Bio-diversity

Project Description The main project objective is the protection of nearly disappeared domestic varieties of cereals, conservation of seed material, production of organic flour in Old water Mill and preparation of homemade bread and other bakery products in traditional way. Within the project the following activities were implemented: Selection and preparation of the land, providing water for irrigation, undertaking agro technical measures (Plugged and manured) of land etc, Selection and purchase of seed materials and plugging the land with domestic varieties and planting with cereal crops: wheat, corn and rye. Adaptation of buildings Adaptation and renovation of the Barn (350 to 400 years old) for the storage of grain, restoration and renovation of old traditional mill to produce flour, construction of the oven for preparing homemade bread and other bakery products in traditional ways. Project achievements Visited several neighboring villages and contacted several elderly people in order to locate any old variety of domestic grain. These efforts resulted with finding several varieties of old autochthonous domestic grain varieties (18 varieties of wheat, 7 varieties of barley, 5 varieties of rye, 7 varieties of oats, 12 varieties of corn) Established and adapted land (7 acres), which was cultivated i.e. plugged, manured and planted with domestic grain. In July 2008 out of 49 varieties 29 varieties were harvested, seeds of those varieties were set aside for further future planting Renovated old water mill that will serve for traditional processing - milling of grain (these types of old mills in Macedonia are abandoned or destroyed, and there are very few in number) and will be an example for future generations not to forget the traditional ways and methods of processing cereal; oven for preparing and baking bread, pastries and other foods was constructed; restoration of old Barn was undertaken. Follow up The NGO is continuing with implementation of the ongoing activities and organization of new complementary activities: Increasing the area of old cereal species in other locations for their preservation and achieving income, completion of buildings, improving the access to the local roads, preparation of new projects, hiring a baker who will regularly prepare bread and other traditional pastries with aim to put into function all facilities and food for developing rural tourism and organic village of Petralica. The project will be presented to the competent Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water and the NGO will lobby those sorts of grain to be part of the Law on agriculture and rural development, development strategy and other programs for biodiversity conservation.

Macedonia