Faba Konzepte is a project of the charitable, non-profit organisation Faba e.V., founded in November 2022. We prepare studies and policy papers providing arguments and practical proposals for the transformation of the food system. We engage in public debate, organise events and connect stakeholders in order to support social movements in their efforts to end the animal industry and bring about the necessary changes in the food system. Our team currently consists of three employees.
The “faba bean”, also known as “broad bean”, along with many other legumes, are great plants for transforming the food system. Although legumes aren’t grown for human consumption as much as they used to be, and nowadays are too often used as animal feed, they have the potential to make a healthy contribution to the human protein requirements. So faba is not just a real power bean, it also stands for change, future viability and huge potential!
Frederic Markert lives in Kassel. He has been active for several years as a volunteer for the agricultural and food transition movement, including the Kassel Food Council and climate justice initiatives. Professionally, Frederic used to work in project management of IT research projects (data protection and environmental sensor technology) as well as digitisation projects for public clients. In his spare time, Frederic enjoys reading inspirational novels about a better future.
Dr. Friederike Schmitz holds a PhD in philosophy and has worked as an author and lecturer for a long time. Along with three books on animal ethics, she has written a book in which she describes concrete ways to transform the food system ("Anders satt," Ventil Verlag 2022). Friederike is an animal rights and climate activist and is also involved in education with Mensch Tier Bildung e.V. Her adopted home is a village in Brandenburg, where her enthusiasm for growing vegetables is met with mixed success.
Tanja Niggemeier is our team member from Hamburg. After a commercial apprenticeship, she studied multimedia production and subsequently worked as a press and public relations officer. She is active in different animal rights and climate justice groups, often providing support with social media, mobilisation and press relations. In her free time, Tanja can often be found by the water (whether the Alster in Hamburg or the nearby North Sea), at a demo or perhaps the vegan Vietnamese restaurant around the corner.
Dr Sandra Franz lives in Berlin and supports Faba Konzepte on a voluntary basis. She studied biochemistry and has a PhD in plant physiology. She has been professionally and voluntarily active in the animal rights movement for several years, for example as a press and public relations officer. In the field of education, she is active in the Mensch Tier Bildung e.V. association. She enjoys spending her free time outdoors.
Kassel – Hamburg – Brandenburg/Berlin.
Kassel – Hamburg – Brandenburg/Berlin. We do most of our work from home, but you’ll also find us hard at work on the train, in the garden or at a café. We hold online meetings most days to make sure we don’t forget what we all look like and we try to hold regular get togethers in real life too. All permanent team members currently work between 20 and 25 hours a week for Faba Konzepte.
Faba Konzepte is organised as a collective. This means that we have no fixed hierarchies, instead making decisions by consensus. Tasks are divided up according to individual skills and interests. This sometimes results in fixed responsibilities, but at the same time we feel it’s important that everyone is able to acquire new skills.
It’s also important to us that we all earn roughly the same amount – while also considering any individual needs in a spirit of solidarity.
As Faba Konzepte we work for the reduction of animal farming and for dietary shift. We support social change from below, influence public debate and generate pressure on political decision-makers.
To contribute to the reduction in the number of animals being farmed, we develop practical pathways and policy measures for an immediate and just transformation of agriculture. We prepare scientific briefings on the conditions and impacts of the current agricultural system and provide positive narratives for transformation.
To address dietary shift, we develop strategies to make plant-based diets the accepted standard. We analyse challenges and provide solutions for individual consumption as well as structural change in the areas of retail, community catering and nutrition education.
With dedicated public relations work, we spread the message about the above concepts. We make relevant facts and arguments accessible to various target groups and network actors from science, practice, politics and civil society. In this way, we help strengthen the social movements that are crucial for bringing about necessary change.
We currently have no vacancies.
If you are interested in working with us, completing an internship or federal voluntary service or supporting us as a volunteer, you can get in touch by email.
We will inform you about new vacancies in our newsletter or via our social media channels.
We are aware that discrimination is an everyday occurrence for many people and that structural discrimination in particular often remains invisible.
Our team currently consists of three white, cisgender, non-disabled people (two women, one man) who have studied and are German citizens. Prior to our collaboration at Faba Konzepte, we individually attended various anti-discrimination workshops and also carry out joint reflection spaces and training sessions as part of Faba Konzepte to reduce and sensitise people to various forms of discrimination.
Our aim is for our team not only to grow, but also to become more diverse and to reflect different perspectives, origins and identities. We would therefore like to invite people who are affected by structural discrimination to apply for our vacancies. We are happy to discuss individual needs in a personal dialogue.
Faba Konzepte is financed by donations and project funds from foundations, funding programmes and private individuals. We would be delighted to hear from more people who would like to support us so that we can remain active in the long term and realise additional projects.
Faba Konzepte is currently receiving start-up funding from the Bastet Foundation Hamburg.
