In the history of rural sociology, the city has taken its place next to the countryside as animportant research area, and our research is no longer limited to the professional foodproducer. The article can be found on p. 133
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New Dutch agrifood business models are emerging in response to economic, social and ecological pressures: new players arrive, new logistical pathways come to the fore and innovative consumer and farmer relationships – food coöperatives – are forged. How do new business models relate to reconfiguring the Dutch agrifood system? Our research combines future exploration (backcasting) and analysis of new business models. We developed three agrifood transition scenarios with various groups of stakeholders. For each scenario, we then analysed a specific, representative business model to explore the different roles of business models in agrifood transition. Business models in the “Added value in and with the countryside” already exist and occupy a niche in the market. However, a breakthrough of these business models require large-scale institutional and behavioural change. Business models in the “New products, specific markets” exist but are rare. They usually concern high-value specialist products that could result in widespread market change, but might require little institutional change. The “Sustainable production methods” most resembles the current system. Some associated business models become successful, but they have difficulty distinguishing themselves from conventional produce, which raises questions about whether business models are able to drive a transition in this direction. Thus, our results lend credence to the hypothesis that different transition pathways offer specific potential for and requirements of new business models.
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There has probably never been such an intense debate about the layout of the countryside as the one that is currently raging. There are serious concerns about the landscape, which is being rapidly transformed by urbanization and everything associated with this process, and not only in the Netherlands but also far beyond its borders. Everyone has something to say in this society-wide debate, from local to national governments, from environmental factions to the road-user's lobby, and from those who are professionally involved to concerned private parties. In many cases it is a battle between idealized images and economic models, between agricultural reality and urban park landscapes, between ecological concerns and mobility. This issue of OASE explores the potential significance of architectonic design for transformation processes on the regional scale. Besides considering the instruments that are available to the designer to fulfil this task, the authors also consider how the design can exercise a 'positive' influence on such processes. The various contributions shed light on the potential significance of territory in contemporary design practice and offer critical reflection on the topical discourse that has evolved over recent years.
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Crustumerium was an Iron Age settlement north of Rome, inhabited between 850 and 500 BC. On the basis of archaeological field surveys in the 1970’s a scenario for the development of the city and its countryside was proposed, which matches traditional models of city-state formation. However, little attention was paid to the fact that the local archaeology has been substantially disturbed by nearly a century of mechanized agricultural exploitation. A new analysis of existing and new data, in which the effects of erosion are also considered, now shows that alternative interpretations, which do not assume the maximum urbanisation of the ancient settlement area, are feasible. For the rural area directly surrounding Crustumerium, new analyses of data similarly open up new avenues of interpretation. Here, recent research indicates that a major increase of rural activity (ruralisation) can be placed in the Roman period, long after the abandonment of Crustumerium. The prevailing idea based on legacy data, however, is that intensive ruralisation already took place during the reign of Crustumerium, and that the countryside fell in disuse afterwards.This new study shows that the search for pre-Roman remains in a Roman landscape is very problematic and that new angles of interpretation are needed to review the development of the city and country of Crustumerium. By doing so, the study also questions existing ideas of the urbanisation and ruralisation of ancient city-states in a broader sense.
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It is generally assumed that in the countryside of Northeast Netherlands children enter primary school with a language delay. Despite the apparent consensus, unequivocal evidence demonstrating that the number of young children with language delays and the magnitude of these delays is, however, lacking. The first aim of this dissertation was, therefore, to examine whether children in Northeast Netherlands indeed enter primary school with language delays, compared to national norms and to same-aged children in other parts of the country. The second aim was to examine the role of socioeconomic and cultural determinants of language development in young children at the beginning stages of primary education.The findings revealed that there are no overall language delays in young children at the beginning stage of primary education in Northeast Netherlands. The predominant image that young children in this region start primary school with a language delay, needs to be adjusted. However, there are clear indications that within the general population in Northeast Netherlands, a relatively large group of children suffers from persistent language delays. It is suggested that changing demographic composition of the villages in the northeastern countryside is related to the differences in language skills that are indicated in this research. Empirical evidence is found for this assumption: this research has revealed that the relationship of socioeconomic factors such as maternal education and language skills of young children are mediated by cultural factors such as the literacy use of parents, their beliefs about child rearing and education, and their expectations regarding children’s academic achievement
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Paper presented at the International Sustainability Transitions conference 2018 (12-14 june) Manchester, UK. The Dutch agrifood regime is grinding to a halt. International economic pressures force Dutch farmers to further scale up and intensify their businesses, while food scandals and calamities as well as many and varied negative environmental impacts have led to an all-time low societal acceptance of the agrifood regime as well as a host of legislative measures to stifle further growth. Such a situation, in which regime pressures increasingly undermine the regime, represents a strong call for transition of the Dutch agrifood system.At the same time, new business models emerge: new players arrive, new logistical pathways come to the fore and innovative consumer and farmer relationships – food co-operatives – are forged. In a sense, the transition is already under way (cf. Hermans et al., 2010), with new business models forming an important backbone. However, the way forward is still a matter of great uncertainty and controversy: How do new business models relate to reconfiguring the Dutch agrifood system? We explore the hypothesis that different transition pathways put specific demands on the role of new business models. We studied various new business models in the Dutch agrifood system and their relations to three different transition pathways. Our research combines future exploration (backcasting) and analysis of new business models. In this research, we approach this question from two angles. First, we introduce a transition-oriented business model concept, in order to effectively link new business models to transition. Then we shortly touch upon the transition pathway typology introduced by Geels et al. (2016) and describe three different transition pathways for the Dutch agrifood system. We report on XX business models in each of these transition pathways. The paper ends with a discussion of the role of business models for different types of transition pathways.
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Bespreking van twee ontwerpen voor inpassing woningbouw in regio Waterland.
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Introductie op het themadeel van Kunstzone: kunsteducatie in rurale, niet-stedelijke contexten
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Until recently, we separated farmers and urban communities. Each had their own ministries, policy plans, cultures, knowledge and education institutes and even political parties. Now we accept that this division is gone in the Netherlands. Rural areas ceased to exist, and urbanity was found everywhere. Former rural areas were transformed into green spaces inside metropolitan areas. Farmers and peaceful villages woke up and saw themselves surrounded by cities. Even more: city dwellers became their neighbours. The time has come that we look upon farming and urbanised areas as an integrated system.
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