UG and Province take on sustainable agriculture together

The Province of Groningen and the University of Groningen (UG) are joining forces to make the agricultural sector more sustainable. The UG will appoint a Chair by special appointment in Nature-inclusive Agriculture to this end. The Province will contribute € 200,000 to this Chair from its Sustainable Groningen Agriculture programme, thereby supporting the appointment of two professors (0.5 FTE each) with an ecological and agronomical expertise.

The UG and the Province both attach great value to creating a resilient agricultural sector and enriching scientific knowledge about and support for ‘nature-inclusive agriculture’. This means that farmers not only use nature for production , but that nature at the same time is not damaged and is protected, while profits are safeguarded. Professor of Ecology Han Olff: ‘The Chair gives us a unique opportunity to develop and assess nature-friendly agricultural strategies in Groningen and Drenthe, together with the farmers. Enriching knowledge is indispensable when it comes to making nature-inclusive agriculture a success.’

President of the Board of the University Sibrand Poppema is very pleased with the Province’s contribution and emphasizes the importance of the Chair: ‘It is unique but it also makes sense that this Chair is appointed at the UG as we have a tradition of field research into ecosystems in the North of the Netherlands. It also dovetails perfectly with the Province of Groningen’s ambition to become the most sustainable province of the Netherlands.’