Education farmer Miranda van Leeuwen, MBO teacher Jan Willem Doppenberg, and social entrepreneur Marieke van Dalen received the Appreciation Award from the province of Utrecht on Monday, October 6. The Appreciation Award is an honor for people who contribute positively to the connection between residents and farmers.
This award not only recognizes individuals but also initiatives that contribute to a better relationship between farmers and citizens. The initiative for the award comes from The Week of Our Food. In honor of the 650th anniversary of the province of Utrecht, this year focuses on youth. They are the residents of the future. The categories for 2025:
- The most fun education farmer, grower, or gardener
- The future-oriented food education provider
- The young entrepreneurial food connector
More sustainable food practices
These categories were well represented in the nominations. Many farmers were nominated who teach children and young people about their profession. There were also submissions from young entrepreneurs and teachers who are daily involved in educating about the food of tomorrow. Thanks to the efforts of these individuals, children and young people can become more aware of the origins of their food and how we can deal with our food more sustainably.
The three winners
Miranda van Leeuwen is the winner in the category The most fun education farmer. As an education farmer, Miranda has been welcoming children to her Farm School since 2015 to teach them about nature, food, and of course, the farm. Miranda has been the face of farm education in Amelisweerd for ten years. She set up the Farm School herself and receives countless students annually through Farm in the Spotlight. In this way, she uniquely connects nature, food, and education at the city’s edge of Utrecht.
Jan Willem Doppenberg won the award in the category The future-oriented food education provider. With infectious enthusiasm, Jan Willem trains a new generation of food professionals. In recent years, he has worked hard to involve students in the national Food Challenge. Additionally, he teaches MBO students in secondary education. In this way, these students come into contact with healthy food, sustainability, and practice. From the Schijf van Vijf to a farm visit, it all comes up.
Marieke van Dalen received the Appreciation Award as a Young entrepreneurial food connector. With her organic farm De Coöperij, Marieke delivers fresh, unprocessed vegetables weekly to over 150 households. Together with volunteers and other farmers, she builds a close community. With education, shareholding, and local food as the basis for a sustainable food system. She does this in a warm, enthusiastic, and inclusive manner, which encourages many regular volunteers to contribute, and there are still dozens waiting for the vegetable packages.
The three recipients of the Appreciation Award each receive a voucher of 2,500 euros. They can use this for further development; in media, materials, and organization.
The Week of Our Food
All provinces in the Netherlands annually award this Appreciation Award, an initiative of The Week of Our Food. During this week, activities are organized throughout the Netherlands about the origins and production of food.
For press information:
jytte.reichert@provincie-utrecht.nl
06 18 54 01 37
