SLOVAKIA
I’ve always felt concern about the environment and climate changes, wanting to study environmental science on route to saving the world. Instead I graduated in Agronomical science with a new career plan: become a farmer. I work at small farm Ecovillage in Slovakia, with 20ha of meadow and a no-dig permaculture garden that produces food for our volunteers, and we produce cheese from our little herd of milking goats.
The biggest challenge is access to land. I think if you are really determined, it’s possible to find land to rent or join a project. Competing with supermarket prices and large-scale farms is difficult, but the demand for high quality products from small producers is growing. Current regulation and policy seem made for large scale farms and are disconnected from the reality in the field.
Unity makes strength – you gain more cooperating than working on your own. I imagine a farmer shop that gathers product from several local farmers and every day a different farmer would take the role of a seller. I also image cooperation in farm management; If you keep animals, you are less free to go for short trip. I see my future farming in cooperation.