We support the biodiversity of the meadows

A local farm producing several types of cheese in the city of Tirgu Mures is supported by Focus Eco Center. The farm is located in a small village, hidden between the hills, forests and flowery meadows.

Most young people from the village are moving to cities, creating a risk for small scale agriculture to be replaced by industrial agriculture. The family of Sandor Kalman is going against this trend, with its three generations working on the farm. They created a business that keeps alive local traditions and preserves the fabulous landscape as well as the biodiversity. The family produces cheese from the milk of 50 cows. They have a precise distribution of tasks: the youngest generation makes the cheese, the grandparents smoke it and the parents take care of farm and animals. The family produces high quality cheese but struggles to sell their products.

That is the reason why the Focus Eco Center supports them, for example through the organization of a consumers' group in the city of Tirgu Mures. This group meets the farmer at the office of Focus Eco Center every month, each time gathering around 50-60 people. The consumers can discuss with the farmer about the cheese making process, taste the different types of cheese and finally make a purchase. As a consequence, the relationships between farmer and customers are more familiar than commercial. Thanks to those meetings, customers understand the farmer's motivation and the importance of maintaining small scale farming, offering on one hand good quality food, and on the other hand protecting the biodiversity of the meadows by maintaining the traditional grazing methods of the cows.