Region Deal Foodvalley

Region Deal Foodvalley

Healthy and sustainable food for all. A simple phrase, but one with a pressing urgency that calls for knowledge, innovation, collaboration and action from various projects in the field of agriculture, nutrition and knowledge. From a collective nutrition issue to impact! That is the ambition of the Region Deal Foodvalley partners.

The Region Deal Foodvalley is a multi-year collaboration between the government, the Foodvalley region, Utrecht University, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Gelderland province, Utrecht province, LTO Noord, VNO-NCW midden and Waterschap Vallei en Veluwe. Through this Region Deal, the government and the region provide a joint impulse to the transition towards a sustainable and healthy food system and linking excellent research to innovative, practical implementations.

The Region Deal Foodvalley focuses on the topics of sustainable and circular agriculture, nutrition and health. The programme consists of three separate parts forming with a common goal: the transition towards future-proof agriculture, life-long healthy nutrition and fortification of the knowledge and innovation system.

Collaborating towards future-proof farms

This theme centres on accelerated development of the primary sector towards a future-proof sustainable and circular form of agriculture. Farms seek ways to work circularly, positively impact the immediate living environment, and stay robust as a business. This demands a new approach to the work.

There is collaboration on future-proof farms in the Region Deal along various themes: reduction of emissions, circular animal feed, soil and water quality, sensoring and monitoring, business models. Innovations linked to these issues are implemented and tested in a testing field with farms.

WUR liaison officer: Annemarie Rebel

Healthy nutrition in all stages of life

Within this theme, the partners work on innovations to support and stimulate consumers to make healthy, sustainable food choices. By linking knowledge to practice, a healthy nutrition environment can be achieved for the young and the old. 

The Region Deal Foodvalley allows WUR, in collaboration with other organisations, to initiate several studies in the domain of healthy nutrition. For example, by mapping the diets of lactating mothers or studying the connection between nutrition and the occurrence of colon cancer.

WUR liaison officer: Ellen Kampman

Knowledge and innovation systems

Businesses need knowledge to produce healthy and sustainable food. The Region Deal Foodvalley helps businesses acquire, share and apply this expertise. Moreover, smarter use and sharing of equipment and joint investments in new research equipment are facilitated.

WUR liaison officer: Petra Roubos

The already functioning cluster of knowledge institutes and businesses around Wageningen can be expanded further thanks to the Region Deal. Thus, the link with Utrecht University, the UMC and the knowledge institutes and businesses on the Utrecht Science Park will be further strengthened.