How can Back Friday become Giving Friday for the benefit of all of us?

(Photo: dm-drogerie markt)

As Christmas approaches, more and more of us can experience the experience that it is better to give than to receive. At such times, we hear more often about those public interest or civil appeals, in the framework of which we have the opportunity – through deeds, gifts offered for a good cause or financial contribution – to support a good cause and do something truly noble. Even price reductions advertised for Black Friday can be reshaped for a really useful and important cause. dm succeeded in all of this, since breaking away from the usual American traditions of Black Friday in trade, this year they also announced “Giving Friday”. As part of its unusual “sale”, the drug store chain is once again offering 5% of its turnover on November 25th to charity. In 2022, the focus is on sustainability and social aspects, which is how the Ecological Agricultural Research Institute (ÖMKi) and the Green Circle became this year’s beneficiaries of the program.

The focus is on organic farming and chemical-free plant protection

Issues of sustainability are unavoidable nowadays, while the economic environment holds more and more uncertainty. In terms of our quality of life, the role of modern “backyards” is becoming more valuable: the lands cultivated in small areas add up to have a significant impact on the health of our soils, the diversity of flora and fauna, and the preservation of our food security. Since the beginning, supporting a healthy lifestyle has been a priority area for the drugstore network, which is why they decided to support organic farming and the dissemination of knowledge in small gardens and selected schools.

ÖMKi starts a regular plant protection series

“With the planned knowledge transfer program, we want to support chemical-free, local food production and the spread of the best practices of organic farming in local communities. We provide those interested with knowledge that helps them in practice and gives them a sense of success in organic gardening. The donation also gives us the opportunity to further develop our online knowledge base for hobby gardeners and provide easy-to-learn knowledge on how they can protect their plants from the most important pests without chemicals.” – Dr. Dóra Drexler, executive director of ÖMKi, spoke about the plans.

(Photo: ÖMKi)

In the planned video series, experts from ÖMKi and TV presenter Márk McMenemy, the host of Kert TV, will guide those interested in garden activities. All of this will be complemented by a research project: ÖMKi will collect information from the participating participants about pests that appear in gardens and about effective control methods, focusing on natural plant protection solutions, so that hobby gardeners can continue to help each other with the good practices they have experienced.

Knowledge dissemination programs with the Green Circle in schools in Eastern Hungary

In the framework of the Giving Friday program, with the cooperation of the Zöld Kör association, knowledge of chemical-free plant protection is taken to schools in disadvantaged areas of eastern Hungary, a kitchen garden program is launched with the involvement and attitude formation of teachers, educators and parents, and educational institutions are visited with a traveling sustainability exhibition and energy efficiency tips.

Why is organic good? From soil protection to self-determination

The production methods of organic farms that produce organic products preserve the purity of our waters, help increase soil fertility, and have a much smaller environmental impact than chemical-based agriculture. The promotion of the eco-sector is relevant because it offers many advantages in the current crisis situations: the productivity of organic farming is remarkable even in extreme climatic conditions. Drought also promises to be a permanent problem in our country, where this form of farming performs about 30% better than traditional production. According to ÖMKi’s experience, the flexible resilience of organic production is much greater compared to farming based on chemical plant protection agents and fertilizers, and due to shorter supply chains, it is less exposed to the hectic pace of the global market. In our country, organic farming is currently practiced on 6% of the areas under agricultural cultivation, so we are still in the European middle ground. 11.5% of fruit plantations are organically grown, which makes Hungary the 10th largest temperate organic fruit plantation country in the world. Organic farming also extends to fish farming, we are ranked 9th in the world in freshwater organic fish farming. It is also outstanding that 24.2% of the area used for the production of legumes, i.e. almost 3,000 hectares, is organically cultivated in this country.