Programme Reclaim the Seeds Amsterdam

The weekend of the 3rd and 4th of March is divided into the Saturday with a focus on the seed fair and workshop programme and the Sunday when people can help in the orchard and the garden and can get to know (urban) agricultural projects in the neighbourhood.

Saturday 3rd of March

The seed fair will be a little smaller than the national edition in Rotterdam a week before, but we still managed to catch a number of interesting stall holders. You will be able to purchase special seeds here, but we will also try to stimulate the actual trading of seeds. So please take some of the stored seeds from your own garden with you if you have some!
Garden projects from the region will also present themselves on the market and you can be introduced to smart techniques for balcony gardens and vegetable gardens.

The seed fair will start at 10:30 and continues until approximately 17:00

Workshops

During the day several lectures, workshops and tours take place. They give attention to the problems in the current agricultural system and society, but present as well possible solutions. The presented alternatives can be both on the political level as practical DIY tips for everybody with or without an own garden.

Most lectures and workshops will be in Dutch, a few in English, but we will try to arrange some translations.

Round 1 (11:00 - 12:30)

Starting your own (unusual) seedlings (Tuinlokaal)
By Wim Bijma

Make your own worm hotel (Werkplaats)
We will show you how you can make a simple worm hotel with 3 buckets, a drill and a handful of worms. The worms will turn your own veggie and fruit scraps into fertile compost. Ideal for on your balcony or in a closet.
There is room for 20 people in this workshop, and 10 people can take a worm bin home (after paying 5 euro for the materials). Note that due to the cold weather, the worms will need to stay indoors for the first few weeks. Large compost systems can generate their own warmth, but our relatively small system is susceptible to freezing. By Peter-Jan Brouwer from Stichting Buurtcompost.

Seed Sovereignty in Latin America (Zorghuisje | in English)
Karin Nansen is a Uruguayan activist who has worked side by side with peasant farmers in the defense of native seeds in Uruguay. She will talk about the struggle for seed sovereignty in Latin America, and how people in Europe can support peasant farmers around the world to preserve their own seed varieties. Karin is also chair of the Friends of the Earth International grassroots environmental federation.

Tour of the Fruittuin (meet at the fire place)
Pieter and Dagmar from the Fruittuin van West will guide you around the Fruittuin and tell you stories about the fruit trees and berry bushes, the chickens, the earth ships, the Belgian endive, and much more.

Round 2 (13:00 - 14:30)

Save your own seeds (Tuinlokaal)
In this workshop you will learn how to save seeds from the most popular types of vegetables, including tomatoes, beans, cabbages, herbs, pumpkins, etc. Monique Wijn has been saving seeds from unusual and historic vegetables, edible wild plants, and flowers since 2002 and has her own business called 'De Godin, Edible Landscape'.

Agriculture & Climate - an interactive workshop (Werkplaats | in English)
We will provide general information, and then organise the audience into small groups in order to discuss issues and solutions related to the subject. By Louis, Eduard and Anna from ASEED

Wild herb walk (meet at the fire place | in English)
Join Lynn Shore from Urban Herbology in a wild herb walk around the local surroundings. You will learn how to find and identify some safe, useful, local herbs, to harvest with respect for the environment, and to use the herbs safely in several different ways.

Round 3 (15:00 - 16:30)

Introduction permaculture (Tuinlokaal)
What exactly is permaculture? Where does it come from, and how did it originate? These questions will be answered during this short introduction, and you will also be introduced to the most important underlying thoughts in permaculture. For beginning permies as well as people looking for a refresher course. By Linder van den Heerik

New Developments in Corporate Agriculture (Werkplaats | in English)
Come hear about what big/corporate agriculture is planning, and discuss what we can do to get in the way of these developments. Els Wijnstra and Sonia Conchon from ASEED will tell you about the trend of concentration in the seed and chemical market, and what it means for the food system: how much should we worry if the EU soon allows Bayer and Monsanto to merge into one megacorporation? And what to think about new genetic engineering techniques the Dutch and international seed industry is developing? Will all our food be manipulated, patented and controlled by agribusiness (in the near future)?

Tour of the Pluk! Community Supported Agriculture garden (meet at the fire place)
We will take you on a tour of the Pluk! Community Supported Agriculture project, now in its second year. Pluk is a self-harvest vegetable, herb and flower garden that will feed 75 families in 2018. By Friso van Overbeek & Henriette Walz.

Ongoing

Children's programme (Zorghuisje)
Children of all ages are welcome for activities with worms, seeds and bees! We will decorate flowerpots and sow (organic) seeds (with young children) and we'll have a quiz about insects for older kids. We'll also make seed bombs with bee-friendly flower seeds: you can bring them home and let the explode in the spring!
By Cityplot & Flower Power @ Tuinen van West

Grafting
From 13:00 on you can learn how to graft your own apple, pear or plum tree. For a small donation you can take your own baby tree home with you! By the experts Cor Sturkenboom & Jan Veens

Movie programme

After the seed fair finished a movie programme starts in het Tuinlokaal. You can watch a series of short documentaries related to seeds and agriculture. More information will follow.

Evening programme

From 17:00 onwards - Home-made pizza and drinks.

18:00-18:45 - Cora Kemperman en de Schuurmachines, a charmingly rattling poprockpunkpoprock band from Utrecht.

18:45-19:15 Seed Story around the campfire, told by Nancy Wiltink.

19:15-20:00 - Bolster, a prickly guitar pop band from Amsterdam that sings Dutch songs. Their debut album recently came out with Off Amsterdam, both vinyl and digital.

Sunday the 4th of March

On Sunday you can work in the garden or orchard at the Fruittuin, or visit some green projects in the neighbourhood. Roll up your sleeves for an active day helping in the garden!

8:00 - Morning walk through the dew - free the chickens from the hen house

Good morning! Walk together with farmer Wil Sturkenboom to let the chickens free for the day. Take off your shoes (optional) and enjoy the feeling of dewy grass under your feet. After the walk there will be breakfast in the garden cafe (from 08:30).

from 8:30 on - Breakfast

In the Tuincafe

11:00-17:00 - Mini seed exchange

On the court yard. Plenty of diverse seeds and planting material including potatoes, onions and garlic will be available all day, for swapping and for sale!

11:00-13:00 - Pruning in the orchard

Start in the Tuinlokaal. Come prune the fruit trees with Wil, owner of the Fruittuin van West. After a bit of theory about the 'Zahn' pruning technique (applicable to almost all types of fruit tree) we will go outside and learn through practising on the trees.

13:00-15:00 - Workshop and tour of food forest

Tuinlokaal with an excursion to the food forest. A food forest is a food production system, designed by humans and based on the ecology of a forest (edge). It contains a great diversity of edible and supporting trees, shrubs, perennial vegetables and herbs. But why is this important? And is it possible in the city? Come learn about food forests in theory and in practice, in and around Amsterdam. After a general introduction we will have an excursion to a food forest on the other side of the road from the Fruittuin.

13:30-15:30 - Sow the first broad beans!

Meeting at the fire place. Join Pluk! farmers Kiki and Ann as we sow the first broad beans of the season! The farmers will also tell you about Pluk! Groenten van West, the self-harvest vegetable/herb/flower Community Supported Agriculture project at the Fruittuin. No previous experience required, but boots and clothes that can get dirty are a good idea.

15:00-16:00 - Excursion to garden projects

The bike excursion start at De Fruittuin van West. We will visit several initiatives in the Tuinen van West: urban gardens, Flower Power, De Bijentuin (bee garden) and plant breeders at the Osdorperweg. At the end the group will join the bike protest to support De Boterbloem, endangered organic farm in the neighbourhood.

16:00 - Protest biketour to De Boterbloem

At the end of the day we will all join a protest biketour towards de Boterbloem, an organic farm at the edge of Amsterdam with arable crops and horticulture. At the moment this farm is threatened by a new business park.

All participants will be welcomed at De Boterbloem by De Fanfare van de Eerste Liefdesnacht (the First Night of Love Brass Band), a colourful street orchestra from Amsterdam. The band consists of about twenty people playing wind-instruments and a few percussionists. Already for over 30 years they are creating a musical party wherever they go.