What to do in your well-deserved retirement from farming? Of course, you can finally do nothing and it's none of anyone's business. But you can also – for example – start organizing educational workshops for children from local schools, as Danuta and Edward Zamoić from Będargowo near Szczecin have been doing since July last year in their "Leszczynowy Sad" Agrotourism Farm.
photo: A.Kozłowska / farmer.pl
– We started by renting rooms, and now it will be the sixth year that we have been hosting tourists. But this somehow forced us to make the first investments, such as a playground, sandboxes, swings for the children of summer visitors. Due to the fact that anglers also came, we also stocked our pond – recalls Ms. Danuta.
Two years ago, the landlady retired and decided to… expand this enterprise. She started her own business.
– I met Mrs. Justyna Popardowska from the County Agricultural Advisory Team in Szczecin, who supports me a lot and suggests what I could do. I am willing to work, I have a husband who supports me, children who help, among other things, in workshops – admits Mrs. Danuta.
photo: A.Kozłowska / farmer.pl
The Zamoić family is trying to join the "Educational Farms" network, offering three educational programs: "Finger Licking Butter", "Colorful Pickles" and "Potato Diggers, Diggers, Seekers". Children are introduced to the old process of making butter, digging and making pickles. All workshops are interspersed with physical activities and outdoor games.
All investments made in the farm were made from own funds.
– We sold agricultural machinery that we no longer needed on the farm. We have 12 ha of land that we leased. That's where we had and still have the funds for our new initiative, Leszczynowy Sad – emphasize the farmers from Będargowo.
photo: A.Kozłowska / farmer.pl
– Where does the name come from? I've always liked hazelnuts. For now, we only have a few hazel bushes, but soon there will be more – adds the hostess.
Ms. Danuta admits that what motivates her to act is the desire for children not to forget what the countryside is and what its customs are.
– It's about ordinary, simple activities that were in every rural homestead, and in many regions of Poland still are, such as pickling cabbage or digging up crops. We are developing our enterprise in small steps, says the hostess.
The farm advertises itself through so-called "word of mouth marketing", i.e. recommendations from satisfied customers, but also social media.
photo: A.Kozłowska / farmer.pl
Two classes of children of preschool or early school age can come to the farm "at once". In order to "manage" this "company", Mr. and Mrs. Zamoić are assisted in the workshops by their own, adult children.
photo: A.Kozłowska / farmer.pl
The Zamoićs' initiative was submitted to this year's 24th edition of the competition "Way to Success", organized by the Agricultural Advisory Center in Brwinów in the individual/family category. Farmer has been the media patron of this competition for years.
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