledge
is also making among the local populations. We
try to equip them with this knowledge so that their
voice is also heard in negotiation processes. As far as
that is concerned, we certainly are idealists.”

Knowledge leads
to power
Back to the Great Limpopo
Transfrontier Park. For a while,
one of the PhD students in the
Competing Claims program lived
in a community that had to be
moved as a result of the establishment
of the nature reserve. From
inside, she investigated what was
important to the farmers during
this move. The results were
surprising. “The quantity of the
land turns out to be much less
important than its quality,”
explains Giller. “Trees are crucial
for food provision in the dry
season, for firewood, fruits and
medicines. Also, the land has to
be fertile to be able to grow crops
and keep cattle. But water is the
main thing. The closer to water,
the better.”
Equipped with this knowledge,
the farmers had a strong negotiating
position for a new location.
They are able to make specific
demands. Giller: “The investigation
had a clear positive effect on
the relocation of the village
because farmers had specific
handles for tackling the negotiations.”
Another area in which Competing
Claims can contribute is that of
biofuels. The demand for ethanol
from plants is increasing. Slingerland: “Several
companies want to establish plantations of 30,000
hectares each in Mozambique: Huge parcels of land
relative to the total available agricultural land. These
companies have a lot of money and therefore power.
We map out the positive and negative effects of
those plantations.” One company wanted to establish
a sweet sorghum plantation with a plan for bio-ethanol.
“Sweet sorghum is a grain that serves as food,
but you can also derive ethanol from the stems. It
would appear to be the solution for food and energy
problems.” It sounded too good to be true and
Slingerland and therefore decided to investigate.
“We discovered that the sugar content in the stems
plummets when the grains develop. The claim that
food and energy can be made from the same product
was incorrect. You have to choose between optimum
ethanol production and food. We took that knowledge
to the company. They can now either decide to
decline investing or adjust the compensation
methods. In any case, they have a more realistic
image of what an investment may yield.”
Competing Claims therefore means anticipating
problems and informing the stakeholders. Slingerland:
“In this particular case, we also found entries to the
local government. That way, we try to influence
short-term policy. That’s working out surprisingly well
because we use local students. Here, we apply
knowledge from communication science. They have
experts in the area of negotiation processes. That
feedback between natural and social sciences really
makes Competing Claims interdisciplinary.”
A better future
Both Giller and Slingerland are positive with regard
to the obtained results so far. But more can be done.
Giller: “We are looking for solutions in the latest
technologies, new institutional agreements or
combinations thereof. Science then contributes
towards solving complicated problems in society. We
have only been working for three years, but I see this
as a step towards a better future.” Slingerland:
“Competing Claims is immediately applicable on the
location where the research was done. In that sense,
it is Science for Impact.”
photo: Shutterstock
Sorghum plant
Info: ken.giller@wur.nl, wim.andriesse@wur.nl
Concretions
colored by
sulfur, Rift Valley
Ethiopia
photo: Lineair
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

Alumni Activities
ALUMNI ACTIVITIES
Global debate on grain
The global debate on 8 October
concerned the bases of our food:
grain. The nearly one hundred participants
held a lively discussion on
improving yields, quality and sustainability
of grains. The speakers
considered various solutions for
the world’s food problem. Will we
look for it in (bio)technology, as
KeyGene director Arjen van Tunen
argued? Or in closing ecological
cycles and a better distribution of
food? Consultant Rutger Schilpzand
asked for more attention to
the developments on the consumer
side, such as urbanization and the
increasing purchasing power in
Asia. Huub Spiertz, former professor
of crop ecology at Wageningen
UR, also took part in the debate:
“It is an appealing formula, Gijs
Weenink orchestrated the debate
well, and it contained humor. As far
as I am concerned, however, there
might have been a bit more on the
global food production. As it happened,
the focus was very much on
the Dutch situation.” Spiertz emphasized
the great importance of economic
factors in grain cultivation.
The Netherlands, for example, is
simply too expensive for large-scale
grain production. The jury chose
Spiertz as the evening’s best debater
in view of his ‘expert, active and
impassioned contribution’. That
surprised him: “Maybe I should
have held back a little bit more.”
The debate at the Junushoff was
part of the series ‘Op het scherp(st)
van de snede’, organized by Schuttelaar
and Partners, Wageningen UR
and KLV.
Alumni United
Two alumni meetings were held in
the United States this year. After the
photo: Theo Tangelder
meeting in Washington of early
July, another one was organized on
the west coast. Alumni and partners
from the surroundings of San
Francisco met each other on 17
July for a network meeting on the
theme ‘Climate change and adaptation’.
Speakers were Peter Wijsman
of ARCADIS USA and Eddy Moors
of the Centre for Water and Climate
van Wageningen UR. Both confirmed
that the consequences of
climate change can be noticed
everywhere; also the San Francisco
Bay area runs major risks. A lot of
networking went on during and
after dinner. The questionnaire sent
to all alumni in the United States
revealed that there is a great deal of
interest in an American alumni
network. So there will be a sequel.
Info: babette.meijers@wur.nl
Online meeting place
As of the start of September, the
Wageningen Alumni Portal has
been up and running. In the first
month, the average daily number
of visitors was one hundred, which
means that alumni know where to
find www.wageningenalumniportal.nl.
They are using the virtual
meeting place to network and
exchange information. The portal
contains data of all 32,000 alumni
of Wageningen University and news
and information for and by alumni.
Logging in is possible by using
one’s e-mail address. The many
responses included questions from
visitors regarding the privacy of
their data. Well, great care was
taken in setting up the portal. Every
user can indicate in his or her profile
which data are and are not visible
to others. That way you can,
while maintaining privacy, get in
touch with other alumni, network
or announce activities. The possibilities
for networking will be
extended.
Info: webmaster.alumniportal@wur.nl
30 / 31

WUF EXPANDING
ITS FUNDRAISING
The Wageningen University Fund
(WUF) wants to expand its fundraising.
In addition to the regular
activities, the fund will take care
of more ‘named funds’. Campaigns
for special projects of Wageningen
University are planned as well. As
of 2010, all of the universities fundraising
activities will fall under the
umbrella of the WUF, as revealed
in an explanation by director
Monique Montenarie. “Our fund
is known because of the prizes it
awards annually, its financing of
professorships, and its support
of student activities. In addition,
we will expand the number of
projects we raise money for, such
as the Libraries’ Special Collections.
The university’s ambitions
reach beyond the regular research
budget, and we are looking for
support from within society for it.”
This is already very usual in Anglo-
Saxon countries, says Montenarie.
“The Dutch like giving to good
causes, but don’t think of research
and education. Although especially
through that, you can achieve true
pioneering!”
But there will be more changes.
The number of funds named after
someone will be increased. The
party linked to those funds is
responsible for the fund’s policy,
but the WUF will take care of the
financial details. This way, sponsors
know that there is a good organization
behind it. According to WUF
chair Rob Tazelaar, more and more
people arrange a donation for
when they pass away: “Sometimes
it’s very specific, such as the fund
established to combat the potato
disease. It is wonderful when
such a donation creates an extra
impulse at existing sponsors. In this
case, it eventually led to millions
for Phytophtora research.
Once per year, every alumnus will
receive a mailing, in which support
is asked for a number of selected
projects and named funds. The
sponsors may choose between a
general donation to the WUF or
a contribution towards a specific
goal.”
Info: arianne.vanballegooij@wur.nl
A writer about cheating
Delivering an impressive lecture
to a considerable audience in the
Auditorium, famous Dutch writer
Arnon Grunberg concluded his
visiting writership at Wageningen
University on October 15th. Invited
by KLV, Grunberg had been a
university guest for a period of six
weeks. His visitorship, carrying the
theme ‘On power, lack of power
and manipulation’, started off
Grunberg, discussing the dilemmas of the ‘genetic lottery’
with a public debate, followed by
eleven tutorials. In his final speech
‘Cheating’ he brought up the moral
dilemmas of human intervention in
the ‘genetic lottery’ for discussion,
comparing human reproduction
with a game of chance in which
we are player and ante at the
same time. Grunberg argued for
‘limited cheating’ in this lottery, in
other words intervening in nature
by means of biotechnology. “We
shouldn’t dispose of attempts to
have the game of chance look
somewhat less like a game of
chance as immoral in advance,”
according to Grunberg. After his
speech, rector magnificus Martin
Kropff gave the floor to students
who had attended the tutorials.
They were very enthousiastic:
“Arnon Grunberg showed us how
to observe differently, using quite
diverse texts, from the Bible to
Orwells 1984,” said a student of
Animal Sciences. “A meaningful
supplement to our curriculum”.
The final lecture was highly valued
and loosened the tongues at the
get-together afterwards. “Positively
surprised”, “this theme is playing a
role in all technology”, “I’m going
to enjoy the afterglow”, some
attendants reacted.
photo: Bart de Gouw
WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09

APPOINTMENTS
Appointments
photo: Guy Ackermans
Dr. ir. Ernst van den Ende,
WU phytopathology 1988 and PhD
WU 1998, has been appointed Managing
Director of the Plant Sciences
Group (PSG) by the Executive
Board of Wageningen UR.
Van den Ende was Business unit
manager Trees, Bulbs and Fruit of
Practical Research Plant & Environment
in Lisse, a component PSG
since 2004. 1 September 2009.
Prof. dr. ir. Gusti Muhamad Hatta,
PhD WU 1999, has been appointed
Minister of Environment by Indonesian
president Yudhoyono in his
new cabinet. Muhammad Hatta
had been Assistant Rector at Lambung
Mangkurat University till then.
21 October 2009.
Ir. Luc van Hoof,
WU agricultural economy 1988,
employed at IMARES, Wageningen
UR, has been voted chair of the
European Association of Fisheries
Economists (EAFE). Van Hoof is
also executive secretary of the
European Fisheries and Aquaculture
Research Organisation
(EFARO), board member of the
Centre for Maritime Research
(MARE) and member of the Scientific,
Technological and Economic
Committee for fisheries of the European
Commission (WTECV).
6 July 2009.
Ir. Andre Schmidt MBA,
WU Soil, Water & Atmosphere 1997
and MBA from the Leonard N. Stern
School of Business at New York
University, has founded the internet
company Bundle Tech. Previously,
Schmidt was employed at eBay and
later at Google. Bundle Tech focuses
on cross-border e-commerce.
Prof. dr. ir. Herman B. Scholthof,
WU phytopathology 1986 and PhD
from the University of Kentucky
(VS) 1990, currently full professor
at Texas A&M University in Plant
Pathology & Microbiology specializing
in plant virology, has been
appointed 2009 American Phytopathological
Society Fellow as
recognition for his exceptional
contribution to plant athology.
Scholthof also has a position at
Texas AgriLife Research and was
recently Visiting Professor at Harvard
Medical School and Cornell
University. 4 August 2009.
Ir. Catharien Terwisscha van
Scheltinga,
WU tropical cultivation technology
1993 and working at the team Earth
System Science-Climate Change of
Alterra, was voted vice chair of the
Gender and Water Alliance, an
international network to promote
mainstreaming gender in the water
sector (www.genderandwater.org).
7 August 2009.
TRACING ALUMNI
Name, Year of Graduation, Study
Xinhua Liu MSc, 1995, S21
B. Jamaludin Ibrahim MSc, 1993, S20
Yao Jianbo MSc, 1990, S19
Yibin Wang MSc, 1990, S19
A.A. Ayantunde MSc PhD, 1994, S19
B. Patil MSc PhD, 1995, S19
Nan Geng MSc, 1995, S18
K. Fikru Yifter MSc, 1995, S17
A.S. Sola MSc, 1995, S17
W. Alachew Jembere MSc, 1994, S16
Dr. Ir. E Peters PhD MSc, 1994, S16
P.P. Paraskevov MSc, 1995, S16
Dr. M. Tadege MSc, 1994, S15
Zhou Li MSc, 1995, S15
N.P. Franca MSc, 1990, S13
M. Awriya Ibrahim MSc, 1993, S13
Dr. Tadesse Kippie MSc, 1994, S13
M.R.A. Ibrahim MSc, 1994, S13
S. Lubis MSc, 1995, S13
M. Valjavec MSc, 1992, S12
D. Mekonnen MSc, 1992, S12
D. Rodriguez MSc PhD, 1994, S12
Xuemin Wu MSc, 1995, S12
Xiao Jing Li MSc, 1993, S11
F.S.M. Rugenyi MSc, 1993, S11
A. Verbole MSc PhD, 1993, S11
G.S. Mengesha Haile MSc, 1994, S11
A.K. Mesfin MSc, 1994, S11
A. Yacob MSc, 1994, S11
H. Setiawan MSc, 1995, S11
Dr. D.J.L.M. de Lima MSc, 1987, S10
B.S. Mpelasoka MSc, 1987, S10
Zhou Shouqin MSc, 1991, S10
Nguyen Van Liem MSc, 1991, S10
Li Baozhu MSc, 1991, S10
M. Grkman MSc, 1992, S10
Dr. Haishun Yang MSc, 1993, S10
Dr. Ir. M.R. Hoffmann, 1994, L50
Dr. K. Shiati, 1991, (PhD)
Dr. Xizhong Zhang, 1992, (PhD)
Dr. D. Richardson, 1993, (PhD)
Dr. M. Sajjad Mirza, 1993, (PhD)
Dr. Yong Gang Liu, 1994, (PhD)
Dr. O.O. Akinbamijo, 1994, (PhD)
Dr. A. el Kharbotly, 1995, (PhD)
Dr. S. Devir, 1995, (PhD)
S. de Caralt PhD, 2007, (PhD)
32 / 33

CALENDAR
a selection of symposia,
courses and workshops
FOOD AND NUTRITION
Distance learning programme:
Key concepts in food and nutrition
security
A computer-based self-study tutorial,
meant for participants without
a background in food security and/
or nutrition to get acquainted with
current issues, or as a refresher for
those who do have such a background.
The course can be followed
through the internet or from a CD
Rom. The necessary backstopping
will be given by course staff.
At home, 1 January 2010 –
31 December 2010.
www.cdic.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda
GOVERNANCE
Multi-stakeholder processes for
institutional strengthening
How to deal with the complexity of
governance and the engagement
with multiple actors each with their
own ambitions?
Wageningen, 8-19 February 2010.
www.cdic.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda
ENVIRONMENT
Professional qualities for
managing conflict in NRM towards
sustainable development
The overall aim of the course programme
is to contribute to sustainable
natural resources management
by building capacity to manage
(potentially) conflicting claims on
natural resources.
Wageningen, 22 February –
5 March 2010.
www.cdic.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda
PLANNING
Navigating and managing
for impact
How to manage for impact by integrating
strategic guidance, operational
management, monitoring and
evaluation in a learning environment,
whilst navigating the external
and internal context?
Wageningen, 1 March – 19 March
2010.
www.cdic.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda
PLANT SCIENCE
International Postgraduate
Course Plant Breeding
6 sessions in 2010 and 2011. All
theoretical and some practical
subjects, necessary for managing a
professional breeding programme
are being covered, as well as new
technological developments and
their application. Basic knowledge
of genetics, plant physiology and
statistics at BSc level is needed.
Wageningen, six sessions in 2010
and 2011.
www.wbs.wur.nl
CAREER
Business Etiquette
Etiquette should be regarded as the
tool that smoothens your association
with other people. At home,
at work, socially. What are the
rules?
And what are the traps?
The
course consists of two evening
seminars.
Wageningen, 11 and 25 Januari 2010
www.klv.nl/en/activities
Contributing to the quality of life
Delivering a substantial contribution to the quality of life. That's our focus – each and every
day. Within our domain, healthy food and living environment, we search for answers to issues
affecting society – such as sustainable food production, climate change and alternative
energy. Of course, we don’t do this alone. Every day, 6,500 people work on ‘the quality of
life’, turning ideas into reality, on a global scale. Could you be one of these people? We give
you the space you need. For further information about working at Wageningen UR, take a look
at www.jobsat.wur.nl.
www.jobsat.wur.nl

Staying on top of drought
Climate change is leading to shorter and less regular rain seasons in the Sahel countries. Even the cowpea,
a long bean that is fairly drought-tolerant, is feeling the effects. For his PhD research at Wageningen UR,
Eugene Agbicodo mapped the region of cowpea genes that make the plant more drought-proof. His findings
will enable breeders and farmers to breed cultivars that will yield better crops in a changing climate.
In arid areas with barren soils, cowpea is often one of the few plant species that still produce some profit.
In addition, the plant is an excellent nitrogen fixer and improves the soil. Cowpea is a traditional crop of small
farmers. As a result, not much research into it has been carried out yet. A special cowpea research program
has now been set up with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Information: gerard.vanderlinden@wur.nl