In the Netherlands, some two thousand young children are hospitalised each year with a pulmonary infection caused by the RS virus. Globally, the RS virus is second only to malaria as the leading cause of infant mortality. A genetically similar bovine virus shows a comparable pathology in calves. Wageningen researchers…
The black-tailed godwit, the Dutch national bird, is in trouble. Measures to protect the bird are restricted to smaller grassland areas. If the surroundings were richer in nature, this would certainly help. Wageningen scientists are exploring how farmers may be better compensated, and how agriculture and increased biodiversity, such a…
Damage to nature and the environment makes the way we currently produce our food unsustainable. On the recently opened Farm of the Future, Wageningen researchers collaborate with farmers in circular agriculture. They test new methods of cultivation and technologies such as using drones to reduce the use of artificial fertilisers…
Nature is under threat from the high levels of nitrogen in the Netherlands. Multiple sectors, amongst which agriculture, contribute to nitrogen emissions and must take measures. Wageningen experts in the fields of nature and agriculture have developed a roadmap to determine, per region, what actions are needed. This approach should…
Switching to a healthier, more sustainable diet is difficult. In this corona crisis, consumers are buying more fruit, vegetables and organic or locally produced food. What is their motivation, and will this change persist in the long run? Do people who work from home snack more frequently? Wageningen consumer scientists…
Large farm fields harbour few insects and birds, as a result of single-crop farming. Wageningen researchers collaborate with farmers to conduct tests with a variety of crops in narrow strips, which attracts more insects that combat pest insects and slows the spread of disease. The yield is of a similar…
Lengthy periods of droughts scourge Europe, weakening the forests and thus hampering the CO₂ absorption. There is an increasing risk of forest fires and plagues, which threaten the diversity of flora and fauna. Wageningen researchers and forest managers collaborate in testing what trees are best able to cope with dry…
People who have contracted the coronavirus may be infectious before showing any symptoms such as coughing or fever. However, many seem to lose their sense of taste and smell in the early stages of infection. Wageningen scientists are collaborating at an international scale to collect data on the loss of…
It is more difficult to mitigate an outbreak of a contagious disease if the government and health care system is distrusted. Wageningen development economists studied the effects of deploying community leaders and local clinics in Sierra Leone during the ebola epidemic. They noted that investing in a good relationship with…
One in five Dutch citizens over fifty years suffers from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes or cancer. Now, amidst the corona outbreak, this is the most vulnerable group. Wageningen nutrition scientists have joined forces with academic and regional hospitals to research increased resilience and faster recovery. Time and…