ECO-SEMINAR HELD IN HVAR

Published in Highlights

An inaugural seminar on topics related to organic farming was held in the Loggia in Hvar Town on April 7th 2016.

The Dignitea Team with Manuela Antičević of LAG Škoji. The Dignitea Team with Manuela Antičević of LAG Škoji. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

As previously advertised, this was a joint initiative between three charities, Dignitea, LAG Škoji and Eco Hvar. Dignitea and LAG Škoji shared the financing of the evening. Dignitea took on all the practical arrangements, including the sound and projection systems, which were expertly managed, as ever, by Joško Rosso.

Nada Jeličić introducing the seminar. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

Nada Jeličić of Dignitea opened the proceedings. Sadly, two of the event's organizers were unable to attend: Dignitea's Katia Zaninović Dawnay, who did all the major groundwork of organizing the seminar, and Adela Duboković, who made an important contribution on behalf of LAG Škoji.

Lecturer Marija Ševar. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

Marija Ševar, Master of Science, is Senior Coordinator for organic agriculture at the Advisory Service, which is a national public body covering agriculture, rural development and fishing, as well as promoting the management of forests and woodland properties. She is particularly well qualified to speak on the technicalities of organic farming, including the ins and outs of registering farmlands and produce for organic certification. Her lecture was professionally presented, with helpful clear slides clarifying the sometimes quite complicated subject matter.

The lecture subject matter outlined. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

Information for organic farmers can be hard to find, not helped, for instance, by the fact that the Ministry of Agriculture no longer publishes a list of permitted fertilizers and soil enhancers on its website.

Vital eco-information no longer on the Ministry website. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

The Loggia was filled with a very responsive and engaged audience.

Part of the audience. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

At the end of Mrs. Šervar's lecture two audience members were invited to share their experiences of organic farming. Andrija Carić, of the Svirče Cooperative (Poljoprivredna zadruga Svirče), who produced Hvar's first organic white wine many years ago, spoke of the problems and potential high costs involved in organic farming. He highlighted that the south side of Hvar is ideal for organic cultivation, and that joining forces is the best way for organic farmers to safeguard their incomes. Željko Bucat then described how he has been farming organically for years, without the difficulties described by Mr. Carić. 

Željko Bucat. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

Mrs. Ševar's lecture was followed by a polished presentation of the work of LAG Škoji by Manuela Antičević from Vis. She described the bureaucratic hurdles the organization has had to overcome, just to reach the point where the organization can fulfil its primary functions. Soon LAG Škoji will be in a position to open the possibilities for grants, major or minor. Emphasis was placed on the need for well-prepared projects to be presented for consideration.

Manuela Antičević of LAG Škoji. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

The lecture was timely, as many of the audience members had little idea of LAG's progress over the years since it was first established on Hvar, and they were interested and grateful to know that practical possibilities for funding might soon be available.

Slide: LAG possibilities. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

True to Dalmatian custom, the evening ended with a splendid feast, provided courtesy of LAG Škoji. This was a perfect opportunity for audience and speakers to discuss and exchange views while enjoying welcome refreshment.

The feast. Photo: Vivian Grisogono
Nada Jeličić in conversation with Marija Ševar. Photo: Vivian Grisogono
(L - R) Nada Jeličić, Marija Ševar, Manuela Antičević, Vivian Grisogono. Photo: Frank John Dubković

The seminar was an original initiative for Hvar, and was duly highlighted in Dalmatia's most widely-read publication, Slobodna Dalmacija.

Press coverage. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

Building on this initiative, further seminars are planned, with a Round Table envisaged for the end of April. This will be based on practice, with established organic farmers providing the introduction, leading into an open discussion and exchange of views between all the participants in the seminar.

© Vivian Grisogono 2016

You are here: Home environment articles Highlights ECO-SEMINAR HELD IN HVAR

Eco Environment News feeds

  • Researchers say problem could increase number of people at risk of starvation by 400m in next two decades

    The pollution of the planet by microplastics is significantly cutting food supplies by damaging the ability of plants to photosynthesise, according to a new assessment.

    The analysis estimates that between 4% and 14% of the world’s staple crops of wheat, rice and maize is being lost due to the pervasive particles. It could get even worse, the scientists said, as more microplastics pour into the environment.

    Continue reading...

  • André Corrêa do Lago suggests US organisations can play a constructive role even if government limits participation

    The US will be “central” to solving the climate crisis despite Donald Trump’s withdrawal of government support and cash, the president of the next UN climate summit has said.

    André Corrêa do Lago, president-designate of the Cop30 summit for the host country, Brazil, hinted that businesses and other organisations in the US could play a constructive role without the White House.

    Continue reading...

  • Environment secretary points to measures to stop lake being ‘choked by unacceptable levels’ of pollution

    The government has said it will “clean up Windermere” after criticism over the volume of sewage being pumped into England’s largest lake.

    The environment secretary, Steve Reed, pledged “only rainwater” would enter the famous body of water in the Lake District, putting an end to the situation where it Windermere was being “choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution”.

    Continue reading...

  • Campaigners say funding halt is a ‘staggering blow’ to vulnerable nations and to efforts to keep heating below 1.5C

    Donald Trump’s withdrawal of US overseas aid will almost decimate global climate finance from the developed world, data shows, with potentially devastating impacts on vulnerable nations.

    The US was responsible last year for about $8 in every $100 that flowed from the rich world to developing countries, to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, according to data from the analyst organisation Carbon Brief.

    Continue reading...

  • Pfas are poisoning our soil and polluting our lungs. The EPA is finally sounding the alarm – but that’s not enough

    Several years ago, I made a movie called Dark Waters, which told the real-life story of a community in West Virginia poisoned by Pfas “forever chemicals”. DuPont – a chemical manufacturing plant – contaminated the local water supply, killing cows and wildlife, making its workers sick and exposing local residents to toxic chemicals. It was an environmental horror story.

    It’s still happening across the country.

    Continue reading...

  • Llandrindod Wells, Powys: They’re such captivating birds to watch, and this pair is indulging their preference for flower buds on my cherry tree

    “Hardly hedgerows, little lines of sportive wood run wild”. I was sitting at my dining table, relishing the growing warmth of early spring sunlight, idling over coffee and musing on how apt a description of the towering unkempt hedges around my garden Wordsworth’s lines from Tintern Abbey are, when the pair of bullfinches that inhabit there captivated my attention.

    They are so conjugal – the dowdier hen always in close and discreet attendance on her more brightly coloured spouse. To my mind, few small British birds can match the exquisite colour balance of the male bullfinch – the bright pink glow of his breast, his sleek black cap, the beautiful grey of his wings. I love them, and can watch their activities for hours, especially in early spring when they are notably active, with branches bare of foliage and little else stirring.

    Continue reading...

  • An ugly fight has ripped through Galloway in south-west Scotland, with rival campaigns complaining of dirty tricks and murky finances. How could the mere possibility of a new national park stir up so much ill will?

    As soon as the green fields of Galloway, in south-west Scotland, were selected as the preferred site for Britain’s first new national park in 15 years, Denise Brownlee sprang into action. The 64-year-old retired civil servant had served two seasons as a park ranger in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and knew a thing or two about the chaos brought by thoughtless day-trippers and campers. “The detritus!” she says. “I’ve seen a two-man tent used as a human litter tray. You think dog poo on the pavement is bad? Try wandering up any remote little area in a national park. Your faith in humankind gets lost.”

    In July, Galloway was chosen as the frontrunner from a shortlist of five areas as part of the Scottish government’s pledge to designate at least one new national park – the country’s third – by 2026. The park’s creation, however, is by no means assured. The other areas in the running had faced varying degrees of opposition (especially Lochaber in the west Highlands), but no one could have predicted the ugly fight that was to tear through one of Scotland’s most picturesque regions, rip apart friendships and turn neighbours against each other.

    Continue reading...

  • Rainfall in Bahía Blanca led to 10 deaths, swept away vehicles, destroyed bridges and left areas underwater

    The city of Bahía Blanca in Argentina had a new rainfall record on Friday, after a recent heatwave. More than 400mm (15.7in) of rain was recorded in just eight hours, more than twice the city’s previous record of 175mm set in 1930, and roughly equivalent to a year’s worth of rainfall.

    The heatwave primed the atmosphere for heavy rainfall by creating high instability and raising humidity levels. Then on Friday, as a cold front swept across the region, this warm moist air was able to rise, cool and rapidly condense, leading to severe thunderstorms across the region. As the front then continued northwards towards Buenos Aires over the weekend, further severe storms were triggered, containing heavy rain, hail and strong gusts.

    Continue reading...

  • Two Italian cacti smugglers have been fined for illegally trading plants from Chile – and for the cost of restoring the environment. Conservationists hope more cases will follow

    Chile’s Atacama desert is one of the driest places on Earth, a surprisingly cool environment, sucked clean of moisture by the cold ocean to the west. This arid, golden landscape is home to many rare species of cacti, which attract professional and amateur botanists from around the world keen to make discoveries and experience the thrill of naming a new species.

    But they are not the only ones prowling the sands: Atacama has become a hotspot for succulent smuggling.

    Continue reading...

  • Damage to trees in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene was ‘extraordinary and humbling’ but urban areas face particular problems

    The city of Asheville and its surrounding areas have been left vulnerable to floods, fires and extreme heat after Hurricane Helene uprooted thousands of trees that provided shade and protection from storms.

    Helene was catastrophic for the region’s trees – in part due to the heavy precursor rainstorm that pounded southern Appalachia for two days straight, drenching the soil before Helene hit, bringing yet more heavy rain and 60-100mph winds.

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds