An enriching few days not only for the soil of Paros, but for the souls of people who attended the Seed Festival with the aim of greening the arid land of this popular island. As a tourist ten years ago, I remembered Paros for its stunning sunsets and beaches. Now, all I saw was barren land begging for help.
Several people gathered across four days to learn about the principles and techniques of natural farming from Panos Manikis the man responsible for the Natural Farming Centre of Greece and for the heart-tugging inspiration for anyone within the perimeter of his aura.
Panos worked closely with Masanobu Fukuoka, the Japanese farmer and author of several books, including “The one straw revolution”, who brought to life the ancient technique of making clay balls, throwing them onto the land before rain season and trusting nature to take care of the rest.
We tried a few techniques for making clay balls, but the key ingredients remained the same: positive energy, clay, seeds, water + natural fibres for resilient clayballs and in one case bentonite for moisture retention.
Throwing the dried clayballs onto the land was the most fun and rewarding part…and now we wait for vegetation!
