Small Farmers Innovation, the example of the Eco Producers Association for Lentils („Alb-Laisa“) at the Swebian Alb

  • Posted on: 20 January 2015
  • By: Georg Dürr

Agrecol-Family-Meeting 
Thursday to – Sunday, Mai 14 to 17, 2015

At this meeting, we learnt, how a somewhat unconventional small farmer innovation induced dynamic changes at various levels: from the increased research by farmers and university on a field crop, which has not been grown in the region for a generation, through the establishment of a new supply chain to the development of a new identity, to which the regional and meta-regional political discours refers to now and then. We spent the nights in a „Wagenburg“, a camp of beautifully restored caravan-carts of shepherds and street- and circus artists near Münsingen (www.hofgut-hopfenburg.de). Nearby we found a rare gem of natural fauna and flora, on a 7000 ha military training camp, given up 15 years ago.