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.
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.
Theresa Schneider studied organic agriculture at the University of Kassel in Witzenhausen, where she lives. Her main interest is in comparing optimised animal husbandry with vegan-organic farming from a scientific perspective. She has previously been involved in various community-based food supply structures. When Theresa isn't trying out recipes in the kitchen, you'll either find her outside or dancing.
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. At the moment we all work 20 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.
Faba Konzepte started at the end of 2022. Along with Frederic Markert and Dr. Friederike Schmitz, who remain members of the team [Link], Hendrik Hassel was also one of the founding members. He is the author of the book "Neues Fleisch" (“New Meat”) about the future of protein production and co-founder of Animal Equality Germany. At the start of 2023, the organisation received start-up funding from the Bastet Stiftung Hamburg. Thanks to their support, three people are now employed by Faba Konzepte.
