Nestled far from the hustle of the cities lies an agroecological farm, once a conventional farm, now transformed into a thriving ecosystem. Hidden behind the remnants of old cherry trees and a majestic windmill—still occasionally used for milling grains—this farm is a sanctuary for biodiversity. Only 50% of the land is accessible to humans, making it a haven for birds, insects, and other wildlife. A diverse array of vegetables is cultivated here and distributed to Amsterdam residents through veggie-box subscriptions.
During the sunny Agroecology Network day at the Tuin van de Egel (meaning Garden of the Hedgehog), the neighboring farmer welcomed us into the farmhouse, where we gathered among historical agricultural tools to discuss social justice in agroecology and the role of agroecology could have in the lives of migrant workers. We began by revisiting an earlier session on integrating decolonization into agroecological practices. It was noted that farmers, often preoccupied with their daily work, would benefit from dedicated support in amplifying the importance of decolonization. Strengthening this narrative within the network was seen as a key step forward.
Next, the Migration & Wage Labor working group facilitated a session. At the moment, they are raising awareness on the issues and developing a position paper on the exploitation of labor in agriculture. Engaging discussions brought forward diverse perspectives and personal experiences. The conversation delved into how the agroecology movement can address these issues, the different ways the topic is framed, strategies to challenge dominant narratives, and identifying potential allies in advocating for migrant workers’ rights. This discussion made us realize, if the agroecological movement claims to be a farmer’s movement against exploitation, migrant labor exploitation must be part of our struggle: approximately 50% of agricultural workers in the Netherlands are migrant workers.
The final session, led by Mycelia van Hoop and the Kapitaloceen, explored various interconnected topics. We split up into three groups: the Mycelia group discussed how agroecological farms can become more safe places for migrants and marginalized people in general. After sharing our experiences and thoughts, the discussion centered around practical steps such as providing prayer rooms, name tags with pronouns, disability-friendly infrastructure and building connections with community leaders from migrant backgrounds to create connections and understand their needs so they can come participate in these spaces.
The second group specifically discussed how agroecological farms could connect to asylum centers in order to be able to bring refugees to their farms. This resulted in the creation of a group that will continue to explore how this can be done in practice and see how people in the agroecological movement can support both farmers and migrants to be able to build these connections long term.
Finally, the third group focused on how farms within our movement can stand in solidarity with farms in Palestine. Concrete actions steps came up towards realizing a twinning project between farms in the Netherlands and a farm in Palestine.
After these inspiring and motivating discussions, we shared a delicious lunch out in the sun, before getting to work on the farm – preparing the beds for the season, chopping down wood for storage, pruning the berry trees, and mulching and setting up the protection against animals in the fruit forest. We ended the day enjoying with beers and snacks together under the sun!
If you are interested in the work of Mycelia van Hoop and the Migration and Wage Labour working group, or you want to join the Agroecology network, feel free to reach out ïƒ info@agroecologie.nl
