550 voices, 28 countries, one demand: Food Justice. The European Days of Action, this year in its eighth edition, put a spotlight on the need to shift power away from corporations and towards people, so everyone can access healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate food, grown in ways that protect farmers, workers, and the planet. Photo story by Pauline Naterstad and Lina Hartwig of Good Food Good Farming.
Since 2018, the European Days of Action have provided a platform for farmers, citizens, and activists to unite across borders and languages in a call for fairer, more sustainable food systems. Each year, decentralised, local actions highlight the diverse realities of communities across Europe, reflecting the many dimensions of the fight for a common cause.
As part of this year’s campaign, there were four concrete ways to take action: organising an event, hosting a screening, signing a petition and taking a picture demanding food justice. Here is a flavour of some of the actions taken.
Local events across Europe – Unpacking challenges to food justice
In Spain, the coalition Por Otra PAC brought humour and politics together in their event PACmeCrazy. Farmers, rural citizens, and politicians shared personal stories about how EU agricultural policies affect their lives – turning frustration into laughter, creativity, and collective energy for change. The coalition, meeting to discuss their strategy for the ongoing CAP reform, used the evening to connect local realities with the broader European debate around food policies.
At the “Greentopia Festival” in Romania, students, community members and NGOs held a food collage workshop. Participants engaged in a game-based experience to unpack the global food system’s impact on climate, biodiversity, and health. The workshop sparked awareness and collective action: by the end, attendees left with deeper knowledge on food systems and committed to small concrete changes in their daily food practices.
In Poland, the Living Earth Coalition organised two visits to organic farms, bringing together activists, experts, and local government officials. As participants toured fields and shared local food, they discussed the concrete challenges Polish organic farmers face, namely complex certification, consumer scepticism, and price pressure from large retailers. They also explored ways to make organic food more accessible in public canteens. Although focussed on Poland, the lively exchange echoed issues also present on a broader EU level.
In the spirit of food justice, this year’s actions also reached beyond Europe. In Ramallah, Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (the Palestinian branch of La Via Campesina) mobilised volunteers to work alongside Palestinians during their olive harvest, which is a vital source of livelihood for thousands of families. In the face of military occupation and settler violence, harvesting olives becomes an act of collective resistance. The volunteers serve as a protective presence, and amplify Palestinian voices in the struggle for food sovereignty and self-determination. This harvest reminds us that food justice for one is food justice for none— it’s a struggle that goes beyond Europe.
The Pickers on screen
Another way to take action this October was to organise a screening of The Pickers, a documentary that exposes the harsh realities migrant workers in agriculture face in Europe. The screenings were followed by panel discussions shedding further light on the injustices in Europe’s food system.
At one of the screenings, hosted by Good Food Good Farming and the German coalition Wir Haben es Satt, director Elke Sasse joined the audience for a discussion. When asked if it was difficult to get the film’s protagonists to speak openly, she explained that many migrant workers were willing to do so, knowing that they were in the right and that it was companies, not them, violating the law. She also stressed the need to see exploitation as a systemic issue rather than individual fault, and how the viewers must use their voices to advocate for change.
United call for food justice
To round off the European Days of Action, hundreds took pictures holding signs with demands such as “Support the communities that feed us”, “Recognise food as a human right” and “Stop corporate takeover”. The resulting collage is a united call for EU leaders to put food justice at the heart of the political agenda. It captures the essence of this campaign: citizens joining together to make their voices heard by EU decision-makers through the GFGF movement.
What’s next?
The European Days of Action amplify the voices of citizens and farmers across Europe, bringing forward real stories and perspectives that are too often ignored.
With more countries taking part than ever before, the 2025 European Days of Action demonstrated the growing strength and unity of the Good Food Good Farming movement.
Building on this momentum, in 2026, Good Food Good Farming will take the concerns of citizens and farmers straight to EU decision-makers in Brussels, demanding that those most affected by food and farming policies be heard.
More
“A Joyful Revolution” – Voices from the Agroecology Europe Forum 2025
Passing the Pitchfork – Inside the EU’s new plan to get young farmers in our fields
European Rural Parliament 2025 — Redefining Rurality in the Scottish Highlands
Where The Untended Feeds Us – Cécile Gilquin’s “Tiers-Paysage”
Planting Seeds of Quiet Agroecological Resistance in South Africa’s Fields
