Monday, September 29, 2003

Bulgaria is hoping to become Europe's food basket by moving into organic farming.

"More than 80 percent of Bulgaria's farming land is suitable for organic farming."—Nihat Kabil, Bulgarian deputy minister for agriculture and forestry
Ironically, because of the sheer poverty of the Bulgarian people, chemical pesticides and fertilizers just weren't an option after the fall of the Soviet Union. So, for the past 12 years or so, vast tracts of land have remained fallow, while many small farmers have been growing organically. So many, in fact, that sustainable agriculture has become quite a growth industry.