{"id":4555,"date":"2019-01-29T10:01:50","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T07:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newagri.org\/the-experimental-farm\/"},"modified":"2024-11-07T15:26:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T12:26:31","slug":"the-experimental-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newagri.org\/en\/success-stories\/the-experimental-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"The Experimental Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meet Alexandros<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alexandros Tataridas, 24, was born and raised in Athens. His parents, both doctors, came from the villages of Kalambaka and Kamena Vourla. His father\u2019s parents in Kamena Vourla grew wheat and olives for olive oil. His grandfather used to have a flock of 150 sheep and a chicken coop. \u201cI remember visiting the farm during the olive harvest and watching boxes of olives come in from the fields to be sorted by size,\u201d Alexandros said. \u201cMy grandfather would take me to the place where he kept his sheep and show me how to care for them.\u201d During weekends and holidays, Alexandros continued to visit his grandparents\u2019 farm, stimulated by their descriptions of the olive trees and by the small vegetable garden they kept. Around age 15, when he began taking biology courses in high school, he also began to study plant biology as a hobby. Later, though his mother wanted him to study medicine abroad, he gained admission to the agronomics department at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA). \u201cMy father was very happy because he dreamed of returning to Kamena Vourla,\u201d Alexandros said.<\/p>\n

Alexandros graduated from AUA with a degree in Crop Science. He has continued his studies at AUA, and this year, he will complete a master\u2019s degree in Sustainable Agriculture, Plant Enhancement, and Agrometeorology with a specialization in Sustainable Agriculture and Certification. “I do a lot of experiments with various weeds and sustainable herbicides,” he said. While at university, he began working actively on his grandparents\u2019 farm, applying what he learned in school. His grandparents taught him how to grow olives and produce virgin olive oil. \u201cWhen I complete my studies, I would like to return to my village to help organize and coordinate their agricultural plan,\u201d he told me. \u201cI\u2019m also thinking about doing a PhD, and I would like to take courses outside of Greece or travel to America and work for a company. Then eventually I\u2019d like to start my own family and maybe settle permanently in one of my villages.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his free time, Alexandros dabbles as a homebrewer of beers, experimenting with the production of American pale ale and imperial stout. \u201cI\u2019m making lager beer now and some pilsner,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve also made India pale ale and double IPA.\u201d Alexandros also volunteers as a facilitator for AUA\u2019s \u201cLet\u2019s Do It Greece\u201d team. Each spring, the organization coordinates one day of nationwide environmental action. Last year, 128,000 Greeks volunteered to mend fences, reduce waste, and clean beaches. This year\u2019s action date is Sunday, 7 April 2019.<\/p>\n

The Experimental Farm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alexandros is the project manager of the program\u2019s Experimental Farm in Kopaida. Located 110 kilometers north of Athens, near Lamia, the farm covers 1000 stremma (100 hectares) and consists of a 0.5 stremma greenhouse and a training building which houses two classrooms, an office, and an overnight room that sleeps three people. The farm will begin operation in 2019 with 150 beneficiaires. \u201cOur goal is to educate 300 young people over the next two years in agricultural sectors such as beekeeping, aromatic and medicinal plants, and the sustainable cultivation of spirits,\u201d Alexandros said. \u201cThis will be done through intensive visits to the Experimental Farm in Kopaida.\u201d<\/p>\n

The farm will offer new farmers an opportunity to establish their own independent farm enterprises with on-site support and access to shared equipment, facilities, and resources that reduce initial barriers to entry. After completing the program, beneficiaries should be able to transition to plots of their own, having acquired the skills, knowledge, and expertise necessary to start farming successfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried about whether Greece will be able to take the necessary risks to turn its agricultural industry around,\u201d Alexandros said. \u201cBut this program gives new farmers the tools, techniques, connections to make the transition easier, and I want to share my skills and train others as well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alexandros is the project manager of the program’s Experimental Farm in Kopaida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","category-success-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Experimental Farm - \u039d\u03ad\u03b1 \u0393\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03b3\u03af\u03b1 \u039d\u03ad\u03b1 \u0393\u03b5\u03bd\u03b9\u03ac<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newagri.org\/en\/success-stories\/the-experimental-farm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Experimental Farm - 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