SHOWCASE partner, René van der Wal from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), contributed to EurSafe 2024 held in the centre of Food Valley in the Netherlands on 10-11 September. The conference, organised by Utrecht University and Wageningen University and Research, focused on the ethics of novel food production and consumption scenarios, aiming to address the vulnerability of food systems, the environmental impact of food production and the long-term effects of climate change on food security and sovereignty. 

René van der Wal participated in a workshop on “The Ethics of Citizen Science in Agricultural and Food Research”, where he discussed SHOWCASE research concerning the extent and different manifestations of citizen science on farmland, particularly in the context of biodiversity monitoring. This includes the key finding that most citizen science schemes are national and oriented towards data gathering for scientists, without involving farmers or their perspectives. This reflects the wider literature on citizen science in agricultural contexts, which is technology focused (i.e. tools) and - fairly uncritically - promoting the idea of and need for citizen science. What we see in SHOWCASE is that despite ethical and other limitations, many beautiful things happen, where farmers and people in wider society with an interest in nature work together, to try and protect birds and insects on farmland.

René van der Wal's participation in EurSafe 2024 showcased the use of citizen science in agricultural and food research, thus contributing to fostering greater awareness of ethical citizen science applications in agriculture and strengthening the connection between environmental sustainability and food production practices.