Lena Jacobi

On the recommendation of Onno Poppinga and through contacts with the young Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL), I finally made it to Witzenhausen. On our first day at university, we were greeted by students from the older semester with a supposed "study introduction", where we were introduced to abstruse initiatives and university subjects that were supposed to shock us. The message at the end of the production was sung by the whole lecture hall around us: "Don't be fooled, don't be fooled!". I realized that everything was different here. That first day at university still moves me today.

My first semester was a mixture of study club, lecture hall and "doing things yourself", accompanied by constant uncertainty as to whether studying was really the right thing for me. In addition, the succession to my parents' farm was soon on the agenda. The question of whether I really wanted to do this (back to my home village, cowshed, away from friends...) finally became superfluous when my younger brother decided to do an agricultural apprenticeship and was immediately hooked. He has been the farm manager since July 2020 and I am very happy about that.

Once I had overcome the initial hurdles of the foundation course, I discovered the social sciences for myself. Now I had the impression that I had finally really arrived at my studies. Reading texts that actually interested me, discussing topics that really moved me.

At that time, the Documenta in Kassel was also coming up and I attended a seminar in Kassel with friends on the subject of starting a business. As part of the seminar, we planned a fictitious project: a kiosk during the Documenta that would bring together the themes of agriculture and art. Six months later, our wooden kiosk with a raised bed garden around it stood in the middle of the university grounds in Kassel. For 100 days, we offered cheese sandwiches and discourse on the subject of agriculture. Prof. Dr. Herzig accompanied the project with a series of events organized by students. The interdisciplinarity in Witzenhausen, thinking outside the box, has always inspired me a lot.

During the Documenta, I applied for a second degree at the Kunsthochschule in Kassel. I then spent the following winter there studying visual communication. After I had finished my bachelor's thesis, I returned to Witzenhausen to complete a master's degree in organic farming. I can highly recommend taking a look at the other departments at the university in Kassel.

Due to my parents' involvement in agricultural politics, I had contact with the AbL early on. The need to get involved in agricultural politics was consolidated in Witzenhausen. Here I took part in meetings of the young AbL and helped plan conferences and campaigns. During my Master's degree, I attended many seminars on agricultural policy and took part in numerous excursions to Brussels, Berlin and Bonn. But I also found the courses in the livestock sector enriching in terms of understanding the conflicting goals that exist between animal welfare and environmental protection. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heß also conveyed the big picture in his lively seminars with great commitment and passion.

When it became clear that I didn't see my future in practical farming for the time being, I started looking for a plan B. I found one shortly after I had left the state parliament. I found one shortly after the state elections in Hesse in 2018: Hans-Jürgen Müller, a long-time organic farmer and advocate of organic farming, unexpectedly entered the Hessian state parliament and was looking for staff for his regional office in Witzenhausen. I have been working here since the beginning of 2019 alongside my studies and am responsible for researching agricultural topics, attending specialist events, public relations work and organizing an agricultural working group, among other things. For me, the job was and is a real stroke of luck. I am very grateful for the exciting insights into the political process at state, federal and EU level and the opportunity to work in Witzenhausen. I have never regretted my decision to come to Witzenhausen. In addition to many friends, a great love and a beautiful place to live, I have found a professional direction here that I find very fulfilling.