Sustainable living gives Hungarian families hope for the future

Sustainable living gives Hungarian families hope for the future

Cintia Mnyere, 31, holds her daughter Boroka as she feeds the pigs, at their farm near Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7

Cintia Mnyere, 31, holds her daughter Boroka as she feeds pigs on their farm near Ladanybene, Hungary. Mnyere and her family moved to the farm three years ago. They keep horses, pigs and chickens on an area of 4.5 hectares (11 acres), which they partly lease for grazing. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Laszlo Kemencei lives as sustainably as possible on his small farm in eastern Hungary. He believes the land is effectively borrowed from his daughter, so he must do all he can to preserve it for the future.

Kemencei, 28, his wife Cintia, 31, and their daughter Boroka, who is almost two, moved to the farm outside Ladanybene three years ago. They keep horses, pigs and chickens on an area of 4.5 hectares (11 acres), which they partly lease for grazing.

They do not use pesticides, keep their animals free range, and dig the land as little as possible to preserve the structure and moisture of the rich soil. They grow their own vegetables and slaughter or barter the meat they need while trading the rest with families who choose a similar lifestyle.

Kemencei says while becoming fully self-sufficient seems an unrealistic goal, they rely minimally on external resources.

“This land, we have not inherited from our fathers, but we have it on a lease from our children … so we try to live and farm the land in a sustainable way,” he says.

While there are no statistics on how many families are following a similar lifestyle in Hungary, anecdotal evidence suggests it is a growing trend.

Some want to rein in their cost of living, while others want to escape a consumer-driven society or live a more environmentally friendly life.

Kemencei estimates there are about 1,000 families trying to embrace some form of sustainability, either alone or as part of informal barter arrangements, or as part of more structured eco-villages.

Currently, they do not live off the grid. They have internet and buy electricity and gas for heating. But their water comes from a well and they hope to install solar panels and a wind turbine when they can afford it, Kemencei says.

They can get by on about 250,000 forints ($690) per month, outside of emergencies. They buy milk, sugar and other essential items that they cannot grow or produce themselves.

Mihaly Pogany, 29 gives water to his animals, at his farm near Kecskemet, Hungary, July 16

Mihaly Pogany, 29, gives water to his animals at his farm near Kecskemet. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Laszlo Kemencei, 28, prepares slaughtered chickens, on his farm near Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7

Laszlo Kemencei, 28, prepares slaughtered chickens on his farm near Ladanybene. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Gabi Varga, 57, and Emo Ambrus wash vegetables to make kimchi at Varga's farm in Nagybereny, Hungary, March 2

Gabi Varga, 57, and Emo Ambrus wash vegetables to make kimchi at Varga’s farm in Nagybereny. Varga and Ambrus are part of a self-sustaining community, formed of mainly neighbours, who share their produce and sell products in multiple markets. ‘We thought we had achieved what we wanted and asked ourselves if this is really happiness. And we could not say yes to that,’ said Gabi’s husband Akos Varga. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Laszlo Kemencei, 28, with his wife Cintia Mnyere, 31, their daughter Baroka, and their friends Krisztian Kisjuhasz, 41, and his partner Zsanett Homoki, 34, have lunch at Kemencei's farm near Ladanybene, Hungary

Laszlo with his wife Cintia, their daughter Baroka, and their friends Krisztian Kisjuhasz, 41, and his partner Zsanett Homoki, 34, have lunch at Kemencei’s farm. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Petra Pogany-Bago, 24, and her mother Marsa Irma play with Petra's son, Mihaly Pogany, at their farm near Kecskemet, Hungary, July 16

Petra Pogany-Bago, 24, and her mother Marsa Irma play with Petra’s son, Mihaly Pogany, at their farm near Kecskemet. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Akos Varga checks the light system above the vegetables in his underground greenhouse, at his farm in Nagybereny, Hungary, March 26

Akos Varga checks the light system above the vegetables in his underground greenhouse at his farm in Nagybereny. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Pigs eat at Laszlo Kemencei's farm near Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7

Pigs feed at Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene, [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Beekeeper Krisztian Kisjuhasz, 41, inspects a beehive in Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7

Beekeeper Krisztian Kisjuhasz inspects a beehive in Ladanybene. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Beekeeper Krisztian Kisjuhasz, 41, sells his honey at a market in Budapest, Hungary, March 10

Kisjuhasz sells his honey at a market in Budapest. [Marton Monus/Reuters]

Read More

Zaļā Josta - Reklāma