SENSE PhD Colloquium 2004

SENSE PhD Colloquium 2004: Global Food

The Future of Food in a Globalizing World?

Expert updates from OECD and RIVM

(former title: Natural resources - food production, competition between 1st and 3rd world countries)


Date: This meeting took place on Friday, 16 April 2004
Starting time: 10.45
Location: Groningen, Main University building (route description)
Costs: None!

Organising committee:

- Emiel Elferink
- Winnie Gerbens
- Niels Schenk

This PhD colloquium is organised by PhD students for PhD students in the context of the SENSE Individual Training and Supervision Plan

As usual we will have a central session with our keynote speakers in the morning, and parallel sessions with presentations of the PhD candidates in the afternoon. Of course we will have coffee breaks and lunch. Because of the subject and because we do not want you to be hungry on your (long) way back, this colloquium will not only end with DRINKS, but also with a BUFFET!

Morning programme:

Sufficient food of adequate quality for all people on this planet is a constraint for sustainable development.

In the coming decades, the growth of the world population will be large, especially in developing countries. This requires enormous technological efforts from agriculture, but it also increases the pressure on resources that are already scarce, such as land and water, or are related to environmental problems, such as energy. Moreover, proper management is needed to avoid unacceptable emission levels, land degradation, biodiversity loss and deforestation. The production of food in an environmentally sound way, therefore, requires a multidisciplinary approach from a systems perspective. This approach will give a powerful contribution towards creating sustainable food systems.

The OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is a political body that shares a commitment to democratic government and the market economy. The OECD advices and checks its 30 member countries and 70 partner countries on sustainable development, economical and societal issues. In this way the OECD has a major influence on sustainable policy and political issues in the world.

The RIVM (the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment) carries out research and thinks of policies for the Dutch government, NGO�s, the UN and the EU in the field of health and environmental issues. In the Netherlands it is the most important and internationally one of the best environmental research institutes.

Both organizations are sending their top people to discuss with us pressing problems, policies, supposed solutions and research regarding sustainability issues of food production.

Wilfrid Legg is Head of the Policies and Environment Division of the OECD Directorate for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. He is an expert on economic and environmental aspects of agriculture, like trade liberalisation, biotechnology, and sustainable farming.

Fred Langeweg is one of the leading thinkers on sustainability issues. He is the key strategist at the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). He was leading the first Dutch Environmental Outlook: Zorgen voor Morgen. Fred Langeweg also played a key role in the development of the first Global Environment Outlook (UNEP) and he was in the advising committy for the OECD Environmental Outlook (for more information see Curriculum Vitae).

Afternoon programme:

SENSE PhD�s are offered to present their research results, proposals and ideas in parallel sessions.

This is an unique opportunity for SENSE PhD candidates to present their research and to interact with other PhD�s and senior researchers from diverse disciplinary fields. The abstracts of the presentations will be published on the SENSE website for future reference. The PhD presentations will be clustered according to the four research cores within SENSE and the subject needs not to be directly related to the morning programme.

BONUS: the SENSE-research school will partly fulfill your C2 obligation for your SENSE certificate.

For more details see the complete programme .


Internet resources:

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):

- Directorate for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
- Environment Directorate
- Agriculture and Environment
- OECD Environmental Outlook

Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM):
- Sustainable Development
- RIVM Environmental Balance and Outlook


Accommodation � if you wish to join the exciting nightlife of Groningen, we advise you to contact:
- Youth hotel
- University Guesthouse