Day 2, Wednesday May 11, 2016

Jackie Ferguson

Overview

•   Ate breakfast at Hotel De Doelen

•   Toured the Netherlands' countryside via two large vans

•   Received a guided tour of a rooftop garden in Rotterdam

•   Lunch in Rotterdam

•   Talk from Jan Buurma about socio-economics in Dutch Agriculture

•   Ventured to a beach of the North Sea

•   Found dinner in Katwijk

Morning Van Tour

Our day began with breakfast at 8am featuring toast with butter and sprinkles at our hotel in Leiden. A few students headed out with Hans (our guide for the trip) to retrieve the van at a near-by parking garage. He pointed out and explained the “free bus” offered by the garage. There was a small building that created hydrogen gas via solar panels to power the bus. Anyone who purchased a parking pass was able to use this bus for free. Because the streets of Leiden are so small with limited parking (and there are bikes EVERYWHERE), the “free bus” and parking garage encourages commerce in the town of Leiden.

  

         We met the other van with the remaining students at the hotel and we were off to see the countryside of the Netherlands. We saw multiple windmills either for pumping water or grinding meal along the roadways. There were ditches that enclosed animals so they didn’t have a need for many fences. We stopped along the road to discuss a current wetland nature preserve that was previously a polder (“a piece of low-lying land reclaimed from the sea or a river and protected by dykes, especially in the Netherlands”-dictionary.com) used for farming. The soil used to be mostly peat but is now mostly clay soil. This is due to the collection of peat fuel in homes, the peat soil compacts easily once it dried out and other biological factors. Another indifferent sight of the Netherlands were the thatched-roofs on houses and barns which will be discussed on a later day. However, Hans described that thatched roofing was once only used by the poor but in present day is a sign of wealth.  In addition to the interesting country-side, we also viewed a few blooming tulip fields. Unfortunately, most of the flowers had been cut to get ready to harvest the bulbs; so we did not have the opportunity to see the hectares of blooming tulip bulb fields that Holland is known for.

         Additionally, we made a quick stop at church/port where Pilgrims of the Mayflower departed. This was not where the actual Mayflower departed, the boat they began with at this port began to leak. This was our final stop before getting a quick nap in on the way to Rotterdam.

Afternoon in Rotterdam

         As we journeyed into the new city of Rotterdam (one of the most industrialized cities in the Netherlands and contains one of the largest ports in Europe; explained by our guide, Hans) we actually drove under an aqueduct before entering the city. I found this interesting considering it is bizarre compared to America. Hans explained, the only reason he could think of designing the road this way was so there would not be issues with the height of the boat; unlike a boat going under a bridge. As we drove deeper into the city Hans explained a brief history of the city. During WWII, a significant amount of Rotterdam was destroyed by the Germans. There were a few buildings left untouched though, such as the post. Rotterdam is a dynamic city, incorporating the original architecture of Rotterdam, complex modern architecture, and even a few dull buildings built post-war. We were then let off in front of what seemed to be an ordinary building with a bright yellow boardwalk leading to it. This is where we met our next guide, Emile van Rinsum, to learn about urban roof-top gardening.

         Emile led our group up seven flights of stairs with offices and different businesses on each floor; then, through a café, out to a roughly 1000 sq. meter oasis. There were dirt walking paths with small organic rocks surrounded by radishes, lettuces, flowers, and a wide assortment of other vegetation, and even a small tree. Emile explained that he was actually inspired by photos he saw of a roof-top garden in Brooklyn, NY. Emile and his colleagues spent about half of a year planning the garden and then sought the opportunity to enter a competition for their idea, they won a prize and began building immediately (in 2012). He did not say how much the project cost, but stated it was expensive. The initial project was finished being built in two weeks. He explained it was an informal process, they did not have set meetings and their main communication was emailing. Since the completion of the construction, they have overcome many difficulties. They had trouble getting the plants to grow properly in the soil which was corrected by research and trial and error. They also had trouble with water leaking (which would lead to an office below), they repaired the issue and have not had trouble since. The birds would feed on their plants; they learned to cover these plants with netting.

   Our guide was excited to explain the multitude of benefits the roof-top garden is currently providing, as well as plans for the future. It brings a healthy, social environment to those who work in the building as well as for the community of Rotterdam. It is and educational experience for children whether they have grown up around agriculture or not. The guide gave a short story about a boy who picked a radish and thought it was a tomato, supporting his argument for a need for education about agriculture in the city. Not only does the rooftop garden provide a positive and creative environment for the community, but it also invites a more diverse animal and insect ecosystem. He explained a near-by falcon that also helps to control the pesky birds that eat the plants. In addition, on another section of the roof-top garden there is a couple bee-hives that benefit the plants of the roof-top as well as the surrounding area.

         The garden does not bring an economic burden to those who  operate it. There is an abundance of volunteers to help maintain the garden, there is actually a waiting list. The prize money they won covered all of the initial costs, and the current costs are covered by revenue generated by the café at the roof-top garden. They also sell to another nearby restaurant; however, their supply is not near enough to meet the demand. Emile explained that to be able to make a business out of a roof-top garden about 6000 sq. meters would be ideal. Many other businesses and organizations are interested in the roof-top gardens, so Emile and his colleagues’ garden serves as a source of inspiration and a learning tool to them. Emile also spoke about the gardens plans for expansion and their smart roof technology. (more information can be found at www.dakakker.nl). After the conclusion of our tour, we walked through Rotterdam, explored, and grabbed lunch.

         Our next stop was at a research facility, welcomed with the sweet smell of giant day lilies. This facility is connected with Wageningen University, and for applied plant innovation. We briefly discussed the tulip industry followed by a talk from senior agronomist, Jan Buurma (can be contacted at jan.buurma@wur.nl). We discussed the topic of socio-economics specific to the Netherlands. A few takeaways from his talk included the sociology of local farmers and they typically listen to “value chain partners” because that is where the money compared to being influenced by researchers. Also, he explained he believed value chain partners (ie. markets) have the most influence for change in society. Other components of his talk included the use and impact of pesticides as well as non-government organizations and an insightful “mind map” for decision making. After about an hour at the research facility, we packed back into the vans and hit the road (narrow roads, I might add) to travel the North Sea.

        

Evening in Kajwijk

         We arrived in Kajwijk around 6:30 to spend the evening  on the beach and sit down for dinner. Because of climate change and the continuous change of geological factors. They built parking garages into the dunes to preserve the land and prevent erosion. They also planted vegetation on the dunes to prevent erosion. After finding dinner, part of the students headed back to the hotel and the other part stayed to enjoy the sunset on the beach.

My Key Takeaways

•     The markets and stores drive customer demand so it is important to understand the market’s demands and goals to make accurate predictions and understand future demands.
•       Although there are many differences from the Netherland’s and home, there is much to be learned from each other that is applicable and similar to America.
•      It is important to be aware and understand how one aspect of industry interacts and impacts the whole system and other levels of the industry/supply chain.