Where:
By François Schneider, Research & Degrowth
Presentation: https://co-munity.net/system/files/documents/media/schneiderbogoriadiversel.pdf
Diversel
facing the uni-versalism of growth: not to create a nre hegemony or be closted in a specific particularics or post-modernist diversity
grassroots universalism
Growth Universalism
economic hegemony
Neoliberalism (private enterprises) vs Keynesiasim (state)
TINAS
Neoliberal Story
Keynesianism stroy
No story for degrowth (so it's scare for politician)
FACING THE CRISIS
Neoliberal: a way to imporve the efficieny of our system and focuses in austerity
Keynesian: state involved to solve the crisis by expanding the system to restore the growth engine
DEGROWTH (D)
Why?
There needs to be a dialogue between the people and their stories that are against the economic hegemony
How?
-scales
- individuals
- groups
- bigger group
- european level
- global
-limits to growth
- limits to growth that create crisis, so we create new forms of growth (financial bubbles, expanding commodity frontiers, etc)
- production and consumption capacity (something block the way, for example people don't want to buy all the cars that are produced)
- desinequalities(=reduce inequality)
- decommondification (for example limits to ads)
- desenclosures (sharing & commons)
- anti-extractivism (leave resources in the ground)
- slow-all (less speed)
- decommondification of time (more time)
- definancialization (for example banks can not create money)
-strategies
- Oppositional Activism, the "ANTI" perspective, oppose to a specific subject
- Frugal Innovation - Alternatives Building
- Reformins: actions depsite - capitalism (trying to work inside the system so the transform will be possilbe)
Who?
practiotioners
researchers
activists
artists
D- "Diversel": dialogues to build "degrowth stories"
- MULTI- is not enough, we want INTER-
- So no top-down, no closure, no post-modern diversity but finding a way throught critical dialogues between equals
There is no unique definition of degrowth!
Degrowth is not an ideology
Comment from Ben: Degrowth is not an ideology, but still it has ideologies. Why is it not an ideology?
Francois: not to create an ideology but to continue the dialogue forming a story
Jean: With a ideology we used to have recipes to make a cake (like keynisianism and neoliberalism) but we in degrowth we can still make a cake but you don't need a recipe
Martin: but the ingridients are still selected according to an ideology
-
Degrowth means acknoledging a combination of limits (money, inequality, deregulation, etc)
Building interlimits stories
Interstrategic dialogue
Degrowth Combines Strategies
Practionners- Activists - Artists- Researchers
Can Decreix is the place where the abovementioned try to take place
## FISHBOWL on building interlimits stories
CASE STUDY: GMOs potatoes in the region we are, the government will make experiments here.
(audio recording will be available)
More money for investment in the area for GMO's -> more people will work -> they will have more money
Our tool will be: Dialogue of the limits to growth
Preparation:
Six chairs (with people!) in the middle who argue from different perspectives
1. Monetary, banking system
2. Social worker (reduce inequalities)
3. Commoning
4. Voluntary simplicity
5. Natural Resources
6. Work sharing
Argument exchange (unsorted, not matched to the roles - audio can be a good complement to hear, when available)
- farmers work less, have more free time
- banks won't support GMOs
- Voluntary simplicity -> organize fiestas and bring people together
- inform consumers to support local production, CSA
- create infrastructure that is shared by the farmers (storage areas, transport) . Work with the community, bring the topic to the general public. what do GMO potatoes offer? which are the associated risks? why we don't want them? who profits? employ other strategies wiith the support of the communities. organise alternatives, like CSAs. Communicate the problem on a broader scale.
- Feeding more people, alleged by large farmers, is not a scientific argument, it's an economic one and a myth, can easily be dismantled
- Change the (consumer) demand. Local production is hipster, trendy - convince traditional farmers to make more profit by pushing the local production model! inform farmers that it's gonna lead to higher profits.
- farmers do not need to depend the knowledge and the technology from outside. Support farmers to use their traditional knowledge. Move forward with your traditional knowledge
- Celebrate the other values, not salary, but traditions etc
- Goal should not be more profit/efficiency but live in a more comfortable way. Let's get out of the growth context.
- But since degrowth doesn't exist in this reality, we have to think how to combine these two different ways, this is why we still talk about money and salaries.
- we want to fight GMO strategies, join existing movements like the anti- TTIP, build synergies,rather than create new ones
- How to persuade consumers to pay higher prices?
- The farmers that aren't here are doing conventional GMOs! Maybe we can try to look for other farmers that don't want those GMOs?
- Either change supply and demand? Why not change both, the system, so that we can change the supply production?
Exercise ends: it made visible what are the limits to growth of GMO from different perspectives
Questions:
How to manage to have cooperation at the different levels? How to be effective in working at city, national, global level?
Where:
Presentation (upcoming) by Ladislav Jelinek (Institute of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policies, Martin-Luther University Halle) on the European Agriculture policies, how they work, what are the main aims, their criticism etc.
Ladislav's Personal background - research areas: agriculture policy, institutional economics, sustainability, renewable energies. Current project - sustainable land use in Siberia, Russia (Kulunda) - he was investigated by the Russian security service because he is doing research there, there is tension between nations and they are suspicious (why would a german go there to solve Russia's agricultural issues?)
Agricultural growth as a central principle how to ensure food supply (agricultural growth vs agricultural de-growth)
Rudriger Dahlke's quote ''if your growth is only on the material level, the economic level, you may develop a growth problem in your body, a cancer, because you are missing the opportunities at the consciousness level. We choose where the growth occurs - on the material level or in our consciousness'' (parallelism)
Two graphs
1. Humans' ecological Footprint connection
2. Energy and output
both show an upward trend. We are consuming the past energies (non renewable resources) and shifting the cost to future generations.
Modern agriculture has succeeded in - supplying the biomass (food security), private efficiency, high productivity, flexible food deliveries to consumers, food appearancies, relatively few idle lands, economic side of production
Q. from Adrian - why to put supplying the biomass = food security?
Word wide wheat area and production has increased over the years. How to stimulate the production is the main question. Nobody talks about the structure of the system, they just try to solve problems such as erosion and other technical problems (but we should focus on solving the roots of the problem, not the effects)
Costs for the 'success' are high
1. environmental
2. food processing, quality of food
3. Rural structures and livelihood
4. Labor conditions
5. Animal production
As a result
- public costs are not internalized
- the policies are often not addressing the roots of the problems, but the effects
- focus on he technical (materialistic) solution
Metaphor with cancer. Conventional treatment is chemotherapy and radiotherapy in order to treat the symptoms, but we poisson the body even more than before, we don't treat what causes the cancer. Aka try to find the root and change it, not treat the effect.
at which level do we act? individual or not?
environmental cause and effects
intensification of production
dependence on the external inputs
concentration of production
monocultures dominance
countryside and biodiversity
erosion
species reduction and extension
;oos of multifunctions of the natural components
one example - spanish study on energy balancies in agriculture (many units spend in transportation)
Food - quality, quantity, food miles (the more processed is a product, a study has shown that it has higher food miles)
Animal protection is on top of the policy agendas (especially about slaughtering methods)
EU Agricultural Policy (CAP)
- shift from market regulations towards targeted direct payments, agro-environmental provision and territorial development.
- focus on the joint provision of private and public goods (landscape, biodiversity, soil protection.. )
The EU farmers receive many subsidies BUT for example, german farmers pay high rent.
Structure of CAP
- income support and assistance
- market support
Critiques of CAP
- real beneficiaries from the CAP measures - the direct payments are capitalized to the value of land eventually
- expensive governance of CAP - ex. LPAS system, costs of monotoring etc
- Flexibility - you have to ask the EU commission
- prioritizing some structures against others
- increasing market and price volatility
- the enforcement of high standards in the food imports from the third countries - h
We need a good understanding of the current system in order to challenge it.
Giorgos Notes
Q:Is the fund for organic hectars the same of all EU members?
A: If you want to be organic farmer you have to register and after transition we get funded. This fund should be the same in EU level but it depends to each country. Also a part of the fund is funded by national funds and if the country has not enough funds the funding is less
CAP originally comes from one basic thing. After WW2 we needed one way to control food production between France, UK and USA. The 75% of subsiciades are going to France but this money is not of course going to the small farmers. The 90% of this money is used for exports but for the small farmers there is basicly nothing left. It is important ot bear in mind that the negotiotion is not only between the people of EU but also it takes place in TTIP. For example, agroecology was popular in France but If you are an organic farmer you need to have at least a number of hectares to be funded, which is unequal. ONe other important thing is the unions in every country that face different problems in every country.
It is inequal that little farmers have littler subsiciades. The transfer of taxes is in favor of big projects and not the society.
Certification: the subciades and the right of land are divided so you can rent the land but not get the subsides. For example the Queen of England gets the more subciades in EU, cause of the land she owns. But in other countries (like Czestk) land and rights are still connected
Tax System is not for producing food but to keep the land clear. Generally farmers are reduced. Farmers are kept paid in order to keep clean the places that can not be industrialized. Or in south France the get the money to promote agrotourism
Formulation of De-Growth Agricultural Measures
Practical Part on Saturday
Where:
A short exercise and presentation
Short exercise: Please write down what is GROWL
3 groups:
first comers
old schoolers and partners
people who attended 1 or 2 courses
(online viewers?)
team 1
growl is a platform for expchange of ideas and debate of degrwoth
program of progamme learning about degrowth
invite peopel learn
+1
2
network promote degrwoth
place to exchange in local and alternative expirements
a forum to create new concepts and varies to teh environmental crisis
3
international network of ngo to promote degrwoth
online paltofrom to promote degrwoth
projects of seminars to train trainers on degrowth and to share experience between actors in degrwoth that is finnced by eu as an educational program
4
grow less learn more
movement of deschooling
collective design of stories
initiative of friends ttaht are involve to degrowth
grwol is an opportunity for young people to know what really happens in degrowth
is a platfrom of exchange of ideas of degrwoth
Where:
Hey everyone - here are the notes from the morning, still some group notes missing, would be nice that you add them (just login and click on edit)
The methodological description of the exercise: https://co-munity.net/file/113019/download?token=Do8gg4qW.
Case Study: Pueblos Blancos
A role playing exercise
by Agata Hummel and Czapka
Marta, a farmer, had her crops last year destroyed by a flood. To deal with the losses, she proposes to open up the cooperative to the market, effectively going against the original values of the cooperative.
The story is based on an article shared with the participants before the course (and which very few have read): http://co-munity.net/system/files/documents/media/andalucia_peter_luetchford_1.pdf
## Discourse/arguments preparation in small groups
Enrique:
- What Marta is going to say?
- subsides - she will become depended
- start with values
- Points:
- * cooperative should support Marta
- * Dig more what she really needs
- * big support festival
- * help through conviviality
- * WE DONT DROP OUR VALUES AT FIRST DIFFICULTY FFS!!!
- * help her with workers and food.
- * If we go all export we will fuck up our reputation!
- * Interneational Solidarity!
- * Summercamp wCopith hundresds of volunteers :)
- * Buld our own exchange system :)
- * Cooperative trust - set up structures for the future of the community
- * extend our solidatity network
- * plant rize or fishes :)
- * do something against future floods
Pablo and Maria, coordinators of the Pueblos Blancos:
They are taking care of the cooperative values, mostly based on "La Verde" values. They need to deal with the issue of opening the cooperative to the market, which will lead to loss of autonomy (subsistence principle replaced by economic profit). La Verde is one of the cooperatives part of Pueblos Blancos and follow a community supported agriculture model, have been buying land through urban consumers money. Most of the consumers of the Pueblos Blancos production are related/networked through La Verde.
Main discoursive elements:
- Opening up is a threat for the local economy; more production to invest in the exports, local economy will be second priority
- There is a risk that the local (La Verde) is lost due to mismatching/conflicting values; they are an avant-garde of the cooperative and very
- They are selling directly to the shops or consumers, not wholesalers - which means this implies a change in the business structure
- A few small farmers; are locked up in the market-based logic; they want to have greater security and follow the conventional solution of orienting towards exports for increasing cash flows
- There is probably an information gap between the avant-gardes of the cooperative and the small farmers
Proposals:
- Implement a solidarity mechanism of sharing and insurances (fund)
- Can agree on export, but with strong limits on the amount to be exported; and if opened, attempt to sell to sister cooperatives in France, rather than the conventional markets
- Intensify and expand the local markets (rather than focusing on international exports to France)
- Organize information sessions, to present alternative models of production and business - much knowledge within the cooperative (e.g. La Verde), can invite also people from the outside
Marta, the affected farmer making the proposal:
Consumer A Claudia:
wants to have contact with the farmers from whom she buys
she doesnt have much money
she doesnt care much about eko or not
actually she would beOK if someone exports aslong as she can buy ame stuff for ame price..
...but shes worried that with exprt it will be difficlt to eep it as it is
shehinks it might be betterto orgaize some soutin witin the coop - raise mone, help Martha working with he
in general she thinks the oop sould have some fund for such crisis situations
Consumer B:
## The meeting
(audio podcast will be available)
The 6 representatives of the different roles present themselves in the round. The public watches.
Marta explains her proposal of selling the production to international markets, particularly to France.
Enrique from La Verde wants to know why do they need to export, what is the problem? He hold a hard stance on protecting the values of the cooperative and how this export and market orientation
Marta counteracts that no one here has money. The money is in the EU and if they buy organic fertilizer on a certified producer, they get subsidies from the EU.
Enrique is worried about this subsidy-dependence - they should rather organize as a community. Maybe a big festival or summer camp to support.
Pablo wants to know if this is a punctual problem or something structural. Marta replies that it is structural - they are not using the whole capacity of the farm; they need to make it slightly more efficient and productive.
Marta argues that they are not going away from the local market and will keep a priority on the local markets. They want however to export the surplus, get certified fertilizers and access EU subsidies.
Marta puts forward even more concrete proposals, different phases, to go from buying fertilizer
A consumer (F) sees these controls as unecessary, they don't want to go to supermarket, but buy from them directly. Marta talks over.
Moderator puts a bit of order on the discussion.
Enrique speaks and gets annoyed by interruptions from Marta. He speaks again against subsidy-dependency and how this leads to loss of control. Instead, they should go to their cooperative consumers.
Maria asks that it is then about intensifying local networks. Yes, answers Enrique, they can sell surplus in their social centres, squats, etc. They can produce for example dry beans, which they can sell all over the year in Madrid, Barcelona, etc.
Marta says that is great, they can sell on Barcelona, in France...
Maria says these are two different strategies - one is to have an export strategy that is focused on finding international partners
Marta interrupts, that is a fixation on this idea of borders
Maria, on the second strategy - is about expanding, linking existing network relations
Consumer (M) talks about supporting investments in this direction, the initial work, through organising events, etc. And we should define what is local - 500 km, into France, or 10 km? We can expand the market but slowly and not so far away
Pablo alerts that even if the customers in France have different values, there will be very different types of relationships. Arguing with the values of localism, he's not very happy with the idea of competing with those local markets that also exist out there.
Marta counterargues that she knows the markets there and she knows she can produce 3 times as she produced last year. She's not spoiling the local markets there, but nowadays is normal to eat products also coming from elsewhere.
Enrique argues again. Marta says: there is no money!
Consumer (F) feels a bit insulted by the suggestion that she has not enough money to buy the products of Marta.
Maria is concerned with the fact that export markets are overtaking priority over the local supply.
Marta: "I just want to have a sustainable living". "We need to produce a little bit more - that's for sure!"
Everyone speaks over each other. Maria has a hard time with the moderation and starts taking a more active role and putting up her position/the majority values of the cooperative.
(... some break in the notes, connection problems)
Pablo proposes to sell to other countries, but within sister initiatives - for example to consumer cooperatives in countries where there is not enough tomato production.
The session has been FREEZED - the moderator asks Marta how does she feels. Then also the other members of the cooperative.
Where:
3 groups worked on a few identified challenges. The work done by these groups can form the background for further production of contents.
1. Lack of analysis
Achieving common meanings/clear definitions for concepts
- Growth
- Market
- Profit
- Efficiency
- Productivity
- Money
- Policy
- Cooperative
- Community
- Property rights
- Value
- Capitalism
- ...
This work on the definitions can continue, in the logic of creation of a vocabulary
2. How to get people experience that their economic facts are relative ?
Good experiences of posssible other lifestyles :
-Ex in Brussels Bike assistance in Brussels for people who wangt to bike in the city for the first time. -Assisted shopping .
- Vegi-day,
- coocking together
-eating together
-manage your tavel on ecological way ...
Present the new experiences not as alternatives but as mainstream experiences.
Give the people that they have more controle on their lives through those experiences.
some examples on online support, mapping alternatives: hitchwiki.org, trustroots, trashwiki, transformap.co, ....
3. To think with new mental structures
Education!
- de-learn, de-school to open space for alternative
- art to think outside the box
Building new stories
Learning about other cosmologies
creating safe space where people have time and energy to find new ideas
Can we implement those solutions in our everyday life ?
Change your lifestyle, yes if it is progressive.
I think that it is sometimes difficult to promote new lifestyles
with people coming from such different backgrounds.
The challenge is thus to find different ways for encouraging
and disseminating those new lifestyles ... adapted to ther different cultures
and contextes.