Spring is round the corner and it's starting to feel a bit warmer here in Malta (unlike the rest of Europe). At this time of the year, there is nothing more relaxing than to go out for a walk and enjoy the Maltese countryside. Unfortunately we are starting to see photos shared on Facebook showing litter in … Continue reading Environmental Heroes
Earlier today, One News featured a news item about the National Agricultural Policy for the Maltese Islands 2018 - 2028. This has been coupled with a public consultation process. Feedback can be submitted by the end of March and background notes have been provided on the Ministry website to guide those interested in submitting their ideas. A preliminary consultation … Continue reading National Agricultural Policy for Malta
Recently I had a chat with a full time farmer who seemed keen to share an incident that happened to his 11-year-old son... let's call the boy 'Ronald', for argument's sake. Ronald and his classmates were asked by their teacher a question: "Can you mention different professionals?". All the kids started naming conventional professions such … Continue reading “Being a farmer is not a profession” or is it?
I got to know Karl when he was a student at MCAST Agribusiness, quite a few years ago. Since then he graduated in Animal Management and became a full time farmer. He manages a broiler farm of 23,000 chickens in Dingli, a rural village in Malta. I'm proud to have worked with him on various … Continue reading Maltese young farmer’s take on the EU
After a rainy weekend spent indoors, Christian and I needed to go out for a couple of errands and took the chance to take Nikol out to enjoy the fresh air. Showers persisted in the morning and afternoon but that didn't discourage us from venturing outdoors. It was the first time I passed through the … Continue reading A little green patch
Just yesterday evening a notice was put up on the Naxxar's Local Council Facebook fanpage about the imminent uprooting of the Bay trees (Laurus nobilis) in the main avenue. This morning... they were already gone. All of this less than 3 months after the same council invested €30,000 in "Greening Malta Project"... Ironic much? The … Continue reading How (not) to go about urban embellishment: Remove trees!
It's one of those days when the sky is cloudless and the air is fresh... just a light breeze! So we ventured outdoors, in the countryside, where else? Nikol is enjoying the sensory experience. Observing carefully the bright hues of trees and flowers, smelling lavender, rosemary and narcissi flowers. Birds chirping in the olive trees … Continue reading Blogging on the spot
The use of herbicides, particularly glyphosate (commonly known as 'roundup') has been debated for years on end. Rightly so, consumers have been expressing their worries to authorities and politicians, particularly to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). A few months ago, MEPs have requested a ban, however, solid decisions seem to be far away. The … Continue reading “Herbicide? No thanks!”
A common topic that crops up (no pun intended) amongst farmers is grafting - or better known in Maltese as tilqim. When is it best to graft? What can be grafted on to what? Has the union been successful? These are questions that commonly arise. Some of the answers are quite logical and such information is … Continue reading Grafting challenge
Organic is a compelling, noble concept. One that should theoretically unite people for a common goal - that of providing safe food for consumption while respecting the environment. But, as it happens with any high-value and niche idea, the term 'organic' has been unjustly hijacked by marketers wanting to make an easy and quick buck. … Continue reading Organic farming – a local perspective.
Jeanette Borg 