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To develop agriculture without a hoe

Two Bulgarians apply the Danish experience in the Bulgarian village of Hanovo

Май 19, 2024 10:16 80

How a meadow turns into a vegetable garden, how to develop agriculture without using a hoe, shovel and milling cutter and can a young family support themselves from the production of ecologically clean vegetables in the Yambol village of Hanovo.

Iva and Georgi, she is 30 and he is 33, returned from Denmark at the beginning of last year and chose Georgi's native village of Hanovo to create their vegetable garden, as it should be according to their understandings.

In Denmark they deal with completely different things. He is a professional chef in Michelin-starred restaurants, and her profession is a landscape architect. They made the sharp turn first out of curiosity, second – with great enthusiasm and thirdly, but not least: "With the idea to make some change, to think outside the box," explains Georgi, quoted by BNR.

At the moment, their garden is three acres, and until recently there was a meadow.

"All around us was a meadow of mixed grasses, which at first we just mowed. We put cardboard everywhere, which decomposes, and accordingly the grasses under it also decompose and become food for microorganisms. We have poured 15 cm of compost and straw for the paths on top. We rely on growing healthy soil and from there on the plants have good immunity.

"We grew seasonal vegetables using soil-friendly technology - no plowing, digging, processing, milling. There is no mention of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. says Iva.

"We sow only non-hybrid, old varieties that remind us of the taste of our childhood in the village. We searched for a long time and made a selection of seeds for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers...

Does regenerative agriculture have a future in our country where fertilization and spraying are among the most popular operations.

"My personal opinion is that within four or five years this will become the predominant part of agriculture," says Georgi.

"When you see the results, you also see the meaning. On the one hand for nature and for us, the people, on the other – the yield, taste and nutritional qualities are better compared to cultivating the land in a conventional way," adds Iva.

The two are also involved in the initiative of Tundzha municipality "On guests of Tundzha". Groups of children of different ages will come to their garden.

The doors of their farm are wide open for the little ones. They have also prepared an experimental field for them, in which the children can plant seeds with their help. Many surprises, games and entertainment await them.