April 1: Visiting Karcag and Kishantos, two strongholds of Hungarian organic farming
We arrived to the outskirts of Karcag, where huge fields sowed with spelt, a popular wheat variety, it was a co-operative of 21 farms, who united to make and trade with organic raw material and products. An organization named Üllőparti Gazdaszövetkezet, whose president was our host, Hubai Imre.
01/04/2010 Hubai Imre Csaba is the president of Ulloparti Gazdaszovetkezet, which is a co-operative of organic farmers near Karcag, eastern Hungary. He is seen here inside the building where the seeds for his products are stocked.
The most interesting part of the heart of the farm was the big stock we could visit with him. Mr. Hubai was really proud of the different and traditional varieties they sow and use. The Yellow Hungarian corn for example. They had their small own mill and kept their products in the cooling-house of the huge stock. Üllőparti organic farmers co-operative have two bio shops in Karcag and Budapest as well, but sell to foreign markets too.
After he left we jumped in to Bio Bereki, their own bio shop at the gate of the farm. The shopkeeper was so enthousiastic about our trip that she offered many organic products to taste and signed the bus before we left Karcag. It pleased Fredrik, the sweedish volunteer on board , he was hunting for local tastes, different food that he could eat in Sweden. I am sure he will remember Karcag and its’ organic farmers.
We hit the road from Karcag to Kishantos, a long and straight road through the Great Plains of Hungary. The bus was in really good condition and crossed the Danube – on a bridge – to Mezőföld. This is the name of the region where the land is really fertile and Kishantos Rural Development Centre has to fight their everyday battle to keep their exhibition/education organic farm running. They cultivate the land for 19 years without any chemicals used on approximately 450 hectars.
01/04/2010 Bolye Ferenc is the director of Kishantos Rural Development Centre. He is showing a special weeding machine, used for organic agriculture. This is an alternative to chemical herbicides.
Bolye Ferenc and Ács Sándorné Éva were the directors of the organization, who were both conventional farmers before and were both inspired by what they have seen on organic farms in Denmark. Since then their NGO have sent many young people to Denmark to experience the same: democracy, self-sufficiency, independency, sustainable living and organic farming. It works. They have a vital community around them helping in various issues on everyday basis. Bolye Ferenc is one of the two men who is cultivating the land, the others are busy with finding the market to their organic products.
01/04/2010 Ács Sándorné Éva signs the Greenpeace GE Free Future petition.
While Ács Sándorné Éva, the Hungarian board member of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) was talking to me in the kitchen of the bus and sent her message to Mr. Barroso, the others had a really delicious, tasty organic buffet and tasted local fruit juices as well from last year.
GE-Free Future bus left Kishantos Rural Development Centre in darkness already, but we could have stayed much longer. Their home was really inspiring, motivating and mind-opener at the same time.
Bob Tomori Balazs
Picture credit: © Emma Stoner / Greenpeace