Support the first « Gathering of rural and peasant struggles 2023 »
by Rencontres paysannes et rurales
Not giving up in the face of alarming facts
We are farmers, collective farms, agricultural seasonal workers, residents of rural areas, young and old people looking for meaningful ecological projects, and we have all come together around the same observation: the plains, valleys, coasts and mountains are being disfigured by industrial agriculture and forestry, mass tourism, multiplication of big useless projects, artificialization and land-grabbing. Climate change is advancing fast, as is already clear from the numerous droughts and storms. Villages are being emptied of their farms, grocery shops and popular meeting places. Biodiversity is more threatened than ever.
A self-organized camp for social and ecological justice in rural areas
Yet many of us value these rural areas and choose to stay or settle there. Despite the difficulties, many are fighting in various ways against this destruction and are already working to take over or create farms, to relearn or renew sustainable farming and rural skills, to create clever links with the towns, to set up food and social projects in the villages, or to dream of being able to start up without yet really knowing how to do it.
Because resistance and motivation are bubbling up everywhere, and we don't have the luxury of waiting any longer, we've decided to organize the first edition of the "Gathering of rural and peasant struggles" from 26 August to 3 September near Bure (55), on land threatened by the insane nuclear waste dump project "CIGEO".
It will be a self-organized summer camp that can welcome several hundred people a day in a pretty grassland. There will be camping facilities, canteens, a children's area, circus tents for shows and conferences, an open-air bar and lots of other surprises!
A rich and diverse political and cultural program !
Our aim at these meetings is to put our knowledge and initiatives together to transform agriculture, to break down walls between the various rural and ecological struggles that sometimes don't understand each other, and to strengthen the local fight against CIGEO.
We'll be tackling a wide range of issues, including :
· gender and sexism in agriculture
· migrant seasonal farm workers
· collective installations and desirable peasant alternatives
· international rural resistances
· animal issues
· social security for food
· anti-fascism in rural areas
· struggles for forests
· energy issues (nuclear waste, industrial wind power, agro-voltaics, etc.)
· peasant seeds and agroecological techniques...
... and much, much more! A whole section will be dedicated to practical workshops such as peasant seed multiplication and metalworking. An entire tent will be available for workshops organized by the participants themselves, so that everyone can contribute to this great moment of exchange.
There will be daily shows, films and concerts, as well as a peasant mobilization at the end of the week.
Most of the people who organize and who will speak at these meetings are directly concerned by these challenges and practices : no disconnected waffle, plenty of concrete ties and knowledge !
Description of expenditure items
To ensure that this camp is welcoming and meets its objectives of intense exchanges, we're going to set up many infrastructures and take great care to ensure that everyone feels good and has a great summer time together.
We're not going to hire anyone for the setting up, but we'll need equipment and resources for :
· infrastructures such as circus tents and barnums for canteens, sanitary facilities, children's area, conferences, shows and practical workshops, with electricity and water supply: €20,000
· quality local food and drink supplies for several hundred people over 9 days: €25,000
· interpreting and translation services for the international part of our program, as well as the means to document and disseminate our precious exchanges: €5,000
· a fund for the traveling costs of the 100 or so speakers and artists who need it, especially those coming from far away, and to welcome them properly: 20,000€.
This results in an overall budget of around 70,000€, almost half of which will be self-financed by entrance fees and free prices at the camp. We are therefore looking to raise €40,000 in advance.
Final beneficiaries of the collection
The money raised will be used to set up the camp and its infrastructure. If there is a profit at the end of the event, it will be set aside for the next edition, to distribute the documentation created using the content of the exchanges, and perhaps to support local agricultural and rural projects.
Carriers of the project
These meetings are driven not only by people fighting locally against the CIGEO atomic waste disposal project, but also by numerous agricultural, environmental and social collectives and projects from all over France. Many of them are already practicing alternative agriculture or are looking for training. Others are more involved in projects that bridge the gap between town and countryside, or are active in social projects linked to food and rural issues. A call for these meetings has been signed by numerous organizations of all sizes, and can be found here: https://en.lpr-camp.org/2023/04/07/land-and-commons-gathering-of-rural-and-peasant-struggles/
Location of the project
FranceAbout the organization
Cette association a pour but de faciliter l’organisation de rencontres paysannes, notamment par un support matériel et financier.
RNA: W551005201
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