Bioeconomics | KU Leuven

📢 New paper alert! "Environmental impacts of local consumption, short supply chains, mild processing, and small scale production: A comparison of fruit juice alternatives" By Lorenzo Giacomella, Tim Rowe, Erik Mathijs and Liesbet Vranken Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eEq8tTQn

🎙 Scientist in the sPODlight: Michiel De Bauw over wetenschap, consumentengedrag en beleid In onze nieuwste podcastaflevering leren we niet alleen de wetenschapper Michiel De Bauw kennen, maar ook de persoon achter het onderzoek. Drie jaar geleden behaalde hij zijn doctoraat met een focus op het sturen van consumentengedrag richting duurzame voedingsconsumptie. Zijn visie? "Alle kleine beetjes helpen, maar een gebalanceerde mix van maatregelen is essentieel." We spreken met Michiel over de rol van wetenschap in de maatschappij. Niet elk onderzoek leidt meteen tot verandering, maar volgens hem is het minstens even belangrijk om de wereld beter te begrijpen. Hij heeft dan ook groot respect voor de doeners in NGO’s, bedrijven en overheden die met deze inzichten effectief aan de slag gaan. Vandaag richt Michiel zich op de rol van beleideidsmakers in het vormgeven van onze voedselomgeving. Welke aanpassingen kunnen echt het verschil maken? 🎧 Benieuwd naar zijn inzichten? Luister nu naar de podcast! https://lnkd.in/eEcFDfaV

Honoured to speak today at the “Common Agricultural Policy for Food Security Conference” of the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union in Warsaw, representing the SoilValues project. I will be introducing the panel on investments and resilience, together with Szczepan Figiel. My main messages: 📣 A competitive, sustainable, resilient farm should be able to invest based on portfolio of revenue streams generating sufficient income as a basis for attracting private loans. However, market and weather induced risks make these revenue streams volatile and risky, reducing private investment. 📣 Therefore, policy should support a combination of derisking, finance and technical assistance and explore blended finance approaches, that is, using public funds to derisk and leverage private capital. 📣 This requires farmers to be able to stack different revenue streams and use risk management tools, including forward contracts, which needs coordination along value chains, but also across value chains, with land owners and between farmers at landscape level. 📣 An important challenge is that blended finance brings both financial and impact additionality, as concessional capital should be used to mobilize more private capital, not to improve private sector profitability. 📣 This requires investing in standardized methods and data for setting baselines, calculating risk-return profiles and correctly attributing impact.

📰 Hot off the press: the Division of Bioeconomics Newsletter of March 2025! https://lnkd.in/eHbX64NT

#MeetTheTeam Meet Alex Moruleng, the newest member of our Society-Environment Interactions research group! Alex holds a Bachelor of Science with Education (Mathematics & Economics) and a Master of Science in Agricultural & Applied Economics from Makerere University, Uganda. He also works as a Teaching Assistant at Mountains of the Moon University. Under the B-SaFFeR project, his doctoral research investigates the governance and sustainability of Socioeconomic Solidarity Mechanisms and their impact on rural communities' resilience to flash floods in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda. #BioeconKUL

Bioeconomics | KU Leuven visit to University Library Final socio-cultural event organised with Margo Heremans Thank you (former) division member for the nice evening and thank you Luc Rombouts for the wonderful tour in 'your' Beiaard - Carillon Eva Boonaert Erika De Keyser Katrijn Coeckelberghs Erik Mathijs Marco Moretti Lorenzo Giacomella Francesca Vespa Theresa Gerber Michiel De Bauw Jean Bosco NKURIKIYE Muhamad Amin Rifai Eewoud Lievens Melaku Haile Gebremehdin Klaus Ludwig Kato Van Ruymbeke Hilde Vandenhoeck Johan Boon

🔬 Fostering diversity & #MultiActorApproach in the #BioBased Economy 🌱 🎥 As part of our #ExpertInterview series, we bring you another insightful discussion from the #RUSTICA Final Conference! 🚀 👩🔬 In this episode, Tessa Avermaete from KU Leuven explores how the multi-actor approach is key to shaping a #sustainable bio-based future for Europe. 🌍 🔹 Key takeaways: ✅ The power of diversity in innovation and decision-making. ✅ Why stakeholder collaboration is essential for the success of bio-based solutions. ✅ How RUSTICA bridges science, industry, and policy to drive impact. 📽️ Watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/dkw3HKND #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #BioBasedInnovation #StakeholderEngagement #RUSTICAProject #KULeuven #H2020 #EUfunded #fertilizers Normec OWS DRANCO Chambre Agriculture Charente Biosabor SAT CREA Ricerca Avecom Entomo AgroIndustrial Particula Group IDConsortium TNO Ghent University Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT Comunicación Tecnova ILVO (Instituut voor Landbouw, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek) CropEye

🌿New Research Alert!  🌿 I’m pleased to share my recent publication, co-authored with Liesbet Vranken, titled "Forests’ contribution to rural livelihoods and food security: A study case in the Peruvian Amazon," published in the journal "Food Security". This study explores the critical role forests play in supporting rural communities by providing food, income, and a safety net during times of scarcity. Households in remote areas and indigenous populations under common ownership regimes depend heavily on forests for both subsistence and income, underscoring their critical role in supporting vulnerable populations. 💡 Key findings: ✅ Forests support household income through both subsistence and cash-generating activities. ✅ Non-timber forest products (fruits and game) are essential for food and income. ✅ Forest-based strategies help households cope with food insecurity. These findings highlight the imperative to develop policies that integrate forest conservation and sustainable use with food security strategies, particularly in regions grappling with deforestation and limited economic alternatives. Such integrated approaches enable policymakers to safeguard food security, enhance rural livelihoods, and strengthen resilience among vulnerable communities. 🌍 Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/ezMmF_m5 🔗 #Sustainability #ForestConservation #FoodSecurity #Research Me complace compartir mi reciente publicación, escrito en colaboración con Liesbet Vranken, titulado "Contribución de los bosques a los medios de vida rurales y la seguridad alimentaria: Un estudio de caso en la Amazonía Peruana," publicado en la revista "Food Security". Este estudio explora el papel crucial que desempeñan los bosques al brindar alimentos, ingresos y una red de seguridad durante épocas de escasez. Los hogares en áreas remotas y poblaciones indígenas bajo regímenes de propiedad comunal dependen especialmente de los bosques para su subsistencia y para la generación de ingresos, lo que demuestra su importancia para poblaciones vulnerables. Hallazgos clave: ✅ Los bosques contribuyen a los ingresos familiares mediante actividades de subsistencia y generación de ingresos. ✅ Los productos forestales no maderables son esenciales como fuente de alimento e ingresos. ✅ Las estrategias basadas en el uso de productos del bosque contribuyen a enfrentar la inseguridad alimentaria. Estos resultados resaltan la necesidad de desarrollar políticas que integren la conservación y el uso sostenible de los bosques con estrategias para la seguridad alimentaria, especialmente en regiones amenazadas por la deforestación y con alternativas económicas limitadas.🌍 Lee el artículo completo aquí: https://lnkd.in/ezMmF_m5 🔗 #Sostenibilidad #ConservaciónDeBosques #SeguridadAlimentaria #Investigación

🕛 Next Wednesday : 26th February from 12 h onwards! 🔥 Join us at the closing event of the BELSPO project Futures4Food on "Accelerating transitions in the agri-food sector - Looking back and moving forward". With keynotes from: -❗ Philippe Baret and Erik Mathijs reflecting on next steps following the publication of the European Commission's Vision on agriculture and food. With contributions on the initiation of multiactors dynamic of transition: - 🫘 towards plant-based diets in Flanders by Ines Cottignie and - 🥖 towards food cereals in Belgium by Caroline Amrom. And finally with the contribution of Sien Luyten and Bart Van Looy on social learning and more! ✨ Registration at https://lnkd.in/eEBpweH9 More info on our website: https://lnkd.in/eyNAwnCJ 🤩 Looking forward to see you there! Sytra - UCLouvain Bioeconomics | KU Leuven #Foodtransition #foodcereals #proteinshift #learningcommunities #transformationknowledge #nationalgovernance #agriculture

Stepping away from the virtual whiteboard for a change! Erik Mathijs (right) and Michiel De Bauw (left) in the Map Room of the Geographical Institute building at KU Leuven weaving their way through a layered narrative that allows us to conceptually and synthetically frame the learnings from the 4-year BELSPO-financed #FuturesforFood project. This effort will deliver a scholarly paper and a more accessible Policy Guidance Document to support sustainable #FoodSystemTransitions. #ist2025 #sustainablefood