Farmers' Resentments and Rural Populism in Left behind Places - What Is the Emancipatory Potential of Progressive Food Movements?

In 2024, Europe witnessed a significant wave of farmers' protests, driven primarily by planned environmental policies of the European Union, such as the European Green Deal, alongside national policies of member states. In Germany, these protests were largely triggered by cuts in various agricultural subsidies, including those for agricultural diesel. The so-called farmers' protests exposed deeper societal tensions, highlighting not only issues related to agrarian policy but also broader distributive concerns and the interplay between agrarian capitalism and the ecological crisis. Notably, right-wing populist actors joined the protests, capitalizing on the resentment felt by many farmers as well as non-farmers.

This paper presents findings from surveys conducted during the 2024 protests in Berlin, Germany, along with data from organizations involved in these movements, to illustrate the diverse composition of the protest landscape. It identifies two distinct coalitions: one advocating for the continuation of subsidies to support agricultural modernization, and another consisting of environmentalist and peasant movements, which have long promoted a socio-ecological transformation of the agri-food sector.

In light of the fact that right-wing tendencies in Germany, as in other countries, are often correlating with rural or "left behind" places—as reflected in recent election polls—an upcoming project will build on these insights to explore the role of progressive food movements in countering anti-democratic tendencies. This project will focus on how these movements can strengthen civil society and support the socio-ecological transformation of the agri-food sector. Through case studies in various rural, infrastructurally disadvantaged regions across Europe, the research will assess the impact of rural progressive movements at the local scale and their contributions to socio-ecological just futures.