Geopolitics, geography and geometry can sometimes come together as a force for good. A gathering of people from European rural and urban civil society in the Polish village of Grzybów was one such moment. The event, which was spearheaded by ARC2020 and took place at the end of November, weaved together rural, urban, farming and EU perspectives to find a common thread towards a fairer, more sustainable farming and food system.
And that is how, on a crisp late autumn day, seventy people from 12 countries across Europe found themselves at the Ecological Folk High School of that small village, a training centre for agro-ecological transition. From farmers to researchers and journalists, policymakers to teachers, philanthropy foundations, seed savers and environmental activists, the gathering brought together an eclectic mix of perspectives in search of the right recipe of good farming practices, sustainable rural development and closer communication.
You know what they say – all good things come in threes, and this curious caravan of people searching for places where rural communities thrive is no exception. Starting in France in 2022 in the municipality of Plessé, the gathering moved across Europe through the German town of Marburg in 2023, before finally landing in Grzybów, Poland, in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship in 2024.
Each stop on the three-pronged tour brought a different flavour. The municipality of Plessé shared encouraging experiences in revitalising local democracy; Marburg offered insights into an inclusive rural-urban food system; and the community of Grzybów hosted its guests to learn about inspiring educational methods for agro-ecological and community development.
In times of geopolitical, environmental and democratic challenges which Europe faces these days, this unique triangle of countries and people has, inadvertently, mirrored the diplomatic geopolitical agreement of the governments of France, Germany and Poland, the so-called Weimar triangle.
The third point of the rural triangle in Grzybów placed communication at its core, holding space for farmers, rural communities and urban citizens to listen, talk and take action for good.
Frustrations and fragmentation
The gathering comes at a time when Europe finds itself grappling with new political realities amid a growing tension between urban and rural communities, where many feel disregarded, excluded from urban, global and virtual modernity. This alienation of urban and rural Europe, along with deep-seated political frustrations, has played a key part in the shift to the extreme right in EU member states and recently in the European Parliament.
Meanwhile, farmers often feel at odds with animal welfare and nature conservation movements which are often seen as out of touch with the realities and challenges of farming and food production.
On this backdrop, the gathering had a clear aim – to build a bridge across these lines of confrontation and polarisation between farmers, rural people and ‘the rest of society’ on the foundational stepping stones of respect, trust and empathy.
Weaving a yarn – in more than one way
Weaving common ground at Grzybów was the motto of the gathering, and this was seen and felt in more ways than one, with reflective, physical and artistic threads intertwined throughout the days.
In Grzybów, yarns were woven both literally and metaphorically. The transformative power of art, creativity and culture emerged through a hands-on exercise with a loom weaving a “carpet for common ground”; at a seed swap where gardeners, farmers, and seed savers exchanged seeds and knowledge; and at an exhibition revealing the importance of conserving peatlands and biodiversity.
Taking a deep breath for singing in French, German and Polish provided oxygen for creativity at thematic workshops. Meanwhile, the conference room quickly transformed into a dance floor, where participants could grasp each other’s hands in traditional dances to the tunes of central and south-eastern Poland, played by the Niwinski’s Band.
For the guests, a special sense of place was found through excursions to neighbour farms and rural start-up projects; during chats at Grzybów’s farm, bakery and shop, and during six thematic workrooms, reflecting on common ground and action for improving life in rural Europe.
Learning, doing, sharing
Another rule of three can be seen and felt in the local community of Grzybów, which, as Ewa Smuk-Stratenwerth explained, is built on “three pillars: learning – doing – and sharing”. Together with her husband Peter, Ewa is co-founder of the Grzybów Ecological Folk High School, founded on the principles of the Danish pastor, politician and philosopher, Nikolaj Grundtvig. A forerunner of pedagogy, Gruntvig’s overarching goal was to enable rural people to “live a life in self determination”.
The Ecological and Cultural Association ZIARNO is another key organisation in the Grzybów network. Closely connected to the Ecological Folk High School, ZIARNO empowers local communities through education and active participation in ecological practices, and plays a vital role in fostering agroecology by organising workshops, training sessions and cultural events.
Ewa’s is a driving force behind the many sprouts of local enterprises which form this hub of agro-ecological transformation in Grzybów. The 20 ha organic farm has become a beehive of inspired activists and organisations, which hums with energy but moves at a human pace.
Around thirty people currently call this place home, employed between these various organisations including the local shop, food processing, educational and cultural activities, and cheese making.
But the community’s reach extends far beyond this. Almost three thousand school children visit during the summer season. With the ‘head, heart, hands’ approach, children learn about animals, nature, biodiversity and bees through exploring the farm and eating farm fresh food, prepared by the women’s food cooperative Cor et Manus.
From dialogue to deeds
From all three of the rural gatherings, one thing is clear: complaining about problems and demanding politicians to find solutions is not enough. So the question is – how do we take matters into our own hands?
Here, we gathered a handful of the commitments, which emerged from the six workrooms:
Claudia Schievelbein, farmer and journalist at the independent German small farmers monthly journal ‘Bauernstimme’, invited all to join the Wir Haben Es Satt! demonstration for better food and farming in Berlin on 18 January in which her organisation participates. “It is a broad alliance of farmers and civil society. We can raise our voices and become one,” she suggests.
Thierry Lohr, elected representative of the municipality of Plessé in Loire Atlantique, challenges the negative image of “politicians”, encouraging everyone to make policy work by running for office on local and municipal level. “We made our visions, plans and decisions with everyone and that was the remedy against mistrust,” he explained, adding that democracy must be “nurtured like plants and animals”. He offered to share his knowledge of Plessé with potential political candidates elsewhere.
Noa Lodeizen, social entrepreneur and founder of Bioregional Weaving Labs, supporting the Grzybów community as an Ashoka fellow, is enthusiastic about Thierry’s invitation to visit Plessé to help set up a community for regenerative education and farming for low-income people. In return she wants to learn about the Plessé model of farm succession and welcome structures for migrants on farms.
Staszek Fiszer, a young farmer, feels encouraged to continue organic farming with his parents. He has just passed the agroecological training course at the Folk High School and has committed to “take over the farm from my parents and I will practice what I learnt here,” including investing in direct selling between his farm and his consumers.
Besides personal commitments, the gathering also explored concrete policy proposals to bring forward in ongoing political debates.
This included a proposal for an EU-wide ‘FARMERASMUS’ programme, modelled on the current Erasmus project, which could help farmers to exchange their knowledge and work together on EU level, or the need for a European Land Observatory, which could make increasing land ownership concentration in Europe more transparent.
Concluding the caravan
On the last evening, the village was already shrouded with darkness when Adam Struzik, Marshal of Mazowieckie Voivodeship and member of the EU committee of the regions, joined the final part of the 3-day rural extravaganza.
Addressing the curious caravan, the local politician kicked off with a reminder of the struggle Poland went through for freedom and democracy, stressing the impact that EU-membership has had in terms of reaching the current high level of socioeconomic stability in Poland. He also emphasised the key role that sustainable rural development and farming plays in preserving the stability and wellbeing of rural people.
The politician also agreed to take the dedicated proposals woven throughout the assembly forward from Grzybów to Brussels in his role in the EU’s Committee of the Regions.
The third and final stop of the rural Weimar gathering ends with a ‘Long night of farmers’ films’ from Antje Schiffers, painter and performance artist who has spent the past 25 years putting together a docuseries of farming perspectives across Europe by offering farm paintings in exchange for a short documentary, shot from the farmers’ point of view.
The night involves a democratic choice of these films, which capture scenes from the farmers’ day to day lives intertwined with shots of herself painting their farm on the spot. For Antje, it is an invitation to people in the cities to “watch and listen and better understand how challenging but also how beautiful life as a farmer can be”.
No doubt the power of good comes in three: from heads, hearts, and the weaving of common ground. It needs fiery spirits to resist all odds. It needs open hearts to listen to each other. And it needs common action to make change happen in villages, in cities and in Europe. May the caravan continue.
This article first appeared here.
The views and conclusions contained in the text express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.