What’s eating… MVR
Finding our Food… and my Feet

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) is a famous film story of pure heart, testing the bonds of family, friend- and relationships, and showing the importance of understanding the struggles in life. This blog series is a play on that, allowing HFHP members to share what has been eating their mind, body and soul.

The first couple of blogs will be from Marinke van Riet or in short MVR in her role as HFHP’s new Director. But if you have anything eating you, don’t hesitate, but ventilate. In this month’s blog MVR shares what HFHP has cooked up for her in in May, her third month where she is slowly but surely finding her food and feet. 

This Friday June 10, it will have been 100 days already since I started as the Director of HFHP –  an opportune moment to present the way forward to build the CSO movement power!  Based on many conversations with civil society groups (over 50 and counting!), the CSO landscape survey, the strategic framework and a lot of reading, I have a much better idea of what the expectations and hopes are and where the energy is and needs to go.  What I heard loudly and proudly from you is that because of the challenging tasks ahead to change our food systems (and particularly the ASF), there is a real yearn to be connected, to learn and cross-pollinate both locally, nationally and across countries to build our collective movement power. Inspired by this, it was agreed that I could change my job title into Chief Weaver – as that forms the essence of my role: to weave to life the social fabric of HFHP! This change is also made easier since welcoming the HFHP Fund Manager, Giulia Lagana in our midst, responsible for the Pooled Fund within HFHP.

To explain our plans, we decided to use the image of a beehive, presenting where we need to go, what we have and need, the foundational honeycombs, the lever taxonomy and the proposed movement values and style of leadership (inspired by the Manifesto of Next Gen(d)eration Leadership Collective). A detailed explanation is provided on the page called Building the Beehive. All of these elements need to be explored further (and decided upon) in the coming months and no better way to do it than to organise a physical get-together!  From the 4th through the 8th of September we will be together in Berlin for the Bike of Bees Caravan building the CSO movement power. And we are inviting YOU to be part of it…

We are looking for a magical mix of 15 to 20 changemakers and thought-leaders, artists, community and national leaders, farmers, health experts, journalists, funders, storytellers, campaigners and entrepreneurs who all are working towards overhauling food environments.

Whether you do this through the lens of promoting regenerative agriculture, addressing food inequities, standing up for worker’s rights, campaigning for climate justice or promoting healthy, fair and sustainable diets, and whether local, regional or national – the invitation for the Bike of Bees Caravan is for you!

So far, the Finding my Feet part -slowly but surely!

As for Finding our Food I continue to invest in getting to know you and the complex but exciting labyrinth of food environments. In the Netherlands I met up with the True Animal Protein Price coalition, whose advocacy on paying a true price for a better future is gaining some momentum.  I also joined the Food Autonomy Festival organised by ASEED Europe (Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment, and Diversity Europe), an international campaigning organisation, involving youth in direct democracy.  It was a wonderful, playful and nurturing few days, where I learned about and witnessed a self-harvesting garden, a food forest and the desire of young women to go into regenerative farming. This trend (or is that my hope?) was also echoed in France during a great online conversation with two female farmers who have set up the Universite Domaine du Possible to demonstrate and live a different way of farming!  With special TLC (Tender, Love and Care) for younger sister farmers! In France I also had conversations with Reseau Action Climat and Pour une Autre PAC; the latter being in the process of merging to make an even stronger voice. And in the UK I listened to a conversation led by Eating Better with three caterers in the public sector who are making the transition to a more plant-based diet. And we shouldn’t forget what we started the month with: our first B(re)aking Bread conversation, with a guided culinary demonstration, presented by the trans migrant Empatravas collective from Barcelona, Spain and  trailblazers from youth-led BiteBack 2030 based in the UK, farmers-led Agrar Aktion from Germany and the community-led City Oasis Spinozahof Garden from the Netherlands.

Upwards and onwards!