Living Cultures

Nourishing territories of life

Our activities
Our story

We envision worlds of Living Cultures where people once again become caretakers of their territories, so that all of life can thrive.

Our mission

Nourishing ancestral relationships between places, cultures and economies

Activities

<p>Fostering an agroecological movement in the South Veluwe watershed</p>

Fostering an agroecological movement in the South Veluwe watershed

Read more
<p>Weaving relationships between territories of life</p>

Weaving relationships between territories of life

Read more

Amplifying voices with the Living Cultures Podcast

Listen now
<p>Telling stories with the Living Cultures newsletter</p>

Telling stories with the Living Cultures newsletter

Read our stories
<p>Collaborating with you</p>

Collaborating with you

Contact us

Our story

Living Cultures was created by Eduardo Caceres and Janneke Bruil. Living in the South Veluwe watershed in the Netherlands, but with time spent in different places of the world, we have seen the impact of dominant cultures of oppression, individualism and extraction.

In our journeys, we lived and worked with farmers, indigenous peoples and social movements in different territories and conditions. These experiences shaped us in profound ways. Connecting with the lands, spirits, cultures and foods, we were reminded that as humans, we have roles and responsibilities as caretakers of life.

Over the years, as we built our own practices and communities, we realized that the state of disintegration in the world requires a cultural transformation that is firmly rooted in place. And that draws inspiration from ancient cosmovisions that center care, balance, and permanence.

That is why we started Living Cultures.

Our team

<p>Eduardo (Edo) spent years living with and learning from Mapuche communities in Chile. He was trained in agroecology, large scale syntropic ecosystems design, Art of Hosting and cultural protocols. In the Netherlands, he set up Mas Newen, a living hair and skin care company with products that are agroecologicaly sourced and in service of life. Edo practices syntropic agroforestry and is a proud father.</p>

Eduardo Cáceres Salgado

Eduardo (Edo) spent years living with and learning from Mapuche communities in Chile. He was trained in agroecology, large scale syntropic ecosystems design, Art of Hosting and cultural protocols. In the Netherlands, he set up Mas Newen, a living hair and skin care company with products that are agroecologicaly sourced and in service of life. Edo practices syntropic agroforestry and is a proud father.

<p>Janneke is a facilitator and strategist in the field of agroecology, food and culture. She has worked with a variety of environmental justice organizations and social movements around the world. She founded Cultivate! and the global magazine 'Rooted in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty'. Janneke is an active practitioner of the Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversations, a strategic thinker and movement builder, and she loves to design and host collective learning processes. Janneke is a mother of two boys, a beekeeper and a food grower.</p>

Janneke Bruil

Janneke is a facilitator and strategist in the field of agroecology, food and culture. She has worked with a variety of environmental justice organizations and social movements around the world. She founded Cultivate! and the global magazine 'Rooted in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty'. Janneke is an active practitioner of the Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversations, a strategic thinker and movement builder, and she loves to design and host collective learning processes. Janneke is a mother of two boys, a beekeeper and a food grower.

<p>Chris is an investigative journalist, grassroots organizer, spoken word artist and author of 'The Great Colonial War' (in Dutch). He also worked with farmers in rural Chile. Chris is co-founder of Aralez, a grassroots network for decolonisation in the Netherlands.</p>

Chris de Ploeg

Chris is an investigative journalist, grassroots organizer, spoken word artist and author of 'The Great Colonial War' (in Dutch). He also worked with farmers in rural Chile. Chris is co-founder of Aralez, a grassroots network for decolonisation in the Netherlands.

<p>Matti studied forest and nature conservation, while getting active in the agroecology movement, nature education and podcast making. Through these activities they aim to challenge the human/nature dichotomy and to strengthen local connections and roots. Matti is one of our podcast producers.</p>

Matti Baten

Matti studied forest and nature conservation, while getting active in the agroecology movement, nature education and podcast making. Through these activities they aim to challenge the human/nature dichotomy and to strengthen local connections and roots. Matti is one of our podcast producers.

<p>Lotte grew up on a biodynamic farm and studied in the fields of agroecology and philosophy. She is involved in several agroecological writing, activism and organizing projects and it is her dream to be able to take up farming in the future. Lotte is one of our podcast producers.</p>

Lotte Opdam

Lotte grew up on a biodynamic farm and studied in the fields of agroecology and philosophy. She is involved in several agroecological writing, activism and organizing projects and it is her dream to be able to take up farming in the future. Lotte is one of our podcast producers.

<p>Daniela is trained in rural sociology and has a strong interest in farming, cows and more-than-human relationships. She loves playing with images and creating engaging communications. Daniela is in charge of our social media.</p>

Daniela Orduz Ramos

Daniela is trained in rural sociology and has a strong interest in farming, cows and more-than-human relationships. She loves playing with images and creating engaging communications. Daniela is in charge of our social media.

How we create change

Today’s dominant culture is characterized by exploitation, extractivism, othering and disintegration shaped by colonialism and patriarchy. Fortunately in territories worldwide, a reservoir of ancient knowledge and practices remain that are in service of life.

Building on that memory, we nourish ancestral relationships between places, economies and cultures. We do this by revitalizing territorial movements of care and resilience. We prioritize scaling deep: the cultural transformational work that is required to create fundamental change.

This is how we work towards worlds of Living Cultures.

<p>'Places' refers to <strong> where we are </strong> in each territory with its own context, geography, history and spirit. The place hosts all of life: the rivers, the mountains, the forest, the soil, and all living beings.</p>

Places

'Places' refers to where we are in each territory with its own context, geography, history and spirit. The place hosts all of life: the rivers, the mountains, the forest, the soil, and all living beings.

<p>'Cultures' refers to <strong>who we are</strong> and how we see our role as caretakers of our respective territories. Our cultures are defined and shaped by the past, present and future of our territories and are thus expressed in unique ways in each place, always in relationship with other cultures.</p>

Cultures

'Cultures' refers to who we are and how we see our role as caretakers of our respective territories. Our cultures are defined and shaped by the past, present and future of our territories and are thus expressed in unique ways in each place, always in relationship with other cultures.

<p>'Economies' that are connected to place and culture, refers to <strong>what we do</strong> as humans as we create conditions to ensure that all of life in the territory can thrive in co-existence and kinship.</p>

Economies

'Economies' that are connected to place and culture, refers to what we do as humans as we create conditions to ensure that all of life in the territory can thrive in co-existence and kinship.

Our strategies

1) As weavers, we engage in ‘cultural fermentation’

we offer confluence to seemingly disparate but resonating movements and territories, so they can become a coherent collective force towards a common goal of nourishing Life. At the heart of our work as weavers are relationships of care, affinity and affect.

2) As custodians, we live by example

in the territories where we live, we practice what we preach and we show what's possible: we foster regional economies and cultures that are in service of resilience for current and future generations, following the principles of agroecology.

3) As storytellers, we amplify narratives

we share voices, perspectives and narratives that offer elements of the paths towards living cultures.

What we are not

Not about rewilding

We do not believe in the Carthesian split: the separation between culture and ‘nature’ on which the idea of rewilding is founded by keeping humans outside of ‘nature’. Rather, we see humans as an intrinsic part of life. We have always co-shaped life on the planet. At Living Cultures, we believe that as humans, we must reclaim our role as custodians of life and the spirits of our places. The principles of agroecology developed by the global Nyeleni movement for food sovereignty offer important guidance on how to do so.

Not about seeing landscape restoration as the final goal

We are not just focused on doing large scale landscape or ecosystem design, although it can be an outcome of what we do. Rather, our work is aimed at identifying and connecting movements and actions that can collectively foster a cultural shift towards resilience that is rooted in ancestral relationality with life, in a world that we are watching disintegrate.

Not about scaling up

Rather than ‘growing bigger’ or influencing policy, we emphasize scaling deep: the cultural transformational work that is required to create fundamental change. Research has shown that this requires creating transformative learning opportunities and networks that support communities of practice, including those with lived experience of injustice and oppression.

Not about creating utopia

We believe death is a necessary part of life and therefore we work in syntropy: a continuous movement of expansion and contraction, of breathing out and breathing in, of giving and receiving, of life and death.

Our friends

Mas Newen

Living Cultures receives a percentage of the profits of Mas Newen company. This goes towards supporting our mission. As a non-profit institution Living Cultures does not engage in corporate activity.

Learn more about Mas Newen
Join us in nourishing Living Cultures

Join us in nourishing Living Cultures

Are you interested in collaborating with us? We look forward to hearing from you.