Food Autonomy Festival #5: Amsterdam, Utrecht, Wageningen, World Wide Web

Food Autonomy Festival #5
Great News!
We are thrilled to announce that we are planning to host the 5th edition of the Food Autonomy Festival this summer. This festival began as a two day event for folks to get together and discuss resistance to the state- and corporate-controlled agriculture system, as well as to celebrate the successes of such resistance.

In the years since it has manifested as a 3 day action camp, as well as being dramatically reduced to a one day online event (still as gezellig as any other edition!) in an effort to respond to the Corona pandemic.

ASEED still takes the current situation very seriously, in terms of public health, and being in solidarity with frontline workers and those who are in risk groups. However, we also take seriously the need to keep our communities connected and to continue supporting those who resist the very systems which got us into this mess.

The 5th edition of the Food Autonomy Festival aims to make participation safe and accessible for people all around the Netherlands by holding the festival in 3 different cities, over the first 2 weekends of June, as well as having some talks, panel discussions, and workshops available online!

We will be making sure the festival is held outdoors or else in well ventilated areas, remind folks to keep distance and expect all those in attendance to wear face masks, and to stay at home if they are feeling unwell.
Let's take care of each other while still coming together!

The Dates and Places:
June 5th: online opening & short program
June 6th & 7th: Amsterdam & online program
June 11th & 12th: Utrecht & online program
June 13th & 14th: Wageningen & online program

Themes:
Regenerative Agriculture Through Practices
We will get our hands dirty in practical workshops to learn about regenerative agriculture and educate ourselves about urban-rural farming connections, soil regeneration, agricultural justice, and any other farming practices aimed at dismantling the industrial agricultural system.
Decolonizing Food Systems
We will focus on decolonization of oppressive food systems, by talking about practices like land-grabbing, monocultures, GMOs, commodification of food, industrial agriculture, animal farming and modern slavery as well as the revolutions and resistance that has been led by indigenous people, people of color, and women, to regenerate our relationship with food and ecosystems.
Roots and Fruits of Resistance
2021 is the thirty year anniversary of ASEED, so we will look back at the many methods of raising voices and taking action that have been used as well as dream about what could be possible to resist oppression while building and caring for our communities.

The program is coming soon, but we are already very excited about what we have planned so far, with voices coming from outside of Europe, alongside those right here in our backyard that grow food for us. It will be a beautiful moment to come together and learn from each other, and we look forward to creating these spaces, in person or via technology, to "see" each other again!

If you want to get involved with helping to plan, run technical aspects, keep an eye on hygiene or support this festival financially then please get in touch with us at info(@)aseed.net

For now, enjoy this edition of the ASEED newsletter!

International Day of Peasant Struggles - CSA LandInZicht

International Day of Peasants' Struggle

The 17th of April was the International Day of Peasants’ Struggle! This is a very important date: on April 17th, 25 years ago, 19 peasants were killed when military police in the Amazonian State of Pará in Brazil attacked a large number of members of the Landless Workers Movement (MST) who were blocking a highway, demanding agrarian reform. Hundreds of others were so seriously injured that they could not go on working in agriculture. La Via Campesina then declared April 17th to be the International Day of Farmers' and Peasants' Struggle.
Through discussions and a day of farming together, ASEED aimed to educate ourselves and others, as well as raise awareness for the struggles faced by those who are an essential part of our lives: those who produce the food we eat and that nurtures us.
We wanted to highlight how important it is to oppose the destructive capitalist industrial model that is causing hunger, inequality, and the climate crisis, and wished to make this anniversary a strong moment of solidarity! We wanted to highlight all the dimensions of food sovereignty as an alternative to the capitalistic food system.
We worked together with Toekomstboeren on this day and went to the CSA LandInZicht in Hilversum, and shared the first Dutch translation of the Declaration of the International Forum for Agroecology (Nyélény, 2015) - which you can find here. And here you can find the English version. Agroecology stands for care with the people and with the planet!

Common pillars and principles of agroecology (Declaration of the International Forum for Agroecology - Nyélény, 2015):

  • Agroecology is a way of life and the language of Nature
  • The production practices of agroecology (such as intercropping, traditional fishing and mobile pastoralism, integrating crops, trees, livestock and fish, manuring, compost, local seeds, and animal breeds, etc.) are based on ecological principles like building life in the soil, recycling nutrients, the dynamic management of biodiversity and energy conservation at all scales
  • Territories are a fundamental pillar of agroecology
  • Collective rights and access to the commons are fundamental pillars of agroecology
  • The diverse knowledges and ways of knowing of our peoples are fundamental to agroecology
  • The core of our cosmovisions is the necessary equilibrium between nature, the cosmos, and human beings
  • Families, communities, collectives, organizations, and movements are the fertile soil in which agroecology flourishes
  • The autonomy of agroecology displaces the control of global markets and generates self-governance by communities
  • Agroecology is political; it requires us to challenge and transform structures of power in society
  • Women and their knowledge, values, vision, and leadership are critical for moving forward
  • Agroecology can provide a radical space for young people to contribute to the social and ecological transformation that is underway in many of our societies

March of Marches: Looking Back

Bicicleteada Feminista
March starts with “M” of “Mobilization!”
In the Netherlands, several demonstrations took place during this month. We were there supporting these actions and would like to keep the discussion around these topics alive.

On the 7th of March we joined the International Women's Day demonstration in Nelson Mandelapark in Amsterdam. On the 8th of March “La Bicicleteada Feminista” took place in Amsterdam. We followed it until Museumplein where we had the chance to gather with others and the Comite 8Maart in solidarity with people who are oppressed by the existing sexist, racist, and colonialist system.

On the 14th we were in Westerpark with many other individuals and collectives for the Climate Alarm, demanding an inclusive, fair, and decisive climate policy, emphasizing that a plant-based system is necessary for a fair and sustainable future.

On March 21st we stood together against racism and fascism. We said no to a government that supports the far right - a government that uses racism to divert our attention away from the increase in inequalities, cuts in public funding, and a neoliberal Corona policy.

On World Water Day on March 22nd, we highlighted the importance of standing against fracking practices and companies like Shell, which make clean water - a human right - scarce and unavailable to many communities worldwide.

March 27th was the World Day for the End of Fishing. This day is not only important from the perspective of preservation of animal lives: with the destruction of the marine ecosystem, we are risking the disappearance of species due to overfishing, pollution, eutrophication and acidification, loss of habitat, and climate change. All life matters, and protecting our oceans and all the forms of life in them is protecting our planet!


Want to be updated about ASEED's activities and volunteering opportunities?

We now have a Telegram group which you can join if you'd like to stay up to date about our doings and help out in one of our future events. We'll be happy to see you there!
Here is the link.

Upcoming Events

Cultivate community driven food justice

Reading Group- Oppressions in the Food System & the Struggle for Food Justice

28.April 18:30 - 20:30

We all deserve access to healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate food that was grown, processed and sold under conditions that respect nature and other (human) beings.
In this reading group we want to get more familiar with the concept of food justice and the different aspects it entails.

If you'd like to know more, please click here.


african-seed-food-sovereignty-logo

Seed Sovereignty in Practice- Politics & Ethics

6.May 12:00- 14:00

The first in a series of workshops with the Kaskantine, these practical workshops discuss the political and ethical motivations to contribute toward seed sovereignty, freedom and stewardship

Part 1 offers a geohistorical seed journey describing how humanity went from cultivating 10,000 species of plants to 150 plants. We have lost 75% of plant genetic diversity in the twentieth century. We describe the corporate industrial threats to seed sovereignty and invite you to be a ‘clicktivist’ for seed freedom and no patents on seeds.
Check here for more details!
Food Autonomy Festival

FAF#5 Planning Assembly

6. May 19:00-21:00

At our last meeting we shared updates about where each city was planning to host the festival, discussed safety concerns, and checked in about logistics and funding.

Sound like an interesting challenge to work collectively and horizontally to plan a festival across 3 cities (Amsterdam , Wageningen, and Utrecht) as well as an online component?
Well then join us for this next meeting to get involved!

Want to get involved sooner?
Send us an email at info(@)aseed.net


Farmsterdamers 2021

Farmsterdammers Day 2021

15. May 10:00-20:00

This spring… grow your own food!!

Pick up your vegetable plants in the streets of Amsterdam. Lots of free plants in your area for you to grow at home. Let’s do some urban gardening!
Last year we managed to have 18 points in different areas of Amsterdam! Take part and grow plants to share with others. Together we can aim to have a pick-up point for plants in every neighbourhood of Amsterdam this spring!

Find out more here



ASEED is a small grassroots collective run mostly by volunteers. We are grateful to have the ability to put time and energy into researching topics around agriculture, climate and social justice! However, in order to keep up structures that support this work, along with organizing events and direct actions we need structural funding. During the COVID crisis it is especially hard to find the kind of funding that pays for our financial administration, small budget for coordination and project fundraising, and rent on our office.
A great way to help us stay structurally funded is to become a monthly contributor! You can do that by visiting the SUPPORT US page on our website.

Want to get involved in other ways? Contact us at info@aseed.net.
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