After
arriving in Belgium, we came to our Hostel and had a lunch before we
hit the city. We took a walking tour of Ghent with some university staff
visited the city museum, STAM, and took a water taxi in the canal
before our first Belgian dinner which, of course, included fries.
On
Monday we visited a vineyard in the west of Belgium and I learned the
intricacies of growing grapes for wine production. I was especially
surprised to discover the roots in the ground were not actually the same
as the rest of the plant, and realized how much thought and planning
were required to find the right grapes and root stock for your climate
and soil type.
Monteberg Vineyard
Later
that day we visited the city of Ypers and I toured the Flanders Field
World War I Museum. This gave me an introduction to how we spent the
rest of our day, as we toured many memorials and cemeteries and went to
the Last Post at the Menin Gate. I was shocked to learn that the
ancient-looking city had been nearly completely destroyed in the war and
there were few buildings older than 1918.
Menin Gate
On
Tuesday our lectures at the University began, and we heard about
Sustainable Agriculture, and the specific challenges in the EU. We
talked about solutions and the steps that were being taken, and we
learned many differences between the US and the EU. Then we heard from
the previous rector of Ghent’s Bioscience Engineering College, and he
explained to us some of Belgium’s history and the education systems of
Europe, Belgium, and Flanders (which is the region we are spending most
of our time in.)
This
morning (Wednesday), we heard lectures on Plant Production in Belgium
and the EU from Dr. Reheul and Genetically Modified Plants from Dr.
Gheysen. I was particularly fascinated with the plant production
lecture, and especially the subject of agro-ecology. It was interesting
to find out that Ghent is the home of biotechnology and the first lab
where genetically modified crops were made. This seems at such contrast
with the European Union (and therefore Belgium’s) staunch stance against
genetically modified foods. Gheysen was kind enough to elaborate more
on this disconnect, and everyone was hopeful that there will be policy
changes in the future, especially considering the amount of imported
GMO’s that are on the market across Europe.
Later
in the day we toured the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology. The
Technologieparqe in which the VIB resides is virtually the Silicon
Valley of Biotechnology. As I previously mentioned, there is not much of
a market for genetically modified food crops in Europe, there is a lot
of GM for other purposes. I learned that there are four major field in
biotechnology: green, which deals with plants; red, which explores many
solutions in the medical field; blue, which studies aquaculture; and
white, which focuses on microorganisms and is especially related to
biofuels. We heard a bit about each of them and I am especially
enthralled with green biotechnology. I felt so privileged to see the
labs and the many growing stations and greenhouses, and I know I would
love to come back as a researcher.
At the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology
From
our many excursions around Belgium, which is less than a third of the
size of Arkansas, I have noticed several differences in the way of
roadside views. There are many more, yet slightly smaller, windmills,
and there are lots of solar panels in residential (even rural
residential) areas. Also in residential areas I noticed that every
backyard had a building in it, and many had greenhouses. I later learned
that they were all toolsheds, and most everyone keeps at least a small
garden. There are less signs and advertisements anywhere, and no
billboards along the highways. I see many more people biking in the city
than nearly any other mode of transportation. Ghent is a beautiful city
and I have enjoyed my time here so much! -- Read more from Jaden at https://jadentalley.wordpress.com/ To find out more about the U of A Faculty-Led: European Agriculture-Food Chain Sustainability
program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/SUSTEurozone/
