The conception and creation of the project originated with the first knowledge mission in October 2012. Now, in April 2014, a simple timeline would not be enough to tell what was done because what we have built together is exciting to describe.
The first feasibility mission was carried out to respond to the request for support from the Osmace family group. It was possible to analyze the problems that emerged in these first years of activity of the informal group of farmers in the village and to bring out the specific needs necessary for the drafting of the project.
Was the subsequent mission of February 28-March 3, 2013 important for the meeting you had with the 11 families of the village of Osma? and who have declared their intention to participate in the project and have signed the commitments to cultivate on their land; the associations (ASF, ACS and El Tamiso) and the idea of supporting the cultivation of buckwheat with the supply of diesel and seeds for the year 2013 were presented, while also proceeding with training initiatives in the field. The training by Italian farmers in Bosnia and Herzegovina began on the occasion of the cultural exchange trip (28 April-1 May 2013) organized by the El Tamiso Cooperative in which 10 farmers who were members of the Cooperative participated with the aim of starting a direct comparison alongside local producers in the field. It was an interesting experience for the group of Bosnian families who wanted to propose rural tourism activities to supplement agricultural income, who were thus able to test their ability to offer hospitality to a large group of foreign travelers.
Even for Italian farmers, the visit proved interesting, allowing them to rediscover an agrarian system very similar to the Italian one of the 1960s but in some ways very similar to some development models very present today, while recognizing themselves in the common values of attachment and respect for their land. Was the entry into the project group of a new Serbian family from the village of Brežani near Osma successful in June 2013? and, giving a sign of how the project is encouraging dialogue and integration between farmers. In October 2013, the project was approved at the table of the Waldensian Church.
The Bosnian farmers' training trip to Italy 23-24 November 2013 aimed to propose two different realities of aggregation and cooperation (both production and sales); the El Tamiso Cooperative is obviously a “big” reality compared to the needs of the Bosnian village, but it was intended to give an idea of what can be built with thirty years of cooperative work. The visit to the Ca' Girotto organic farm in Bozza David (specialized in vegetable and fruit production) made it possible in particular to visit a fleet of fairly large machines, while the acquaintance with Severino Bozzolan brought Bosnian producers in contact with alternative production methods and levels of mechanization very similar to theirs. The visit to the “La Fiorita” Cooperative in Cesiomaggiore, with the precious guidance of Stefano Sanson, gave interesting ideas because, as in Bosnia, the members have small companies and have specialized over time with marginal crops but with high added value, typical of mountain environments. In addition, the small Feltrina cooperative has rich experience in the transformation, packaging and enhancement of products, essential to be able to obtain a fair price for the products sold.
The visit to the “I Frutti del Sole” company completed a picture more similar to the villages of Osmace and Brezani, where small fruits are widespread.
Much attention has been paid to the introduction of the concept of crop rotation and to the need to introduce legume crops into rotation to improve soil fertility; weed management has also been analyzed, with particular reference to the practice of allocating land just free from cultivation to pasture, a practice that contributes to worsening the structural conditions of the soil.
Did the two days of training in Italy provide family representatives, even visually, with tools to be able to plan and decide the development of the village of Osma? and, choosing between different strategies; this was reinforced by direct exchanges between Italian and Bosnian farmers, who felt united not only in the purpose of producing, but also in adequately valuing their territory.
During the last few months, the issue related to the need to set up a form of aggregation of the informal group of families has been addressed; especially during the group's visit to Italy, through the knowledge of the two different agricultural cooperatives (El Tamiso and La Fiorita) and focusing attention on the advantages deriving from the mutual cooperation of the members of the cooperatives.
The group then discussed and approved the establishment of an association called Sedlari (a town close to the villages of Osma? and and by Brežani), an important step to be able to better dialogue with the various interlocutors for the sale, the enhancement of the product and for the promotion of their villages. Finally, in the month of March, the jury of the “Carlo Scarpa International Garden Award” (promoted and organized every year, since 1990, by the Benetton Research Foundation) unanimously decided to dedicate the 25th edition (2014) of the study and care campaign to a place particularly full of values of nature, memory and invention: Osma? and.
Starting Sunday, have various articles appeared (Corriere della Sera, Mattino di Padova, newspapers from Treviso, Trieste) in which they talked about Osma? and the buckwheat project.
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the link to the article published by Il Piccolo di Trieste.
The award ceremony to Muhamed Avdic and Velibor Rankic will take place on 10 May in Treviso.
By sowing the return you get great results!
