Most of Romania’s regions have lived off agriculture for centuries. Subsistence farms were self-sufficient, and surplus food went to the cities, before there were farms with land of thousands of hectares, or stables with hundreds of thousands of birds or tens of thousands of pigs.
The truth is that the western world, to which we belong, has never had such easy access to food abundance as in the era of intensive agriculture and animal husbandry.
Anyone who thinks that this abundance can be maintained without any impact on our health and on the soil and environment is mistaken.
Thus, if subsistence farms were brought back to life in an efficient and organised way, consumers would once again have access to healthy products from production that would not overtax the soil and the regional capacity for livestock farming.
Organic and subsistence farming applied correctly for the benefit of both sides – producer and consumer – would keep the rural population at home without the need to go abroad.
It is therefore not enough to develop sustainable and organic farming if the producer cannot have access to an easy outlet directly to the final customer.
This is where the MyVillage Association wants to come in.
Supporting the small producer with know-how, resources and organisation, but above all facilitating the sale of surplus produce, will provide two essential benefits:
the producer resumes food production, having access to fresh and quality home-grown food for his family
the producer benefits from a regular income, sufficient for self-sufficiency, by selling the surplus
The village, the area of origin, in this case the village of Cund, will in return benefit from having a settled resident at home who does not want to leave. At the same time, those in the village who do not produce have access to the products of those who do.
Achieving these objectives involves three steps:
a theoretical one, involving a survey of those who want to produce and training them in ecology
a practical one, which involves helping producers through a modern system of clearing houses and guiding production
an economic one, combining the sale of production and the production of food from raw materials, as well as their marketing
At the same time, in order to achieve a degree of independence from industrial producers (yes, too much is consumed in the country by industrial producers), food production must be diversified into as many branches as possible.
This is why we want to have production of cereals for bread-making, vegetables for consumption and preserves, fruit for consumption and jams/sauces, oilseeds for oils, etc.
Such a system is only truly sustainable when it covers a wide enough spectrum that it is only necessary to buy agricultural products that cannot be obtained in our area.
The concrete steps we will take at the beginning of the journey:
- To raise the interest of our fellow citizens in this project.
- Find sources of information about organic farming and a person who will be dedicated to the project – this can be either an experienced outsider or someone from the community who wants to take on this responsibility.
- Putting on the agenda the gardens/lands participating in this project.
- Soil analysis of each garden/plot.
- Finding the means to purchase seed and seedlings.
- Drawing up a list of agricultural produce requirements in the village, commune, area or county.
- Drawing up a plan that will regulate the work in the gardens and the field so that it is as efficient and understandable as possible.
- Finding buyers for the production to follow (individuals and companies).
- Processing products that have not been sold.
We understand that these plans seem grandiose. Especially the part about the claca/collaboration. Everyone has different expectations from everyday life, from how they would like to work or spend their free time. With small steps and good, clear organisation, the benefits of such community collaboration will emerge.
If you would like to see some of these projects realised, you may find a way to support us, more information can be found on each project page.