The way implementation, enforcement and community integration are managed at a local level are a key component of providing decent living and working conditions. This involves grassroots action from citizens, producers and migrant workers themselves.
We have partnered with No Cap, a movement to combat ‘gangmastering’ in agriculture and to promote human, social and environmental rights. It was founded by ex-migrant worker Yvan Sagnet and is managed by a group of activists and volunteers who work collectively to put their professional and lived experience into action to make change. No Cap further supports local initiatives, such as the Dambe So (‘House of Dignity’) housing project organised by Mediterranean Hope, providing decent and affordable accommodation to migrant workers and integrating them into local communities.
Producers themselves can have a positive and direct impact on their employees’ living and working conditions. SOS Rosarno, who are featured at the end of the film THE PICKERS and who provide the oranges for our ‘Meet THE PICKERS Tour’, are an association of farmers in Rosarno, Italy, who have committed to providing their workers with permanent employment and decent work conditions, as well as directly supporting their access to decent accommodation and a lively and welcoming community. They distribute their fruit more directly to consumers, earning a larger profit that is reinvested in community projects.
Our campaign partner Good Food Good Farming connects grassroots initiatives with key organisations and spaces to influence policy. As a civil society alliance steered by NGOs such as Friends of the Earth and SlowFood, they advocate for sustainable food and farming across Europe. During their annual European Days of Action they mobilise their community at local, national and EU level, and in 2025 these Days of Action will include our campaign around the film THE PICKERS. Small-scale local action can have a collective European-wide impact and add pressure on decision-makers.
