Farmárstvo na Havaji sa rozrastá

Okrem turizmu prekvitá na Havaji aj naturálne farmárstvo resp. sebestačné pestovanie plodín a chov domácich zvierat. Celkom sa darí nap. aj bazalke event. chovu ošípaných. Farmár Cho radí začiatočníkom: "Neváhajte! Začnite, skúšajte a uvidíte, ako to pôjde".

Farmer Samson Delos Reyes reached into his bluejeans pocket to grab a phone call from a buyer and ended up smiling but shaking his head.

The caller wanted to triple her order of his pungent Thai basil, to 60 from 20 cases a week, but S&J Farms of Waianae is already booked solid. Since trying "natural farming" last year under the guidance of a folksy South Korean master farmer known as Han Kyu Cho, Delos Reyes said production on his 10-acre plot has doubled — and demand is growing even faster.

DuPonte estimates that 150 people are practicing "natural farming" techniques in the Hilo area, mainly backyard farmers and gardeners.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service is offering small grants to a few farmers in each Hawaii county who want to try converting part of their fields to natural farming, though not livestock. DuPonte said the ideal candidate is a farmer with about two acres, who would use the money to cover the cost of switching to "natural farming" on a quarter of an acre and keep track of costs and yields.

Cho will return for another workshop in July in Kohala, and he urged folks to give "natural farming" a whirl. "Don't doubt," he said through an interpreter. "Just jump in and try and practice and see how it works out."

Článok: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110118_Natural_selection.html