For example only Czechoslovakia. The lands of nowadays Czech republic hosted 70% of industry of Austro-Hungarian empire, when it collapsed. And before Habsburg oppression there was a strong middle class of wealthy farmers, which Habsburgs destroyd in favour of feudal german aristocracy (also for religious reasons – 95% people in Czech lands were protestant when catholic house of Habsurgs took power, by the end of their rule there were almost no protestants left). This leads also to another distinction – while in the Czech Republic there are 60-70% atheists in population, you take a few hours drive north to Poland and you find a country, where it is a social suicide to say there ‘might’ be no god.

Then Slovakia, which was agricultural country, but in times of socialism (remeber, there was communist rule, but never communism) the colectivization of farms was (as same as in CZ) total, while in neighbouring Poland or Hungary the small farmers still owned and worked their lands. This lead to the fact, that in Czechoslovakia the farmers didn’t profit from production directly – they got salary as factory workers. And after the revolution, as the land was given back, the 2 generations gap is simply too much. The young people – as me – have no connection to the life of small farmers, which you can see in big numbers in i.e. Slovenia or Poland still today (mostly people have normal jobs and after that they take care of their farms).

Bragging about young people running abroad… Well they would stay if they saw ANY future at the place where they are. They run away mostly from Poland and Slovakia (interestingly also to the Czech republic), but they don’t do it because they seek a golden cattle in the world, but because simply there is nothing to do at their places of origin. The article describes the man who had 11 siblings. This truly was the case in last one and half milenia at the area, but the parents always had only so much to pass to their children. In last 200 years it was common that younger siblings, who wouldn’t inherit family property, just went off into the great wide world. Some 200 years ago it was to more industrialised areas, i.e. czech Silesia, 150 years ago to America… and than again in socialism to feed the industry’s apetite for workers. In socialism it was too hard to leave the country, and yet tens of thousands managed (mostly after communist revolution of ‘48 and ruskies invasion of ‘68). The wave of young people looking for a better place than the parents’ farm is nothing new in the area.

And with railway network 2nd densiest in Europe (Czech republic) fed by nuclear electricity, even the local Tesco superstore needs no worries, that the product wouldn’t get to it, should the lorries run out of diesel.

The changes I write about above apply to a great many countries.

I can’t say much about permaculture in Czech, but…

My name is Wojciech Majda, and I’m founder of Polski Instytut Permakultury (Polish Permaculture Institute). Poland have a border with Czech and Slovakia Republic from north.

When I’ve started blogging about permaculture in Poland almost no one knew what did it mean. For example word “permakultura” (permaculture in Polish) was being typed 1300 times a month. After some time (6 months) now it’s being googled 2800

I’ve already designed few properties in Poland. Soon (within months) I will be buying a few acres property, so there will be proper demonstration site.

And what’s most important that I will be teaching on few permaculture courses, so message will be spread

@Craig Mackintosh

Yes, EU is ridiculous when it goes to rules if you get substidies, or not.

For example you would not get it if you have weeds on your willow plantation. You have to upkeep your land “in good agricultural practice”. Weeds are definitly am agricultural sin. Probably lack of weeeds aka dynamic accumulators are the reason, why willow coppic last only 20-30 years (although willow normally lives around 100).

We do have plenty of water (according to permaculture scale;), but according to “normal” agriculture we have too little. Soils in Poland are generally poor, because they are sandy and young.
After 1000 years of plowing there is not much organic matter left.

I couldn’t agree more when it goes to housing. Rich people in my town – Gniezno,although we have 20-25% unemployment are building expensive houses (for example shape of roof is so complicated, that you could build normal house for the price of that roof).

It is a cultural norm here as well that you don’t say “Hi” to a person you meet on the street, unless you know him or her personally. That’s true for all places but the mountain trals, where you greet everyone you meet

P.S. The smoked cheese doesn’t have to be very salty, it depends on the maker.

But, yes, alas, capitalism is destroying it fast. But, unlike in the west where we’re often several generations removed from this kind of life, these people are only one or two generations removed. The young here still remember…. The faster the system crumbles, for these people, the better – in the sense that they’ll start to turn around and retreat back to their past safe haven. At the moment they’re almost entirely still chasing the western dream. The longer they are on this road the further they get from their traditional past. But, some are waking up. They just need some oil/food shocks to prompt them into action. It’ll happen soon enough. Countries like this don’t have their own oil resources, and their economy isn’t strong enough to compete for oil with the likes of the US, China, UK, France, Germany, etc….

The wonderful thing I note about people here is they are so peace loving. All those kingdoms that came and went were more aggressive/military in nature. The Slavic peoples were largely agricultural and peaceful. But, with a weariness of having been conquered and passed from one empire to another, there’s also a high degree of apathy.

There’s water a-plenty, and good soils (although the EU is eyeing and moving into this part of the world – wanting to turn central Europe into the bread basket of Europe, pushing large scale monocultures that could rape the land and water tables here). It’s a cold climate in winter though, so all these people in high rises and new houses without root cellars, etc….

Some strategic planning is needed, like everywhere.

Wonderful photographs and writing, Craig.