The Knowledge Caravan Serbia arrived at the workshop “From Traditional to Modern Agriculture: How to work in Balance with Nature and Economy.” This workshop is a part of the Erasmus+ project and occurred on 3 July on the organic farm “Organela” located in the village of Valjevska Kamenica, 10 km away from the city of Valjevo.
Our host was Pavle Đorđević, the owner of the farm and founder of the farm brand “Organela.” The goal of the workshop was to show and explain to the participants how principles of agroecology are applied in a successful, economically viable business. Firstly, Pavle took us to the tour of his farm and explained all the agroecological methods he uses in the vegetable and fruit production on his farm. For example, he mulches with various materials, uses natural fertilizers, and employs a rotation of cultures. He also explained how certain cultures behave in different growing conditions. Finally, he emphasised the importance of water management.
After the extensive farm tour, the Knowledge Caravan Serbia attended a session on farm management. Pavle talked about his experiences starting farm operations. During this, he outlined the obstacles and challenges he faced during the development of his farm business. He also explained how he worked on positioning his business in the market and developed relationships with the customers.
Pavle explained to the participants, in detail, what is needed to establish an economically viable farm business. After the business development session, participants bought products directly from the farm. Finally, a tasty lunch occured, prepared with the Organela farm products.
