Sustainable Agriculture

© Museum of Ethnography, Budapest

© Museum of Ethnography, Budapest

The animal husbandry practices typical of Hungary’s plains region have almost completely disappeared as a result of both the flood control measures introduced in Hungary during the 19th century, and the economic changes that occurred in the 20th century.  Today, some remnants of the traditional herdsmen’s culture are still preserved on the farmsteads of Hortobágy – the largest grassy plain in Central Europe, also known as the Hungarian Great Plain (Alföld).  It was on the Hortobágy that Hungary’s first national park was founded in 1973, in the hope of safeguarding the region’s unique natural and ethnographic features.  In addition to its wild animal life, the plains region is home to the famous Hungarian grey longhorn cattle (szürkemarha), Racka sheep, Mangalica (curly-hair) hogs, and Nonius horses (Nóniusz).  For the greater part of the year, herding traditions were sustained by grazing.  In the Nagykunság region, formerly the largest animal farming zone on the Great Plain, there are still several farmsteads where the traditional herdsmen’s lifestyle is preserved.  Some examples are the practices involved in feeding and caring for animals and the methods of preparing traditional herdsmen’s dishes which have been passed down from father to son.

© Museum of Ethnography, Budapest

© Museum of Ethnography, Budapest

The first half of the 20th century saw a sweeping transformation of Hungarian agriculture, as lands that had been previously privately owned were gathered into government cooperatives (termelőszövetkezet).  The result was a drop in production, as the rural population was no longer motivated to achieve the highest possible profits.  With the loss of private lands, many people found work in factories.  By the beginning of the 1990s, the former owners of government cooperative farms and their descendants could finally petition to have their property returned.  But by then an entire generation had been raised without the knowledge and skills necessary to work the land.  Additionally, changes in rural lifestyles did not favour the resuscitation of traditional peasant farming methods.  As a result, many people either leased or sold the lands that had been returned to them.  At the same time, during the 1980s, ecologically friendly agricultural practices began to take root in Hungary.  Today, most of the country’s organic farms are found in the regions of the southern and northern Great Plain and Northern Hungary.  Although the spread of organic methods is encumbered by complicated regulations, demand for organic production is rising.  Organic farms generally sell their products at the larger urban markets, with some places even seeing the formation of communities of consumers who prefer the produce sold by Hungarian and organic farms over the imported produce sold in stores.

© Museum of Ethnography, Budapest

© Museum of Ethnography, Budapest

The past ten to fifteen years has also seen the rise of the “ecovillage” or “living village,” whose inhabitants seek to live in a self-sustaining fashion, independently of central supply systems and external resources.  Using the scientific and technological innovations associated with green architecture, local energy and water management, and organic farming, such communities make nature-centric lifestyles a reality, while at the same time mastering and cultivating Hungarian traditions.  Ecovillages are built around the idea that objectives should be founded on the strength of the community and the voluntary contributions of its members.  Today, the “living village network” consists of a total of nine municipalities.

In Hungary, traditions surrounding the production of grapes and wine go back to the 11th century and the time of the original settlement of the Carpathian Basin by the Magyars.  By the end of the 19th century, nearly 1/3 of the population of the country was engaged in this area of agriculture.  Today, several hundred thousands of farmers and their families make a living from the cultivation of grapes and marketing of wines, a practice that in many places is tied to local tourism.  Given this centuries-old tradition and the high calibre of its products, Hungarian wines, which rank high among the wines of Europe, form an integral part of the country’s image.  The Tokaj-Hegyalja and Lake Fertő regions, with their high-standard viniculture and wine products, are listed by UNESCO as part of our world heritage.

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