Some news from the Growing Together agri-activist group - a guest blog by Conor Haugh

New social media presence - follow us today

With summer in full swing, there are a lot of things to be excited about. And we, in the Growing Together agri-activist group, have even more for you. We're excited to say that we're launching our own social media presence. You can now find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And, as if that wasn’t enough, we’re also offering you the chance to contribute to our latest project and win prizes for doing so!

The Growing Together team has been supported by Friends of the Earth for the last two years. In that time it has brought you many great events, including The Future is Rural, CAP: Let’s Lift the Lid, Climate Hustings, The Future of Food Webinar and many more, in collaboration with groups such as Irish Environmental Network, Foodture, Seedsavers, Talamh Beo, Young Friends of the Earth and Not Here Not Anywhere. Our new social media presence will make it easier to keep up to date with what Growing Together has planned in the coming months. And we have quite a lot planned!

Growing Together logo

Food Sovereignty booklet...coming soon 

We will soon be releasing a comprehensive Food Sovereignty booklet. We’ve compiled the latest research on how our modern agricultural systems can be amended to produce more economically, ecologically, socially and culturally appropriate food, and why doing so is vital for our communities and planet. But what is Food Sovereignty you might ask. Well, according to the Declaration of Nyéléni, which arose from the first global forum on food sovereignty, it can be defined as follows:

“Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations.”

Enter our photo competition

Intrigued? Well, why not get involved? We’re currently asking for submissions of your photographs to feature in the booklet. What does Food Sovereignty mean to you? Examples could include images of sustainable farming practices, community-led initiatives, sustainable aquaculture, environmental consequences of agriculture, changes in producer and consumer behaviour in response to Covid-19, urban biodiversity, or anything that highlights issues associated with the Food Sovereignty movement. Entries can be generic or personal, show triumphs or challenges, and highlight problems or offer solutions. Be creative!

Competition winners will have their submission appear in our booklet and will have their choice of the following prizes:

1. A one year membership for Irish Seedsavers

2. A one year membership to Talamh Beo

3. A one night stay in a private room in Django's Hostel in Cloughjordan EcoVillage (subject to availability)

4. A veg box to the value of €25 from your local Foodture Farmer

A big thanks to Friends of the Earth for sponsoring these prizes! So what are you waiting for? Click here to enter the competition now. A full set of terms and conditions for the competition can be found here. And to find out more about all of our activities, please do follow us on our new Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Conor, on behalf of Growing Together Ireland

The Growing Together agri-activist group