Categories
Greece
The Southern Lights Pilot Farm
Success Story
Since 1985, the farm has been implementing advanced organic farming, applying practices such as green fertilisation, fragmentation of branches and introduction into the soil, and increasing biodiversity. The next generation of the family-owned farm decided to go a step further, when they noticed that in their farm the forest started to grow while in the surrounding mountains the forest did not return 11 years after the wildfires that had destroyed it. Sheila, the daughter of the original farmer who had decided to apply advanced organic farming since 1985, together with other family members, started researching into the concept of regenerative agriculture and the agroforestry principles and methods, receiving training abroad, and started to implement RA methods on the farm systematically 7 years ago. Today she is sharing the benefits of the transition to RA, ranging from working on a farm with increased biodiversity and the therapeutic effects this has, the financial security that comes from an increased farm resilience, and the new commercial opportunities available in other sectors (e.g. tourism), to the personal satisfaction for contributing to the fight against climate change and the sense of belonging to a wider network of like-minded persons. Southern Lights participates as a partner in an important project to promote Regenerative Agriculture in Greece. The project was launched in 2021 in order to bring Regenerative Agriculture to Greece and has created 6 pilot farms in different areas of Greece and with different crops, while offering through its website www.regenerativefarminggreece.org important information and educational material for Regenerative Agriculture.
Labels: Greece, organic, vegetables/fruits, agroforestry, biodiversity
Haris Vassiliou
Success Story
Haris started to research about RA after he graduated as an Agronomist, because he wanted to produce more environmentally friendly products and was looking for a more interesting way to cultivate besides just using fertilizers and chemical input. His vision is that his farm looks like a forest with tall and productive trees, each season having its own fruits and vegetables, and being able to wander around and pick up something to eat on the spot. He took part in the Regenerative Farming Greece project (http://regenerativefarminggreece.org/) and his pomegranates farm is a pilot farm, receiving support from experts in terms of the design of the farm and RA practices. He believes in the effectiveness of the RA approach and is really looking forward to the results.
Labels: Greece, vegetables/fruits, green fertilisation, wood shredder
Farm “GERANIA”
Success Story
The journey of Giorgos Foufas towards RA started 35 years ago when, after he graduated as an agronomist, he decided to implement ecological farming following Steiner’s standards for organic farming and the philosophical views on land cultivation by Masanobu Fukuoka: “We cultivate to heal ourselves with the food that becomes our medicine, and on the other hand we heal the earth and connect with it, thus having a two-way relationship”. Today, 26 years after starting to implement RA methods, although he recognises the obstacles related to the soil and climate conditions (climate change, urbanisation) as well as social factors, Giorgos Foufas is in constant search for sustainable solutions in alignment with the climate developmnets and believes that RA is a dynamic process where changes, small or bigger, are integrated into the development cycle.
Labels: Greece, organic, vegetables/fruits, Masanobu Fukuoka, biodynamic process
Organic Farm EF ZIN
Success Story
Spyros’ incentive to start his research into sustainable farming methods came through his studies as an Agronomist. This research journey led to the biodynamic movement in agriculture and to regenerative agriculture. Today he applies the biodynamic principles together with his wife in his farm in northern Attica, producing organic vegetables, and is active in teaching others and sharing his knowhow and experience.
Labels: Greece, organic, biodynamic agriculture
EcoGAIA Farm
Success Story
After working for many years with agroecological farming methods in an effort to bring back lost flavours in food and changing the farming approach so that they would be able to continue to grow quality food in the years to come, Alexandros and Natasa joined the Regenerative Farming Greece project (http://regenerativefarminggreece.org/ ) and received support in order to make the transition to RA both in terms of the farm design and the farming practices. Today they apply RA practices and are optimistic about the results of the transition to RA.
Labels: Greece, vegetables/fruits, alley cropping, syntropic garden
COB Farm
Success Story
The COB team implements projects on a range of fields, with a common aim: to explore and generate solutions for reducing our footprint on the environment. Their fields of activity include building with natural materials, farming through techniques of permaculture and RA, educating, networking and informing. The COB farm entered the Regenerative Farming Greece project and received support from experts in terms of the farm design and farming techniques towards the transition to RA.
Labels: Greece, vegetables/fruits, activated carbon, green fertilisation
