Rural Europe on the move English_chapt1_6 | Page 22

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Crisis and the social
solidarity economy
JENNY GKIOUGKI
I
t is almost 4am when I see the car amongst thick forests and pasture lights approach, outside the quaint, lands surrounding the magnificent the almost 80 people from around
stone-made, traditional guest-house artificial lake Plastiras, it is still cold at 20 countries that met here, in the
that was my home for the past 3 days. night. I find myself wrapped up like an landlocked Karditsa region of Greece,
Even though we are well into May, onion, as I join in with so many others, for Forum Synergies’ European Rural
and in the rest of Greece people are singing ‘Once I was a farmer, I was Sustainability Gathering 2017, which
already fleeing to the beaches on subsidised...’ to the tune of the ‘70s ended a few hours ago with a heart-
weekends, up here at 1100m altitude, disco hit ‘I will survive’… warming feast. My fellow passengers
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I have already said my farewells to