In the gardening area of 0,5 ha in the village Karalyn, Minsk district, Nikolay have created a family farm with a beautiful name “Ecofania”. “The site where we had to start operations was not adapted to efficient management: it was blown by winds, the quality of the land was very poor – this was the result of using extensive production methods by a large agricultural enterprise, there were no conditions for the production of eco-products. We had to create eco-protection from the wind, to study factors of the soil fertility, apply effective composting methods”, says Nikolay.
Studying special literature, attending seminars and trainings on organic (permacultural) agriculture helped a lot. Nikolay studied and started applying vermitechnologies, entered and successfully graduated from the Organic school at the center for environmental solutions.
“At the beginning, we lacked a lot of knowledge and skills in keeping poultry and animals on the farm. Basically, we acquired the necessary knowledge through communication in thematic clubs with people who have been engaged in this business for many years. The experience of colleagues from Poland and Lithuania also helped”, says Nikolay.
Now the farm has many traditional and unique plants, domestic animals, and birds. Now the personal farm “Ecofania” has a stable number of clients and this number is growing. Cooperation with other producers of eco-products is being established.