Author: Jackie Kearney
Displacement and dispossession are becoming increasingly urgent global challenges. For displaced and dispossessed communities, the act of growing food goes far beyond meeting nutritional needs; for many, it is vital to personal agency, cultural preservation, and resilience. How can communities cultivate hope, identity, and sustenance without stable access to land? Amidst these challenges, grassroots initiatives, peasant movements, traditional ecological knowledge, and innovative approaches to regenerative agriculture are emerging as vital pathways, offering tools, solidarity, and strategies to enable displaced and dispossessed growers to reclaim their agency through growing food.
The panel discussion Building an Alliance of Food Growers in Displacement explored the critical role of food and farming in fostering resilience and dignity for communities who have been separated from their lands. ​​The diverse panel, chaired by Juliet Millican of Re-Alliance, featured an inspiring group of speakers with vast expertise in food sovereignty, regenerative agriculture, and advocacy for displaced communities. Questions explored in this session included ‘What happens when deep connection to land is destroyed by climate, conflict, disaster, or occupation?’, ‘What are the impacts on those affected?’, and ‘How do they respond?’Â
Palestinian food sovereignty activist Muna Dajani discussed the compounded crises of dispossession, displacement, and conflict in her homeland, highlighting the importance of mutual aid and traditional knowledge in sustaining hope. Ana Rosa de Lima, drawing from her experiences with Indigenous communities, emphasised the role of regenerative practices and traditional practices in reclaiming land and autonomy in the Amazon. Anuka De Silva of La Via Campesina spoke of global solidarity, resistance, and the fight for food sovereignty in the face of neoliberal policies. Finally, Sarah Queblatin from the Philippines shared how she has worked with her community to bridge traditional ecological knowledge with modern mutual aid to respond to disasters and displacement. Together, they approach the topic of food growing without stable access to land with a powerful blend of perspectives from the Amazon, Palestine, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and beyond.
Growing Food vs Receiving Food via International Aid
The discussion underscored the immense challenges displaced communities face, not only in growing food, but also the challenges and indignity involved in having no choice but to engage with the broken international aid system. As Sarah noted, while aid often focuses on food security, a regenerative and community-led approach prioritises food sovereignty, allowing communities to rebuild on their own terms. Furthermore, it was reflected that communities can take an integrated systems response in a way that the international humanitarian system doesn’t seem to be able to. Reflecting on this, Muna highlighted how aid in Palestine is used as a tool of control, perpetuating dependency and vulnerability rather than autonomy. Ana and Anuka emphasised the need for systemic change, urging international networks to support grassroots movements and dismantle policies that benefit corporate powers at the expense of small-scale growers.Â
Reconnecting with the Land as a Path Towards Resilience
Vulnerability and resilience emerged as central themes throughout the panel, as each speaker reflected on how displaced communities navigate profound challenges while demonstrating remarkable strength. Lina Isma’il shared how Palestinian farmers, despite the compounded impacts of occupation and displacement, persist through mutual aid and a deep-rooted connection to their land. Ana Rosa de Lima highlighted the resilience of Indigenous communities in the Amazon, who draw on traditional ecological knowledge to regenerate degraded lands and preserve cultural practices. Anuka De Silva emphasised the strength of peasant movements in Sri Lanka, where women and small-scale farmers confront predatory policies with agroecology and collective action. Sarah Queblatin spoke of Filipino communities’ ability to harness traditional practices and mutual aid to rebuild after disasters. Across all contexts, the panellists underscored that while displacement creates acute vulnerabilities, it also ignites profound resilience, driven by ancestral knowledge, community solidarity, and a relentless commitment to sovereignty and dignity.
Solidarity and Systems Change
In order to address the vulnerability of those whose connection to the land has been made unstable, the panellists emphasised the need for transformative, grassroots-driven support. Ana highlighted the importance of distinguishing between aid that empowers sovereignty and aid that perpetuates dependency, urging networks to champion truly regenerative practices. Sarah called for a shift in narrative, advocating for spaces that bridge divides and move beyond roles of victim, hero, or villain, while encouraging privileged actors to confront their guilt and collaborate authentically. Muna stressed the power of forming meaningful alliances rooted in both practical and spiritual connections to the land, urging a focus on resilience rather than despair. Anuka underscored the need to challenge power structures and create awareness of systemic injustices, reminding participants that reclaiming agency starts with breaking free from imposed narratives of victimisation. Together, the speakers framed international networks as vital tools for solidarity, advocacy, and systemic change when designed with respect, equity, and grassroots empowerment at their core.
This session was a call to action for all of us at ORFC, farmers, activists, and policymakers alike, to support displaced growers not as victims but as stewards of knowledge, resilience, and regeneration. By building alliances rooted in solidarity, respect, and shared purpose, we can transform displacement from a narrative of loss into one of empowerment and collective growth. As Anuka phrased it, we need to continue to build solidarity, resistance and hope. Just as this is a globalised struggle, we’re creating globalised hope.
About the Author
Jackie Kearney is a researcher, network facilitator and project coordinator whose work focuses on localised climate resilience, ecosystem restoration and forced migration. More specifically, her work focuses on harnessing and strengthening the power of grassroots networks to advocate for a shift towards more equitable approaches to disaster, displacement and development. She is passionate about the role of events, exhibitions and various forms of storytelling in centering the experiences of the most marginalised and sensitising the global community to take action.
She is currently the Network and Membership manager for the Re-Alliance network. She is also the Oxford Human Rights Festival Coordinator, and provides research, communications and operations support on a freelance basis for various organisations aligned with her interests.