You, young talents of today, following the rebellion that you raised during your graduation ceremony, we humbly allow ourselves to send you this answer.
We don’t pretend to be out of system, out of capitalists or “anti” anything. We wish to the extent of our possibilities to provide realistic solutions that allow our community of farmers, processors, traders to live with dignity from their labor by selling their products at fair prices and not to be dependent on one-sided contracts with large groups.
We are in the economy of life and that will never change!
You, talents of tomorrow, have the duty to contribute to the society of tomorrow and not simply desert, having convictions is not enough, you have to assume them and act! This open letter invites you and all those who fight for the same aspirations to join us.
“We don’t believe we need ‘all agriculture’. Rather, we see that agribusiness is waging a war on the living and on the peasantry everywhere on earth. We do not see science and technology as neutral and apolitical. We believe that technological innovation and start-ups will save nothing but capitalism. We believe neither in sustainable development nor in green growth, and no more in “ecological transition”, an expression which implies that society can become sustainable without getting rid of the dominant social order.”
I urge you to give more credit to startups, I personally got wind of your action thanks to a Google recommendation that I will use as an example to support my point. Indeed, Google allows people like you and me to sort, search and receive information recommendations. Google allows you to exist, to relay your words, to create discussion, to even rally people to your vision. Moreover, having briefly worked for one of their services, I can tell you that the general public gives little credit to the immense work done by these and other WAGs… to limit access to harmful information. We only see the negative sides, and there are a lot of them, but I sincerely think that the Internet today, although more addictive, than before is rid of a LOT of toxic ideas. If humans in conjunction with the capitalist system have failed in their duty to protect life, technology can logically be a track to try. I also allow myself to call on you to reconsider the use of the word get rid of, which seems a bit strong, I think that “the actors of the dominant social order” share these aspirations, we are today, in 2022, talking about of survival of the living, in the end, we all have the same objectives, just different priorities and time horizons. The economy of life, as Jaques Attali says, must act in the interests of future generations.
“Invent “good conscience” labels to allow executives to believe they are heroic by eating better than others; develop so-called “green” energies which make it possible to accelerate the digitization of society while polluting and exploiting on the other side of the world; produce CSR (Social and Environmental Responsibility) reports that are all the longer and more delirious because the crimes they conceal are scandalous; or even count frogs and butterflies so that concrete workers can make them disappear legally.”
On the contrary, we believe that the labels are going in the right direction, firstly, because they make it possible to give a price to virtuous actions. Remember your economics lessons, it is through the price mechanism that we limit speeding on the road, carbon emissions and many other harmful behaviors. Give a bonus to producers who make certain commitments, it is simply to support them to continue. In addition, labels allow people to realize that they have the power as consumers to vote through their purchases. If we do not give consumers the opportunity to assert themselves as a member of a community, organic, fair trade or Farmnetz, it will be more difficult to change things.
“Here and there, we have met people who are experimenting with other ways of life, who are reclaiming knowledge and know-how so as to no longer depend on the monopoly of polluting industries; people who understand their territory in order to live from it without exhausting it, who actively fight against harmful projects, who practice a popular, decolonial and feminist ecology on a daily basis, who find the time to live well and take care of each other each other. All these encounters have inspired us to imagine our own paths.”
This is what we highlight, craft skills, territories, moreover our recommendation algorithm will always highlight local production and people.
“And above all, let’s not let go of this energy that is boiling somewhere in us! Let’s give up before we are stuck with financial obligations. Let’s not wait for our kids to ask us for money to go shopping in the metaverse, because we will have run out of time to make them dream of something else.
Assume your words, if you desert, it is that you give up, do not retreat either to an isolated farm to live in autarky. We do not have the vocation to change the capitalism system entirely, we know that through a technological solution we can restore power to those who feed us, fight industrial selection and enhance our territories. This is our mission. You, talents of today and tomorrow, remember that you are the most precious fruits of this system, join us, do not be wasted resources!
