barbara – Friction

Agricultural research in times of the EU race to arms

26 November 2025

By Barbara Van Dyck and Danya Nadar This blog post is a modified version of a panel paper we presented at a researchers’ day at the Université Libre de Bruxelles revolving around “Planetary Boundaries and Geopolitical Fractures” and was first published at AgroecologyNow. During a research seminar at our university late 2025, we spoke about […]

From cow’s milk to precision-fermented milk: how the industry is programming our food

30 September 2025

par Coline Prévost While cows are ruminating, biotechnology is producing milk proteins that are molecularly identical to those found in cow’s milk. Although these proteins struggle to move beyond the laboratory stage, some of them are beginning to make their mark on the food market. This blog post explores this technology and the relationship to […]

The digital horizon

24 September 2025

by Barbara Van Dyck This blog asks questions about how agriculture and policy frameworks adapt to the needs and capacities of technologies The large hall at Domaine de l’Escaille near Namur was packed when the Federation of Young Farmers (FJA) held its annual congress there in March 2024. Many of the farmers present had blocked […]