Subject: REQUEST: Sustainable Ag ideas for Lithuania
From: [email-masked] (Victoria Tory Shade)
Date: 16 Aug 1994 23:03:20 -0000
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture

I'm going to Lithuania as part of a VOCA project to work
          with a newly organizing group of farm women.  I'd like to
          take this opportunity to introduce them to the ideas of
          sustainable agriculture, but would like some help with
          examples from the "north" (Minnesota, Michigan, Canada,
          etc.).

          The little I've been told about the situation includes:
          Some of the info requested is on home-based businesses,
          crafts, record keeping, stress, alcoholism, time management,
          and nutrition.  Besides introductions to susainable ag, my
          concerns center around possible ideas for farm product based
          home-businesses (possibly crafts) that require few purchased
          inputs.

          With the breakup of the Soviet Union has come the breakup of
          the large commune farms and the return of SOME families to
          their traditional family farms.  A large farm is 40 acres.
          Typical might be what we would call a large garden area and
          1-5 dairy cows.  Every home has an apple tree.  There
          are a few sheep.  Crops include the "northern" small grains
          (wheat, barley, etc.) and forages.  Little fertilizer is
          used (probably few purchased inputs of any kind).  Sometimes
          very large commercial size equipment is available from a no
          longer functioning nearby commune, but it is too large and
          not really appropriate for size and type of agriculture now
          possible.  One group of private landowners number about 6000
          and have fairly good resources.  Another numbers 75,000 with
          only 2 1/2 hectares and limited resources.  Their Extension
          Service is relatively new and many of the farm advisors only
          have experience from the large collective-type farms.

          I've seen photos of some stunning examples of wood carving,
          a national bee keeper's museum, and I seem to recall that
          they do straw crafts and needlework.

          Thank you for any references to resources that would be
          useful for examples of "northern" sustainable ag - or even
          ideas for home based businesses to look at!

           Note: Gabriel Hegyes has already suggested a copy of the
          SAN Cover Crops book.

Tory Shade, Farm Management Specialist
  & Small Farm Family Program Supervisor
Southeast Region, University Extension-Missouri
Courthouse Basement, PO Box 218
Greenville, MO 63944  USA
(314) 224-3221 ext 31 
[314] 224-3225
INTERNET: [email-masked]