On Wednesday 25 May, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food mr. Luis Planas Puchades visited Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Mr. Planas, who is in office since 2018, was welcomed by mrs. Sjoukje Heimovaara. As of 1 July, she will start as the chair of the Executive Board of WUR.
In 2050, the world will have to feed 10 billion people. The same planet currently inhabits 7.5 billion people. This requires major transformations in food systems. Wageningen University & Research is a hotspot of information in those fields.
WUR scientists therefore presented Mr. Planas with the latest knowledge on, for example, the role of livestock farming in circular agriculture. The Spanish minister was also given a tour of the Unifarm greenhouse complex, where he learned more about our research into sustainable horticulture.
Collaboration with Spain
In Spain, Wageningen University & Research has many partners. We work with Spanish partners in 285 of our European projects. And through the Erasmus international student exchange programme, we are in contact with 17 Spanish universities. Therefore, Mr. Planas had a Meet & Greet with Spanish WUR students in the afternoon. They told him more about the progress of their studies and (student) life in Wageningen.
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality also attended the visit to discuss collaboration between the countries. The visit to Wageningen was postponed earlier due to the corona measures in place at the time.
For more information:
Wageningen University & Research
www.wur.nl