Mansholt lecture
The Mansholt lectures, named for the great Dutch European politician and thinker Sicco Mansholt, are organised by Wageningen University & Research to discuss European policy and issues in our domain: nutrition, agriculture and sustainable livelihoods.
This year's lecture will address the urgent question: Can Europe strengthen the sustainability of its food system while remaining globally competitive? Through a multidisciplinary lens, Wageningen University & Research assesses the EU agrifood system competitiveness and sustainability in the context of recent developments and challenges in the new geo-political era. The Mansholt lecture explores how different dimensions of innovations can help reconcile environmental and social sustainability with productivity and food security.
Watch the lecture
Watch the full lecture
Previous editions of the Mansholt Lectures
Mansholt Lecture 2024
The societal debate on agriculture, food and nature is subject to polarisation, leading to unbridgeable points of view. To find joint solutions, a group of Wageningen researchers identified key dilemmas at the heart of these tensions.
Mansholt Lecture 2023
Climate change and biodiversity loss are the biggest challenges for the 21st century. The world is already 1.2 °C warmer and the impact of climate change such as heat waves, wild fires, floods and drought are being experienced around the globe. Also Europe is vulnerable for the impacts of climate change.
Mansholt Lecture 2022
The sixth edition of the Mansholt Lecture was about nature positive futures: food systems as a major catalyst for change.
Mansholt Lecture 2021
The fifth edition of the Mansholt lecture discussed the options and challenges for stakeholders in the transition towards a sustainable digital innovation ecosystem.“We don’t need more apps. We need a system”. This short quote of a farmer reflects the high degree of fragmentation and discontinuity in innovation processes we observe.
Mansholt Lecture 2019
The fourth edition of the Mansholt lecture focusses on the future of proteins, reflecting on the challenges and discussing policy recommendations. As part of the transition to a fully biobased economy, WUR calls for a new focus on production and consumption.
Mansholt Lecture 2024
The societal debate on agriculture, food and nature is subject to polarisation, leading to unbridgeable points of view. To find joint solutions, a group of Wageningen researchers identified key dilemmas at the heart of these tensions.
Mansholt Lecture 2023
Climate change and biodiversity loss are the biggest challenges for the 21st century. The world is already 1.2 °C warmer and the impact of climate change such as heat waves, wild fires, floods and drought are being experienced around the globe. Also Europe is vulnerable for the impacts of climate change.
Mansholt Lecture 2022
The sixth edition of the Mansholt Lecture was about nature positive futures: food systems as a major catalyst for change.
Mansholt Lecture 2021
The fifth edition of the Mansholt lecture discussed the options and challenges for stakeholders in the transition towards a sustainable digital innovation ecosystem.“We don’t need more apps. We need a system”. This short quote of a farmer reflects the high degree of fragmentation and discontinuity in innovation processes we observe.
Mansholt Lecture 2019
The fourth edition of the Mansholt lecture focusses on the future of proteins, reflecting on the challenges and discussing policy recommendations. As part of the transition to a fully biobased economy, WUR calls for a new focus on production and consumption.
About Sicco Mansholt
Sicco Mansholt was a farmer who entered politics after the war. Mansholt and his colleagues in Europe initiated the modernisation of European agriculture with an emphasis on increasing productivity, farmers’ incomes, and food supply, with stable and affordable prices for producers and consumers.
With the increasing production, land and resources become limiting; residuals of crop and livestock production become problematic waste; emissions related to production become a burden for the quality of soil, water and air; health issues related to production intensification become a major concern.
Do you have a question about this event?
Contact Jelle Koele for more information.
RG (Rens) Koele
Public affairs advisor