EU funds help: He is restoring a farm in Stranné. EU funds are helping him

The forty-year-old farmer grew up in Vienna, where he studied law and economics. Even though he had been helping his grandfather to restore the farm since his high school days, he wasn't entirely sure whether he wanted to take it over in the future. "Ever since the borders opened, my parents and I have been going to Blíževedly. I was seven years old and I loved spending my holidays here. Later, as I got older, it became interesting for me to develop the farm and leave my own mark. And when the moment came when I had to decide whether to work in Vienna or take over the farm, I decided to return to Czechia,” says Erich Vodňanský.
 
Together with his grandfather, who was born on the farm in 1931, they began to intensively restore the homestead and to farm. "He gave me freedom of choice and shared his experience. And even though we sometimes did better, sometimes worse, the farm gradually expanded. I submitted my first grant applications under the Setting up of Young Farmers programme. Back then, we bought a new tractor or a soil cultivator for example," recalls the owner of the homestead built on the foundations of a former fortress.

Thanks to EU funds which, according to him, are key to the development of the farm, it was also possible to purchase a hop picking machine. They now grow hops on 15 hectares and are preparing to expand by another five. Several million Czech crowns of EU aid were directed towards the production of this crop. "We are selling our Saaz hops to breweries in the Czech Republic and abroad. Increasingly we sell it directly, rather than through intermediaries. Investment grants under the Rural Development Programme were mainly directed towards hops as it was preferred by the EU.”
 
The Vodňanský farm also benefited from cooperation with the Local Action Group Podralsko, through which they could receive grants for smaller projects, such as a seed drill or a telescopic handler. According to the farmer, these investments of approximately CZK 3.5 million have also significantly helped the farming on the homestead.
 
GRADUAL EXPANSION OF THE ESTATE
The hundred-hectare plots were initially mainly used for hops and cattle, but were later expanded to include arable land. As part of the land consolidation that abolished existing and almost non-cancellable cooperative land contracts after 1990, Erich Vodňanský was able to start expanding his fields. The farm currently manages 500 hectares, 300 of which are its own.
 
"In the beginning, we focused on three or four crops that brought in the most money in the short term. At that time we did not have the necessary experience or resources. When I was 30, I began to look at the farm from a different perspective than just short-term economic profit. I began to perceive the landscape as a whole, to work with the land in a long-term context," the farmer explains his vision. And if it is financially possible, he says, he does not have to aim for maximum yield every year, but rather make his farming sustainable in the long term.

New crops were being added and so the farm was meeting the European Union requirements in advance, namely that fields should be reduced in size and a diverse range of plants should be grown on them.
 
HE RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR LANDSCAPE CARE
"This is how agriculture actually worked during the 1920s and 30s, we didn't invent anything new. We worked with bio-belts, added other crops and divided the land into smaller units," explains Erich Vodňanský.
 
He was nominated for the Josef Vavroušek Environmental Award for his efforts towards sustainable agriculture. He achieved another success in the Diverse Landscape competition organised by the Association of Private Agriculture. The enthusiastic farmer shows that agricultural land can be managed sustainably even in conventional agriculture.

The farm runs crop production and cattle breeding, but at the same time places great emphasis on the needs of the landscape. In contrast to the practices common today, the farm uses smaller fields, preferring bio-belts overflowing with a diverse mixture of plants, and wildlife corridors planted with native tree species. The farm is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the sustainable farming methods.
 
“Our family philosophy is based on traditions passed down from previous generations. At that time, agriculture was not seen only as food production and a path to economic profit. An integral part of it was responsibility for ecological stability and the face of the landscape," emphasizes Erich Vodňanský.
 
THANKS TO EU FUNDS, THE FARM CAN GROW. Erich Vodňanský, the owner of a farm in Stranné in the Česká Lípa district, is trying to maintain the landscape in a form that benefits plants and animals, but also us humans. Among other things, he grows hops, a traditional crop in this area. His efforts are significantly supported by EU funds, providing him with regular grants. The aid has already reached millions and has made an important contribution to his success.
 
Photo: Vodňanský Farm archive, Food Pioneer: Anna Václavíková, Adapterra Awards