In times of struggle, solidarity is our strength
As we are gearing up to make the next edition of Reclaim the Seeds Amsterdam happen, we wanted to share some of our thoughts and reflections about this upcoming seed fair with you. Navigating this current political climate requires a whole lot of effort, but we believe it starts with conversation, transparency and a dedicated commitment to stay ambitious and hopeful.
Reclaim the Seeds, Reclaim the world, Reclaim Everything
We’re excited about the upcoming edition of Reclaim the Seeds Amsterdam this March! At its heart, we are a seed fair where seeds are exchanged freely, breaking the chains of corporate control over our food. Beyond that, we hope to strengthen our movement, share knowledge, and reclaim our collective power through workshops, talks, and shared discussions. Seed sovereignty is the foundation for preserving resilient vegetable varieties by enabling more growers to save their own seeds and reducing our dependence on large multinationals.
Yet, as organizers of Reclaim the Seeds, we had a strange feeling when we picked up the thread last fall; genocide and various wars are taking place. Shouldn’t we use our time and energy to try to do something about it?
That’s why we chose to show color as Reclaim the Seeds Amsterdam. We want nothing to do with fascist regimes and genocide. We stand with Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Congo, our comrades in Rojava, and Ukrainians resisting Putin, and we oppose the xenophobic far-right government in the Netherlands. We believe that seed sovereignty and ecological justice cannot be separated from colonialism and capitalism. The oppression of land and people are two sides of the same coin.
What does this mean in practice for the ‘Reclaim the Seeds’ festival? The more insecure society becomes, the more important it is to have robust food production close to home. And the more crucial it becomes to come together as a community, collectively practice alternatives to industrial agriculture, and build our movement. This is essential because it allows communities to meet their basic needs autonomously, without relying on distant, vulnerable supply chains. We invite all participants and visitors to come together and brainstorm how we can build a movement that disrupts oppressive systems and creates sustainable, social, and solidarity-based alternatives, starting with seeds. We are certainly ambitious, but the fight against European legislation and agro-multinationals always has been.
Our email inbox is open. Reach us via info@reclaimtheseeds-amsterdam.nl.
We hope to see you at Reclaim the Seeds Amsterdam!