Agriculture: Solawi: Skepticism and optimism

What would Friedrich Engels have said about the discussion on Tuesday evening at Engelsplatz 4 in Engelskirchen? On the site that his father chose for a cotton mill when he was 17, solidarity farming is now being discussed in the town hall (Solawi) discussed. Anti-capitalist statements are also part of the discussion. The Solawi is described as a “regional innovation ecosystem”, as an opportunity to produce differently than is usual under capitalism. Sounds that initially sound unusual in a rural region where the CDU actually always wins the elections.

But you obviously don’t want to be completely closed off. The Oberbergische Kreis, the Rheinisch-Bergische Kreis and the Rhein-Sieg District have become Eco model region merged. In the town hall of Engelskirchen, the representative of a district explains the initial conditions for the question on Tuesday evening. The Bergisches Land, the region between Cologne and Wuppertal, is characterized by dairy farming and beef production. A rather difficult initial condition for strengthening direct sales in Solawi.

Solidarity farming is where many people first think of vegetable crates: you get them, then you use them. But the concept is a bit more sophisticated. It is in Engelskirchen Klaus Strüber before. He was a farmer in northern Germany for 20 years, co-founded one of the first Solawis in the country and has now been working as a consultant for ten years.

Strüwer explains this first principle Solidarity Agriculture: For an agricultural business you can calculate quite precisely what it costs to maintain and manage the land. From this you can calculate harvest shares and sell them. Anyone who wants can purchase a share of the harvest. In practice usually for a year. The concept is good for farmers because it is clear in advance what income they will have. Users know where their money goes. Solawi contracts are usually valid for one year. During this time, customers receive their Solawi products, usually weekly.

There are significant differences among solidarity farming businesses. Some farms only operate a few hectares according to this principle and sell their other income on the normal market. Other companies join together to form partnerships. They can provide their users with a greater variety of products. Meat and grain products can be added to vegetables. To explain why this form of economics makes sense, the German Solawi pioneer Wolfgang Stränz was quoted on Tuesday evening: “Food loses its price and regains its value.”

In Engelskirchen, such words meet with open ears but also with a lot of skepticism. Franz Bellinghausen is chairman of the local district farmers’ association. When asked about his concerns, he talks a lot. Talks about farmers having to give up land as part of the energy transition, talks about excessive environmental regulations and the fear that grazing animals will be killed by wolves.

Solawi, Bellinghaus thinks the concept sounds likeable. But he also has questions: “With a larger company, 1,200 people would have to come and get their milk every day. How is that supposed to work?” He also gives himself the answer. This could only work if the milk was further processed. This raises new questions. Having your own dairy would mean a lot of investment. Would these also be paid by Solawi members?

Probably not entirely alone. This would require help from politicians. On Tuesday evening, a representative from the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Agriculture and those responsible from the circles of the eco-model region will also be present. You have a lot of praise and warm words for solidarity agriculture. People find the concept valuable and want advice and support. However, there are no concrete promises or offers.

Bernd Schmitz also sees it that way. Ten years ago he was on the Hanfer Hof started with the Solawi. The farm’s goal this year: to provide 120 families with shares of the harvest. Schmitz thinks politics is too reserved. It must enable more. He reports on Solawi with passion. Richer families would pay more so that poorer families could also afford to share in the harvest; many would work with enthusiasm. Schmitz talks about how much the appreciation of the Solawi members means to him and makes it clear that this appreciation and communication with the members is significantly different from everyday farm work.

Whether solidarity farming is a nice idea for individual businesses and a socially-ecologically conscious clientele or an alternative to industrial agribusiness? Nobody in Engelskirchen answers this question.