The story of Eugene, our guardian of the chickens

De Meent is our piece of common land where our community, consisting of undocumented migrants and volunteers, share the responsibility to cultivate and maintain the land and keep livestock. At De Meent we provide a place to meet, grow food, and to develop our skills and knowledge. Within our 'Stories of De Meent’ series we would like to introduce our farm and our community. In this first story we will shed light to the chickens and their guardian, Eugene, who is originally from Ghana. Under his care approximately 250 chickens are looked after. Varying throughout the year on average 1100 to 1200 eggs are produced per week.

We share our eggs with our community, and we use some in the preparation for the lunch on the farm. The rest we share with social (food) initiatives in Amsterdam who also help the homeless and undocumented such as Het Wereldhuis and De Schakel.

Whilst initiatives like De Regenboog Groep, purchase our eggs at a social price of €0,25 per eggs, which is 50% of the normal retail price. However, you may wonder what is so special about our chickens and who is the man that takes good care of our hens?

The chickens of De Meent

The keeping of chickens at De Meent is vital within our mixed farm where we aim to produce food as sustainable as possible. As a result, we follow the organic certification guidelines even though De Meent is not organically certified. Still, we do not use any artificial fertilizers or pesticides at the farm and animal welfare is at the core in the way we keep our poultry. For our hens we ensure (more than) adequate space, and the coop is designed to encourage them to roam outside and to express their natural behavior. Moreover, we have dual purpose breeds, which are chickens that are suitable for eggs and meat. As small as they are, the chickens also contribute towards the recycling of organic waste from the garden as feed intake. As the plant residues from the garden is given in addition to their main feed. Still, the main feed we give is composed of residual waste that we purchase from Nijssen Granico (producer of Kipster feed). Lastly, we use the manure in the garden, allowing for the full closure at the farm without the need for any additional

external input.

In November, a new flock with approximately 150 birds of the Novogen breed arrived at De Meent. The reason for selecting this breed is because of the friendly and social character of the birds. We have observed that the chickens will rush into the coop, when they see one of our community members. But also, because of their high egg production capacity, even during the molting stage. Because most often egg production declines during this stage. This is because molting is a development stage, where chickens shed their old feathers and produce new ones. As a result, egg production is low, since all the energy is used to produce new feathers instead of eggs. What is interesting is that some birds prefer to lay their eggs on the floor instead in the nests, which we call “floor eggs". Because of the

latter there is dirt on some eggs, which can easily be brushed off.

The story of Eugene

In 2020 when De Meent began its operations, Eugene was one of our first volunteers at the farm. He was referred to the farm by Pablo, coordinator at Het Wereldhuis, given his agricultural background. Eugene indicates that at the farm he can “apply hands-on knowledge from my studies”, whilst gaining new experiences. He arrived in 2007 in the Netherlands to pursue his education, after he received a scholarship to continue his studies abroad. “I went to the Aeres Training Centre International (ATCI) in Barneveld. There, I followed the program International Poultry Husbandry and Animal Feed, with a specialization in Poultry Farming. Then I continued at AERES Dronten for my BSc. degree in International Food Safety Management". Upon finalizing his bachelor, he returned to Ghana where he was involved in a motor accident in 2016, in which he fractured his right leg. Being so ambitious for further studies, he continued his education upon receiving another scholarship to continue with his master in Rural Development at the University of Wageningen, with a specialization in Food and Nutrition Security. As a result, he combined his education with hospital visits and treatment until he graduated. During that period Eugene mentions:

“I have found De Meent to be an excellent place to exercise myself a bit, it felt much better being here than stuck at home".

He now proudly says, “my health is my wealth".

When asked to describe himself, Eugene indicates that he is an introvert type, by stating, “I listen, I observe and take decisions. I don't just talk”. Nathan from Uganda agrees, by saying, “I have come to know Eugene because I live with him, and to me he is a very nice person and very kind and has a giving character”. Volunteer Liesbeth from the Netherlands adds by describing Eugene as “a warm personality who really wants to see people, but also animals”. The latter is observed in his character, because upon arrival at the farm in the morning, you will see Eugene silently walking around the farm and observe all the things that goes on at the farm. He himself states, “I try to contribute by giving advice on what can be improved at the farm and how". To further encourage this, participants at the farm are encouraged in expanding their knowledge and skills, and exchange this within the group. Therefore, in 2024, a four-day poultry training course was organised at ATCI in collaboration with Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland – as part of the education trajectory of De Meent. With all that Eugene does at the farm,

Nicky from the Netherlands, project leader at De Meent, says “in a broader sense, Eugene is not only the father of our chickens, but also of our community and farm project. We learn a lot from him".

Conclusion

In conclusion, upon reflecting on the development of De Meent, it is clear that the farm is growing. In here Eugene states, “Every time you come here, you see development and progress, and this is not only for our farm but also within our community”. This is because of the growing number of participants, volunteers, visitors and even the number of animals. Because of the current growth, Eugene indicates that, “My hope is that in the next few years the place will keep on developing and growing". He also wishes that De Meent's community will increase, now at a slow rate but surely growing.