Excursions​​​​​

To enjoy and learn about several conference related activities in the surroundings of Wageningen, three different excursions will be organized on Friday 22th of November, 2024. You can register for the excursions via the registration form. If you already registered for the conference, you can add the excursion to your existing registration. You can see the prices for the excursions in the descriptions below or on the registration page. All prices have a discount for students and low-income country participants. Please note: there is a maximum capacity per excursion.

All excursions start at 09:00. Please make sure to arrive at the WICC at 8:45, where you will be welcomed with coffee/tea and a Dutch treat. From 09:00 onwards, excursion programs will vary.

Of the three excursions, one lasts a full day and the other two are held in the morning as half day excursions. All excursions include lunch. For participants of the full day excursions, we offer the opportunity to dine at a typical Dutch pancake restaurant: de Panoramahoeve. For this, we will arrange a group reservation and transportation. However, please note that the dinner itself is at your own expense.

Please note that the following excursions have unfortunately been cancelled:

• Excursion 1 - The local grain value chain

• Excursion 3 - Fermentation workshop

• Excursion 6 - Wageningen University Campus tour: the most sustainable university world wide

For excursions 2 and 5, we recommend that you bring suitable clothing and footwear, as extensive outdoor activities and field visits take place during the day. In addition, the weather in the Dutch November month is usually cold, wet and windy. Although climate change has made the weather even more unpredictable, you can expect the average maximum temperature to be 10 degrees Celsius. Of course, we will keep you informed of the weather forecast in the days leading up to the conference. Below you will find an overview of the program per excursion.

Descriptions

Excursion 2 - Restoring the traditional landscape and local culture (Full day, max 45 pax)

This excursion starts with an introduction about the construction of a regional agro-ecological food network at the WICC by Janneke Bruil, food policy advisor at Wageningen Municipality. Afterwards, you leave for a visit to the Binnenveld nature reserve, which is reverting back to how it looked a century ago. Here the old flower-rich hay meadows are being re-created and new nature is developing. Following this, you can listen to the story of how the organic family-run dairy farm Hooilanden cares for their soil and cows, and how they set up a land cooperative of citizensd and a trust-based shop. The farmers will also reveal the challenges that the Dutch policy measures resulting from the national nitrogen crisis mean for them and how they are planning to respond.

After a typical local lunch at de Hooilanden farm, the tour continues with a visit to an agroecological "no-dig" market garden , Lichtveen which is located at the same farm. The two young farmers (originally from France and the UK) will share how they struggled to access land, how they set up an open air market and build connections with local restaurants. They will also dive into the principles and concepts behind no till/ no dig practices and show you some of their innovative tools for small scale farming. A lot of interaction and conversation is guaranteed in this tour! We recommend you end your day with a typical pancake dinner at the Panoramahoeve in Bennekom.

Price: 95 EUR (regular)/ 75 EUR (discounted)

Morning program

08:45: Gather at WICC

09:00: Restoring the traditional landscape and local food network: presentations by:

• Janneke Bruil, food policy advisor at Wageningen Municipality: “Building a regional agro-ecological food network”

• Peter Smits, Stichting Mooi Binnenveld: “Binnenveldse Hooilanden; nature development by collaboration and crowd funding"

10:00: Depart to Binnenveld nature reserve and guided field visit

11:30: Depart to the Hooilanden dairy farm for coffee and a guided tour

13:00: Lunch at de Hooilanden farm

Afternoon program

14:00: Continue visit Hooilanden farm

14:30-15:45: Guided tour of the Lichtveen no-dig market garden

15:45-16:15: Coffee/tea at de Hooilanden farm, time for final questions and reflections

16:15: Driving back to WICC

16:30: End of the excursion

Recommendation to end your day with a pancake dinner at Panoramahoeve

Excursion 4 - Cheese making workshop (Half day, max 48 pax)

Have you always wondered how to make your own delicious pieces of cheese the Dutch way? Then this half day excursion offers the workshop for you. Start your day with an introduction about the construction of a regional agro-ecological food network at the WICC by Janneke Bruil, food policy advisor at Wageningen Municipality. Afterwards you will leave for the idyllic surroundings of the old cheese farm Hoekelum, where you will be taught the skill of cheese making under professional guidance. After an educational and especially enjoyable morning, you can take your cheese and complete every dish you desire with your artisanal art. After this workshop you can stay to enjoy a typical "boerenlunch" in the farm.

Price: 70 EUR (regular)/ 50 EUR (discounted)

Program

08:45: Gather at WICC

09:00: Presentation by Janneke Bruil, food policy advisor at Wageningen Municipality: “Building a regional agro-ecological food network”

09:45: Depart to kasteel boerderij Hoekelum

10:00: Cheese making workshop

12:15: Lunch at Hoekelum

13:45: Depart to WICC

14:00: End of the excursion

Excursion 5 - Room for the River: nature restoration project De Blauwe Kamer (Half day, max 45 pax)

In the Netherlands, a country where water from the sea and rivers forms a constant threat, Room for the River is a program launched by the Dutch government to reduce the risk of flooding. The Blauwe Kamer is a beautiful example of how rivers are given space to flood. In the nature reserve where the Nederijn has free rein, nature is constantly in motion. Join this guided excursion of two hours in the Blauwe Kamer and discover how the area was created through river dynamics, and which special animals and plants it is home to. Lunch is a small excursion in itself, because for this you take the ferry to cross the river to the restored old Veerhuis, Ferry house.

Price: 70 EUR (regular)/ 50 EUR (discounted)

Program

08:45: Gather at WICC

09:00: Depart to de Blauwe Kamer nature reserve

09:15: Arrival and explanation, including a movie, coffee and tea in the visitor center

10:00: Guided tour through the Blauwe Kamer nature reserve

12:00: Take the ferry for lunch at de Veerhuis

14:00: Take the ferry back and return to WICC

14:30: End of the excursion