Author: Malgorzata G. Sliczna. Polish Ecological Club, Gliwice Chapter

Transcription

1 INVESTMENT PLANS FOR ESTABLISHING BERAS IMPLEMENTATION CENTERS (BIC) INCLUDING BASIC COMPLEMENTARY INVESTMENTS FOR FARMS, PROCESSING, MARKETING, HOSPITALITIES, EDUCATION AND PERSONAL COMPETENCE Author: Malgorzata G. Sliczna Polish Ecological Club, Gliwice Chapter

2 Investment plans for establishing BERAS Implementation Centres can vary, depending on the size of the centre, the competence of the owners or staff and local conditions. While estimating the value of investments needed to create BERAS Implementation Centre the farm should be well characterized. It seems that there are a few determinants that should be taken into consideration, such as: farm production farm as a meeting place for stakeholders from the whole food chain allocated place for meetings/ courses (where ecological education can take place) personal competence of owners, employees (number 1- knowledge, number 2 pedagogic skills) The example of the BIC and investments that were necessary to be made can be found below. The paper is divided into 3 parts. 1 st part is a description of the farm before it was a BIC, 2 nd part says about the investments that were needed to be made in order to make the farm a BERAS Implementation Centre, the last part concludes everything and shows the present situation of BIC. 1. DESCRIPTION OF THE BIC FARM BIC- Gospodarstwo ekologiczne Ekostyl located in Biadacz-Kamienisko (Poland) is owned by Iwona and Janusz Sliczni. Since year 1987 farm has been run without chemical inputs. From 1993 farm is a certified organic farm. The farm consists of arable land, permanent grassland, with runoff to the Baltic Sea. The whole farm is organically managed. On the farm 6 year crop rotation is practiced. The rotation is based on cereals and leguminous. Well balanced amount of fodder crops allows to maintain self-sufficiency in fodder, appropriate amount of livestock (0, 40 LU/ha) guaranties equivalent level of FYM fertilization. The farm is not buying any fodder or manure. Main income for the farm comes from agricultural production. Due to its seasonality owners are differentiating sources of income. Profit comes from organic grain, ecological education and ecotourism Ecological education Since the year 2000 farm is organizing educational workshops. The main reason to begin such activity was a lack of ecological awareness among people, especially kids and students. 2

3 Furthermore owner s will to promote sustainable lifestyle. Seminars are targeted for school kids, students and farmers. Iwona and Janusz Śliczni created a few workshops with different topic for example: Where does paper come from? From grain to bread The talk with Mrs. Bee Figure 1 Ecological education in organic farm EKOSTYL, I.J. Sliczny [author: M. Sliczna] Nowadays ecological education classes (workshops) are mainly held in spring and fall. It is due to the fact that groups mostly come from schools. Summer is also a good time of the year for classes, however lack of school kids make it less popular season. The seminars are held in special room on the farm. 3

4 Figure 2 Class room in the organic farm EKOSTYL [author: M.Sliczna] 1.2. Ecotourism Since the year 1995 the farm is open for tourists. Guests can either use a camp-field or rent one of the guest s rooms. Tourists are to try local cousin made from products from a farm Personal competence The owners of the farm graduated from Wroclaw University of Agriculture with a master degree. Since the graduation they have been running the farm. Ekostyl is a family farm, have no employees at the moment. Besides agricultural education and practice experience in organic farming Iwona Sliczna has pedagogical skills as she graduated from pedagogical course. This guaranties proper personal competence to held ecological education classes on the farm Product s distribution 4

5 Food production on the farm is well established. Owners offer customers dairy products, grain, eggs, vegetables and etc. All products from the farm are sold through direct sales. This kind of distribution channel reduces the cost of transportation and gives the farmers higher profit. Most customers are picking up goods straight from the farm, which gives them the possibility to see the farm and confirm its organic status. Some farm s clients are placing orders via phone and have products delivered. Deliveries are usually once a week, prior to customers request. To reduce the route from producer to customer owners are planning to open processing plant. In the plant grain from the farm will be processed. This will help to reach higher profit rate from agricultural production. The processing plant should be opened by the end of the year Final products will include all kinds of flour, cereal etc At the beginning all those products will be manufactured from farm s resources. In the future owners are planning to buy raw material from local organic farmers. Figure 3 The owner talks about grain processing plant in Ekostyl organic farm [author: M. Sliczna] 5

6 2. DESCRIPTION AND THE COST OF THE INVESTMENTS Due to well establish and well working organic, educational farm no big investments are necessary to convert it into BERAS Implementation Centre. Ekostyl is a well promoted place among local societies. The size of the farm and its infrastructure are prepared for welcoming visitors and students, however same small investment can be made to increase the farm s potential as a BIC. Farm s buildings in which classes will be held need small renovation. Educational routs are well established however new themes/ scenarios need to be implemented. The main goal of those scenarios should be The Baltic Sea protection and Diet for Clean Baltic promotion. The new workshops scenarios are planned to be created by year One of the themes of new workshops will be: Do you know what you eat? or I and my diet for clean Baltic. First scenario Do you know what you eat will mainly focus on giving the group information about organic food and its quality. Participants would gain knowledge about the way food is processed and produced. By doing so the awareness of importance of slow food and local food consumption would be created. This workshop will also be the chance to teach people how to make sustainable consumer s decisions, decisions that would contribute not only to consumers but also to environment. Second scenario I and my diet for clean Baltic is going to be based on BERAS implementation project objectives. Figure 4 Janusz Sliczny is talking about the idea of ERA farm [Author: M. Sliczna] 6

7 During those workshops participants will get to know the idea of ecological recycling agriculture and its benefit to the environment. Main area of the workshop will be giving practical information to customers on choosing proper food products. By proper food products one understands local food produced in farms that fulfil rules of ERA. To make the new workshops interesting investment in information/ educational boards need to be made. New educational path around the farm was created. The route consists of 7 educational boards, in English and Polish. The boards are located in places were actions to protect the Baltic Sea is visible in farms prospective. One board consists of background information about the owners and the farm. The other is about the animal stock and plant production. 3 rd board says about the biodiversity and our pond which is a place where water from fields is collected. Another one says about crop rotation and its benefits to the Baltic Sea. 5 th one shows the partition of crop into production and feed, which symbolizes the nutrition and phosphorous rotation in the farm. Details of all costs are shown below: Name of the cost approx. amount in Euro Comments EDUCATIONAL PATH AROUND THE FARM information board creation (7 units) 2000 the cost include printing and material designing the boards (pictures 500 and info) embed of educational boards/ 100 signs maintenance of boards/sigs 50 establishing the path (creating 500 the educational scenario, etc) EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL 7

8 designing of posters 150 printing of the posters 150 PROMOTION (brochures, leaflet, etc) creating (designing) of leaflets 100 (papers that visitors can take home) printing of leaflets ( units) cost for updating the farm data 30 Euro per month information Figure 5 Educational board located in BIC farm EKOSTYL [author: M.Sliczna] The main investment in the BIC considers meeting room/ conference place. Old windows were replaced with new energy efficient ones. New windows improved the look of the place and 8

9 made it more environmental friendly, as it allowed saving energy. The place to host the meetings with tourists and people wanted to find out details of BIC and BERAS project was prepared. Walls were painted, information posters were hung. Around the room educational poster are placed. The posters inform about the pollution of the Baltic Sea and about the BERAS Implementation project. 3. Conclusions Although the Ekostyl is well established some actions are needed to make it more suitable for BIC. The investments mostly relate to renovating the meeting room and creating educational boards. Workshops concerning the Baltic Sea protection are to be created. Those new workshops will be the way of promoting the idea of ERA farms and Diet for Clean Baltic. Additionally the owners of the farm have opened processing plant in the farm. This will help to launch new products in the market. Those new products are flour and cereal. All those action are supposed to promote organic products and agriculture that is environment friendly. 9