Green Deal on Nature-inclusive Agriculture in Green Education signed

On 16 May, Minister Staghouwer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) signed a new Green Deal ‘Nature-inclusive Agriculture in Green Education’. This Green Deal focuses on promoting new ways of producing food that decrease the pressure on nature and enhance biodiversity. In addition to other government agencies and farmers’ organizations, 18 education institutions signed the agreement, including (pre)vocational colleges and schools (MBO and VMBO), universities of applied science (HBO) and universities.

University of Utrecht is also a signatory of the agreement. Our university has committed itself to generate scientific knowledge of nature-inclusive food systems, provide opportunities for internship projects on this topic in collaboration with practice (e.g. on species-rich grasslands, agroforestry, food forests), and to participate in relevant networks with green HBO and (V)MBO institutions to facilitate knowledge transfer. Additionally, as part of the bachelor program Global Sustainability Science, courses will be developed on agroecology and sustainable food systems and on the transformation of food systems based on nature-inclusive and regenerative approaches.

This is in fact the second phase of a previous Green Deal with a similar focus, in which Utrecht University also participated. The growing number of our educational activities in the field of nature-inclusive agriculture justifies the signing of the agreement.