Farming

Due to the climatic situation, vegetable cultivation without greenhouses for pre-growing plants is only possible to a very limited extent. At the beginning of the initiative, only a few types of vegetables with low yields could be grown. So far, there was only subsistence farming (cultivation for own use). Fertilizers or pesticides were also not an option due to costs.

In order to further protect land and water in the future, we have initiated the following measures and implemented them step by step in the villages:

• Establishment of a model farm under ownership and self-management by the cooperative in order to
  • Specifically test new vegetable varieties for local suitability
  • Demonstrate methods to increase diversity and yields
  • Begin a plant and seed production program
  • Provide training directly on the field
  • To prepare for the joint distribution of organic vegetables
• To introduce greenhouses also for the private households
• Freely accessible trainings to pass on the knowledge to the women and their interested husbands
• Certification program (PGS – private guarantee system – see here for details) with the focus on:
  • Participation of the agriculturally active women in shaping the contents of the agricultural program
  • Shared vision in terms of organic production and interaction with consumers
  • Transparency through open information exchange of all participants, mutual support in terms of information instead of control
  • Trust in the participants’ commitment to protect nature
  • Grassroots approach in which tasks rotate among members in the group and decision-making processes are inclusive of everyone.