Fruit stories in Haspengouw

Haspengouw is known as the fruit region of Belgium. The history of this region has already been extensively studied. But the personal stories of those working in the Haspengouw fruit sector have not yet been extensively covered.

The ‘Fruit Stories’ project, which ran in 2008 and 2009, wanted to change this with interviews. The main focus was on the personal histories of the fruit growers. How was daily life as a fruit grower? How did they experience the major changes the fruit sector underwent? What were their personal lows and highs as growers? Secondly, the stories of other actors (fruit pickers, people working at the auction…) were also covered. The interviews were unlocked for the public in the book Sappig Verteld.

Snoeien van hoogstam (fotoarchief Boerenbond, KADOC)