On May 26 the second Food Autonomy Festival (FAF) is going to take place in Bajesdorp in Amsterdam. The Food Autonomy Festival (FAF) is about presenting and celebrating alternatives and resistance to the state and corporate-controlled industrial food system.
We are happy to announce the theme of this second edition: “Grassroots alternatives for a fossil free food system”.
From chemical fertilizers for large-scale monocultures to farm machinery and food processing and transport, the industrial food system heavily relies on fossil fuels. The consequences cannot be ignored any longer: climate change, ecological crisis, destruction of livelihoods… We need to take action!
How can we move towards a fossil free agriculture and food system?
During the FAF, various collectives will present concrete alternatives to become autonomous from agro-industrial corporations and fossil fuels. From practical activities to talks and debates on agroecology, urban farming and land struggles… Everyone will have the opportunity to contribute and be part of a necessary transition.
Let’s get together to organise our fight against the industrial food system!
// Program overview
– Food on donation throughout the day
– Talks
– Workshops
– Stands
– Live Music
– Free Entry!
// Program specifics
**Talks**
Food Sovereignty and Agroecology
The food sovereignty movement is a global alliance of farmers, growers, consumers and activists. Allowing communities control over the way food is produced, traded and consumed. It could create a food system that is designed to help people and the environment rather than make profits for multinational corporations. The concept of Food Sovereignty has been implemented at different levels, from a very theoretical point of view to a very practical one. During this talk, you will discover more about Food Sovereignty by approaching this topic from 3 different perspectives; research, education and farming perspective.
Land Struggles: defending autonomous collective
Having speakers from autonomous spaces, aims to raise awareness about these experimental spaces which tend to resist against capitalist imperialism and to hear how they are aiming for self-improvement also in the field of food. This is why land is at the centre of many struggles around the world. Come and hear how different groups have gained access to land and how there are using it in order to break dependency on a system that becomes the cause of our demise. Our goal through this talk is to gather people from different places who have different way to fight against eviction, to talk how we can support each other and strengthen the connection.
Agriculture and climate change
During this talk, two grassroot organisations, one from Amsterdam (ASEED Europe) and the other one from Denmark (KlimaKollektivet) will present their new campaigns which, in both cases, aim to tackle the use of Fossil Fuel in the agriculture field.
Feel welcome to give your opinion and to ask your questions about the Fossil Free Agriculture and Free the Soil campaigns. And why not getting involved?
**Workshops**
Gardening with Bajestuin (all afternoon)
– Free style rocket stove cooking (KasKantine)
Rocket stoves can be made with waste materials and fuelled with wood waste. today you can learn how to improvise rockets from the Urban Farm Restaurant de Kaskantine in Amsterdam Nieuw West, where they cook with a rocket stove pizza oven, rocket stove grill and lots of wooden rocket stoves that burn themselves… also you can taste the end result!
– Grow your own mushrooms (OrganicLea)
Mushrooms have been growing wild since prehistoric times. Their therapeutic value has been prized in indigenous cultures, for thousands of years. They play a critical role in medicinal practice and were noted in some of the first books on herbal medicine written thousands of years ago. Come and learn the basics of mushroom cultivation, explore various techniques for growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms such as Oyster, Reishi, Shiitake and many other strains of mushrooms. This will be a hands-on experience we will cover everything you need to know to get you started.
– Let’s create a (scale model) Foodforest (Cityplot)
This workshop for beginners learns you to create a (scale model) foodforest for your backyard or bigger. Before and while we build the scale model foodforest together, you’ll be explained the theory and the practice of observing, designing, implementing and maintaining. It would be great to bring your own favourite edible scale model tree(s) and/or shrubs with you.
– Planning an edible urban garden (Cityplot)
Join us for an informative, hands-on and fun workshop on how to grow your own edible, urban garden in small spaces like balconies, window sills, allotments or roof terraces. Through this introduction workshop you will get an overview of which herbs, vegetables, edible flowers and small fruit are suitable for your growing area and can provide you with yummy and healthy food in different seasons!
On top of it, a walk tour will be organized in the area with people from Bajesdorp to tell the story of the place.
Last but not least, with Taste Before You Waste if you arrive earlier around 11:00 am, you will have the occasion to learn how to make your own curry
For all the workshop, the places will be limited, the tickets for each workshop will be available in the info table which will be set up next to ASEED stall!
**Stands**
Cityplot
ASEED Europe
Paper Jam – printing the revolution
Fossielvrij NL
BreadCycle
Fossil Free Culture NL
ADM Amsterdam
Code Rood
Food Circle
Healthy and Affordable
Vegan Junk Food
Kokke-Rellen
**Seedling exchange – share your seed(ling)s!**
You can, before May 26, take some cuttings of edible plants that do well in your garden or repot some plants that did shoot up. And if you find something on the stall you can use in your garden or on your balcony you can take it home.
By swapping we will become less dependent on traders and large seed companies. And isn’t it just nice to make people happy with your redundant plants?!
Swapping seeds and seedlings is based on trust. You want to know what you grow in your garden, especially if you are planning to save some seeds from it yourself. So if you bring seeds and plants to the swap table please write down as precise as possible what it is, when the seeds have been harvested and from who and where is comes. Size, wet/dry, sun/shade, type of soil, this is all useful information to exchange.
**Music**
Three music bands will play on the evening.
– Slack Bird banjo driven folk punk from Finland
– Captain Frank & the Cheap Ho’s folk blues doomcircus drunk punk reggae stories
– The Bucket Boyz knee slappin anarcho blue-trash from the Amsterdam swamps
Vegan food available on donation throughout the day from 12pm from Taste Before You Waste and later from Guerilla Kitchen Amsterdam.
You wanna know more? Join the event and bring along a smile to share with everyone!
BRING FRIENDS, STRANGERS & especially LOVERS
Join us in Bajesdorp the 26th of May from noon for a day of sharing, learning, connecting and having fun!
LOCATION: The Bajesdorp (next to the Bijlmer Bajes (the old prison)) – The nearest metro is Spaklerweg (5mins walk). Nearest train station is Amstel Station (10/15mins walk). Address : H.J.E. Wenckebachweg 8 – 46, 1096AN Amsterdam
Better to come by bike, since the parking is very limited and not free if you park outside.
**This is a fully volunteer-organised, with entrance on donation. If you want to help out with organising, cooking, cleaning, smiling, send us an email to contact@aseed.net or a pm to ASEED Europe Facebook page!**
And check out the Facebook event of the FAF#2 : https://www.facebook.com/events/1410749429037013/
