PhD Regenerating labour in food provisioning

Your job

Are you passionate about creating sustainable futures in agriculture? Do you want to be at the forefront of transforming the agricultural and food sector into one that is not only regenerative but also offers appealing and secure work environments for all employees? Then this PhD opportunity may interest you.

In October 2024 a new, large-scale project focused on regenerative agriculture in the Netherlands will commence. Together with regenerative Dutch farmers, ReGeNL is developing a future-proof agricultural sector in which agriculture goes hand in hand with soil improvement and restoration of biodiversity, and a good revenue model for farmers. Between now and 2030, ReGeNL will start the transition to regenerative agriculture with 1000 farmers. The aim is to make regenerative agriculture the new normal by 2040.

This PhD will be one of 19 PhDs being recruited to support the monitoring, modelling and valuing of regenerative farms in the Netherlands. This large-scale transdisciplinary project (ReGeNL) will assess which combinations of practices contribute to regenerative outcomes at 8 different types of regenerative agriculture systems. The project aims to be an accelerator for the transition to a regenerative, remunerative and socially supported agricultural sector. 

Research indicates that the neoliberal restructuring of the agricultural and food system, along with globalization and technological intensification, may compromise the position of workers. Many employees in the agricultural and food sector have found themselves in precarious circumstances. Empirical studies demonstrate that the effects of globalization and technological intensification are particularly challenging for employees with vocational training, women, young people, and employees with a migration background. There is still a need for more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between regenerative agricultural and food processing practices and working conditions, as well as the overall quality of work.

In this PhD project you are investigating how an integrated approach to all these aspects can contribute to creating appealing work environments for current and future employees in the agricultural and food sector.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Rural Sociology, which is led by Prof. Han Wiskerke. You will be co-supervised by Prof. Agnes Akkerman (UvA) and Dr. Margriet Goris (RSO, WUR).

Your qualities

You have / You are:

• affinity with societal challenges in the domains of agriculture and food systems;
• motivated to work in a transdisciplinary project with many project partners and farmers;
• a team player.

You also possess:

• a successfully completed MSc degree in: sociology, anthropology, cultural geography, political science or an adjacent field;
• knowledge of and experience with quantitative and qualitative methods;
• excellent writing and presenting skills.

For this position your command of the English and Dutch language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognized Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

We offer you

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.

The gross salary for the first year is € 2.872,- per month rising to € 3.690,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 19th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Margriet Goris, by email: margriet.goris@wur.nl  or by telephone: 0628521054.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas, corporate recruiter, by email: recruitment.ssg@wur.nl.

Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including 16 September 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews on 15 October 2024. The intended staring date of the PhD is 1 January 2025.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

We are

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves and do not appreciate unasked for services from recruitment agencies. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.