Job change for Dutch specialist in making agricultural systems cleaner and more circular
Harm Smit has joined Wageningen Livestock Research in the Netherlands as a project manager focused on the area of emissions reduction and manure valorisation.
"The combination of emissions reduction and manure valorisation is essential to develop new animal production systems that comply with future standards for the environment and are also economically viable," he noted on LinkedIn.
Smit studied animal sciences in Wageningen and undertook a PhD on the effects of perennial ryegrass cultivars in relation to animal performance.
He worked for many years as a policy advisor at the Dutch ministry of agriculture, nature and food quality, dealing with policies concerning animal production and its environmental effects on climate, water and biodiversity. More recently, he was responsible for policy on manure processing and the (international) trade of fertiliser products.
He outlined how his background helps him understand the demands of policy developers and the role research plays in addressing such demands.
Reducing the environmental footprint of livestock production in the Netherlands is a great challenge, but one that presents major opportunities for research and innovation, according to Smit.
