When the going gets tough... - Wageningen UR

14 >> features‘I know people we have been working withfor years on sustainability issues, who can no longerrelate to the noises coming from Wageningen’ningen UR is now distancing itself from such people. Andthat hurts. ‘I am not happy with the way the organizationhas been in the news recently.’ One of the developmentsthis is a reference to is the recent discussion about foodsecurity and the media image of Wageningen as standingfor a heedless intensification of agriculture. Dicke: ‘Thereare all sorts of problems in the world, and Wageningen istrying to contribute to solving them. At Entomology, forexample, we are trying to find solutions to the malaria problemand to the problems of crop protection and theworld food supply. These are complex issues and bydefinition the solutions to them are manifold. But atthe moment it seems as though Wageningen looks aswhat is perhaps the most complex problem of them all,how to feed the world, and puts forward one simple solution.Namely, that you can do it by just increasing production.’In Dicke’s opinion, Wagengen is alienating itself fromthe people who feel a bond with it. ‘I know people we haveworked with for years on sustainability issues who can nolonger relate to the noises coming from Wageningen.There are even partners who say: I don’t want to have anythingmore to do with an organization like that.’Dicke talks a bit about the collaboration between hisgroup and a large organic chicken producer. The entomologistsget chicken blood from the company in which tobreed the mosquitoes which can spread the West Nilevirus. ‘You have to have bird blood for that. So you need acompany that breeds organic chickens, because we don’twant any pesticides or hormones in the blood. But lastweek our partner abandoned the collaboration because ofAalt Dijkhuizen’s statements.A real pity, says Dicke. ‘It was not that easy to get hold ofa company of this kind and we had built up a good workingrelationship. Of course we are going to explain thatthere are other perspectives at Wageningen UR than thisone, but this just shows how fragile it is. I find that hard totake. This will definitely have a broader impact, with peoplethinking Wageningen has turned into a bio-industryclub.’As far as Dicke is concerned, Dijkhuizen has every rightto say that intensive livestock farming is in some waysmore sustainable than organic farming. ‘There are argumentsto support that. But he neglects to add that lots ofother developments could contribute to a solution. Thereare many examples - let me take one that is close to homefor me. A life cycle analysis of mealworms shows that itRESOURCE — 31 January 2013