Sixty-two teams joined the Nature-based Future Student Challenges program (The Challenges) and after two selection rounds, 11 teams remained. Dr. John Reich, FFAR scientific program director, led the discussion and kicked off the grand finals.
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the University Fund Wageningen partnered to launch The Challenges as part of FFAR’s Scientific Workforce Development. The Challenges aimed to mitigate weather effects in delta regions, which are critical for food production.
The Challenges engaged stakeholders and students to visualize a nature-based future and pathways of implementation. Students developed maps that illustrated the nature-based, food-secure and ecologically sound future for one of the selected locations and surrounding landscapes, including a supportive narrative that substantiated the nature-based future and showed anticipated and potential impacts in the next five to ten years.
Learn More The Challenges
Wageningen University & Research manages The Challenges, which funds three annual grantee cohorts from 2023 through 2026. For more information about the Challenges, upcoming events and the open application details, visit the Nature-based Futures Challenges webpage.