This is a CTP of initiative: Arche Noah (Austria)
This CTP consist of the momentum of take-off for the organisation, which can be dated to 1998-1999. The specific period the CTP happened is related to the problems with ministry funding when a new phase started with financial and organizational independence. The interviewee in the 1970ies took part in various green, anti-nuclear, social movements and anti-military initiatives – “typically hippy-style” as he remembered. Later he was there at the start of the organic movement in Austria, and organised “bringing products from the farmers to the city”. This is the context when the predecessor of AN started in 1986. The founding member of AN invited him to help her start AN, from the beginning he acted as treasurer: “we got some funding from the unemployment service, some funding from the environment department and started with 10 people employed … there was a small association and they stuck together after some debates.” At the very beginning the organisation was “tiny” and worked on “more publications, more writing, a bit of collection of seeds and changing of plants’ market. So it was a very slow growing”. Various people had roles in creating the organisation culture but the pivotal was the founding member: “she was very innovative to import ideas from seed saver organisations in the US, and from friend of hers.” (…) “she never attended to our meetings so she only published it was her idea” (…) “it was a tragedy for her, because it was her baby, but she tried to keep it always very independent and not to make it grow.”
Several circumstances have been mentioned as contributor to the co-creation of this CTP: actors, spaces, processes. In the first years all activities happened in a relatively spontaneous, turbulent way: “we had those seeds and we were unsatisfied … Without thinking too much we had one planter and we planted. We didn't ask for 600 or 800 different plants. It was too much, it was crowded, but it showed interesting view, it was the first turning point from a more theoretical approach so that we can touch it, feel it.” Later, in the second year AN leaders realised that they need a rented plant-breeding garden: “we need a place with permanent gardening possibilities, so we need a kind of showcase if we want the diversity.” Next they reached a point in growth – around a budget of 70.000 or maybe 80.000 Euros – “where Nancy mentioned she doesn't want to grow more. It is too much on her, she wants an association with all the bold members… we could not find this solution in the board.”
Earlier events that were crucial to the CTP to happen: problems of financial sustainability and lack of available public money, gardening as a sexy topic and emerging knowledge needs about seed diversity. Follow-up events evoked by or related to the CTP: decision of the board new financial leader, financial sustainability and independence, growing membership. Erosion of the sector in Eastern Europe, instability of public services, unreliable institutional structures. New people arrived to the board at that time and the 6 people in the board already were “split more or less”. “And then Nancy once decided that she will run the next election. So there was a proposal for a new election, with some other people and her to keep AN small and tiny and go for more publishing and things she likes, so that she will be able to manage.”
It was not complete consensus but the time was ripe for the development. Interviewee feels “lucky to do this in the right moment” and get rid of debates by finding professional partners in fundraising: “For me, Peter and others the dilemma was the following: she is the founder, it is her idea, and we see the potential and would be able to use it. So it was then really coming to the decision through the membership. It was the only membership meeting where 200-something people attended. It was a clear decision that they would like to go with us and go further and develop us wider, which ended in a kind of tragedy then. During the night Nancy came with some friends, took some stuff from the office. Took it away. It was insane. It was not possible to find a solution and I did not meet her since then. The decision happened in a democratic way that attracted much attention from the membership: “it was really lobbing then (…) I think most people came because it's important to be there at the moment where we have 40.000 members.”
As the CTP involved substantial contestation about where the organization needs to develop and grow several internal and external players were involved in the CTP. The contestation has been overcome by a clear decision of the majority of membership therefore it was partly anticipated. Two or three board meetings considered this CTP and the decision was that AN cannot wait until the unity of all seed saving groups. Moving from theoretical debates to practice-based solutions is a long term insight from this CTP. During the Lets liberate diversity event in Hungary the seed networks planned to establish an organisation on the EU level or together with EU. “The French group was there, the Scottish group was there, so all with kind of different interests but more or less in the same direction. And we could not agree on a common conceptual ground within the EU. This was the decision of the board. AN decided to start a campaign in Brussels and “we are now at the edge of we need to decide if we stay as an Austrian Seeds Organisation or will we go on to be an European Organisation with partners from many countries.”
The CTP presented important lessons for the organisation and also informed later practice. The CTP also made positive impact on the organization and helped realise and rethink its original mission. As a main impact, this CTP created a new development phase for the organization. As a main learning point the interview identified that common analysis became a tradition in the organisation. “If things cannot be easily decided, then you feel that things cannot be moved forward, most possibly. But a good solution is normally a point, that is clear, easy to decide on. It cannot be hard to decide. The feeling, when it comes to decision after the debate and analysis, if it is easy then in my experience it's a right decision also. If you have to do it after very hard debate, sometimes that's not the right question to ask or decision to make.” The CTP had positive outcome to the issue management within the organisation and this had an effect on the individuals too. As the interviewee puts this “we need change within 2 or 3 persons per period, some may continue and it will develop who will be for long time, who will be for one or two periods on the board from different sectors to focus on one direction. We want to have more degree as a group together, I think that is very important for the organisation and I think this is something which is highly expected to do in Austria, something for the society as an association and on the other hand you have to manage your personal system in a proper way.”
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