Svarog Community Centre - a self-sustainable farm and much more [Europe/Croatia]

Hello world!

I'm Robert, and I humbly ask for your support in creating a Community Centre and a Learning Hub via a sustainable farm for my local community.
I have opened a GoFundMe page where you can read the basics of my project, but I will elaborate further here.
There is quite a lot to go through, so I will post periodically about it in this thread.

Feel free to Ask Me Anything!

So, first of all, some introductions. I didn't want to go into too much detail on the GFM website, so as not to waste space and keep it compact.
I am 30 years old at the moment of writing this post. Like many fellow Croatians, I left my home in search for a better life, better job, and so on. I had always had an idea of living in the countryside (and for a while I did, when I was a kid, but then my parents moved to the city for a job), and have been looking for ways to make it come true.
I would try out different things, like getting a piece of land from a neighbor and cultivating it, or even guerilla gardening. Those attempts failed for many reasons, including financial and logistic, but I have learned great many things from them.
I realized that for a while conditions would not be met for anything long-term, so I decided to go on a search for knowledge, through books and hands-on approach. I read Fukuoka's One Straw Revolution, Sir Albert Howard's The Soil and Health, and many other 'random' books and plethora of articles, posts, videos... I traveled Europe through associations such as WWOOF and EVS (European Volunteer Service), visiting countries like Bulgaria, Belgium, Portugal (I even hitch-hiked to those countries because I couldn't afford to travel there like a normal person), to get experience in growing plants, building with natural materials, exchange ideas.
I studied at the "Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek" for two years, but didn't complete my studies as I had to work (such was life in Croatia).
All this was great, but I yearned to do something of my own, on my own land, but I realized that it would take me decades to even get to square one with the Croatian standard. I decided to break the cycle and emigrated to Ireland in 2019.
As chance would have it (or Providence, for that matter), the first week I found my first job there as a butcher. I haven't considered that line of work before, but the ad was there on the door of the shop, and I thought this could be a good way to connect the growing of food with processing it. And so it was, I gained invaluable knowledge over the next 3 years, and I am loving every bit of that job (though I haven't yet killed an animal before, but all in due time). I did that until the shop closed down around April 2022.

In March last year, after lots of contemplation, I finally mustered the courage to buy some land in Croatia. It's not a huge lot, as the pandemic left me with not a lot of financial wealth, but I bounced back like I always do, and now I'm going back there to start this project.
The up-side of the pandemic was that it gave me, and many others, time to think. Think about my life, my goals, time to develop a strategy, fortify my knowledge, put together a plan, and now it's all here.
I've spoken to many people, and a lot have the same struggles as myself: they are not happy just grinding out their days and would love to have more free time for themselves, to dedicate it to their hobbies, friends and family (many would like to start a family, but are discouraged by the current state of affairs). I've seen people on youtube escaping the modern world by retreating into remote places, going off-grid, but nice as though time may be, vast majority wouldn't are not prepared to make that move. However, a vast majority would be willing to just take a step back, and get a mix of the more relaxed countryside life combined with a proximity to the city and the life they're used to. They wouldn't necessarily see themselves farming full-time, but having a few chickens and a patch of veggies together with a regular job for steady income seems plausible for most.

This is where I come into play. With my experience and permaculture's principles, I would help to get the most out of that little patch of land, while also keeping scalability in mind so that those who would want to do farming full-time can easily do so, and even go further and expand it into an actual business.
Now, just a small plot of land on it's own doesn't get you too far, but when the whole neighborhood comes together, a whole lot more can be achieved - and I believe people can and want to do this, it's just a matter of showing and guiding them, and once it kicks off it will snowball into something quite grand.


That is all for the time being, thanks for sticking with me so far. Tomorrow I will be uploading some plans on how I'm going to start off, and some sketches/blueprints of what the place looks like.
Soon I'll be opening a Facebook page, too, so you'll be able to see a few more on-site sights, and once I actually get started (March 27) you can stay up to date with the whole thing.

So please, head on over to https://gofund.me/e82dc698 and drop a few cents if you can, literally every little helps, and I'd be more than super thrilled for every penny that finds its way towards the cause.

Thanks!

Before I get on with the project, a few bits from Croatia related to what I'm doing - a returnee speaking about the differences of life abroad and back home: shorturl.at/knX78.

There is a British fella who fell in love with the country over 20 years ago and stayed and married. Now he is writing a news site targeted specifically towards people visiting Croatia and/or those choosing to stay in it: https://www.total-croatia-news.com.


As for the Community Centre, it is designed to be a self sustaining farm.

Learning and getting ideas from the likes of Justin Rhodes and Joel Salatin, the main food grown on the farm will be chicken and pork (supported by seasonal selected vegetables), and the main method is tractors.
Chicken tractors give animals benefits of open pasture while keeping them protected from environment, and also focuses them to a narrow area for soil tillage. The tractors are roughly 1x1 meters and contain 11 birds. They are moved daily (or every 2 days when young), enriching the soil with their poop and also keeping the grass cut. Pigs will come in after them and do some proper tillage to prepare the soil for sowing - this way machinery is kept to a minimum (if any), and also fertilizing is done for the veggies that come after.
The 10 hens can provide around 6 eggs per day, and another tractor can then be created every 4 weeks (3 weeks incubation period, 1-2 weeks until they are self-sufficient) - which can be turned into meat every 6-8 weeks (mostly extra roosters will be going for meat, but some hens, too, depending on the market).
The initial momentum-catching period is about 4 months before chickens start laying eggs, and it is on a regular rotational basis for harvesting eggs/meat from there.
I will be starting with 55 chickens (5 tractors x 11 birds [10 hens, 1 rooster]).


Pigs will be grown in much the same way, but on a 10x30m area, starting with 12 pigs in total divided into 2 groups (5 sows and 1 boar each). I'll be using a traditional breed of pigs native to the area, which was used in the olden days. The advantages of this breed is that they are very resilient to disease and weather, have a good fat/meat ratio (favouring fat) and their products are just delicious (tried and confirmed); they fell out of use during the WWII aftermath because they are not suitable for closed pen growing. Although they typically take 15-20% more time to achieve the same weight comparable to industrial breeds, they can still grow to the same size (up to 260kg/570lbs) and require no antibiotics, vaccinations, or special diet plans.
The pigs will be kept in an electrical fenced in area, and kept on a single plot for about 2 weeks, then they are moved on to the next area, and I'll just keep rotating it. I will be taking advantage of their natural heavy rooting instincts to prepare the soil for sowing. The areas that will be used for vegetable growing will be disused after one or two rotations, that is, until mid-May (start of first plants) or until all the plants are harvested. The areas that are not designated for vegetable areas will host cover crops like clover and random fast growing herbs that pigs will love to forage for, but that grow fast enough to do some good to the soil.

As for the animal feed, I realise that not all of it can come from open pasture - roughly 20-30% can be covered this way. The remainder will be covered by grains purchased from the store/local farmer, and leftovers from restaurants (this will be the main source, grains are mostly for backup and supplements). This is one of the reasons why chickens and pigs were chosen, they are not picky eaters. Later on as the farm grows I'll be getting goats and cows, but for the smaller space that is currently available pigs and chickens are a perfect choice.

So the basic model is to grow the animals (both in size and number), keep enough to feed myself, and then sell off or exchange the excess. Fairly straightforward. In the meantime stick to the principles of simplicity (I don't need more cars, bigger house, fancy clothes...) and permaculture (make as much from natural resources lying around), and all the resources will be put into expanding the farm and teaching others how to do the same.
To this end I will be making lots of blog posts, YT videos, a book detailing all the do's and don't's, etc.

Attached is also a model of my land, with the initial setup and layout of the farm.

Thanks for reading, hope you find it helpful, or at least amusing. Maybe it will inspire you or give you and idea to work on.

The next time I'll go into the housing situation, the managing of showers, toilets, electricity, wellbeing, and so on.

Thanks!

Hello world, back again.
We had a bout of nice weather here in Ireland so I took some time off the internets to get a few things ready in the garden.

If you're ever in Croatia, here's a video pointing out a few really nice places to visit, full of history, tradition, flavours, and beauty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7vDy16zLu8.

The Svarog farmhouse will be made out of straw bales.
Straw bales are a byproduct of grain crops and are a very cheap material (much more so than bricks or wood). In most cases farmers can't get rid of them fast enough. On average, a single straw bale can be acquired for 1-2€ a piece, and the price can get even lower if you're getting them wholesale.
In addition, they are easy to work with - they can be easily stacked just like you would do with bricks or, indeed, Lego's. This means you do not need to be an expert or hire a contractor for a simple construction (animal shelters  make a good practice model).
They are very light and big, giving them superb insulation properties, eliminating the need for expensive insulation materials like glass/rock wool, polystyrene, etc. They do still require a good waterproof plaster on the outside, as the straw needs to stay dry to prevent it rotting. One could construct a house in as little as a day even single-handedly, with some proper planning and fair weather.

A simple one-room house is envisioned for a start, with a possibility to upgrade and extend it in the future. Toilet and shower, for example, will be outside, but later on as business grows they will be integrated into the house.
(this is also a part of a gentler transition to the countryside, keeping the costs low and expanding progressively, as plumbing and heating water is expensive investment).
-- Svarog House 01 -- all of this, excluding interior objects, can be done for under 3000€.
-- Svarog House, underroof --
-- Svarog house, inside -- Nearly all of the stuff can be built by using recycled materials, upcycling old stuff, or buying second-hand.
-- Svarog House, construction -- The timber used for the skeleton of the house is the cheapest part of the house (only around 240€), and also the only thing that is bought new (along with the roof), to ensure uniformity, longevity, and safety of materials.

-- -- -- -- --

The toilet is a simple outdoor toilet. Here I will be using a very simple, but very efficient and clean method, that we have tried out for three years on a festival ground, and it works just amazingly. 17 of these easily supported over 5000 people for over a week of festival and no issues were found. It accepts organic materials only (ideally), although any non-degradable materials (such as plastics or other synthetics) will sooner or later come to the surface.
The method includes a larger bin for waste collection, and after every 'donation' the waste is topped and covered by sawdust, occasionally throwing in some straw into the mix to prevent over-compacting.
And that's all, I kid you not. We have used this repeatedly , there is no smells (except for the fragrances of wood), the waste decomposes very fast and very thoroughly. A separate compost pile is left for this kind of waste and it is left to overwinter to ensure a complete and safe decomposition. (a little bit of trivia, since this was a summer festival, often after a week or two we would find watermelons, cucumbers, squashes, etc., sprouting from the piles of dumped material =D )
You can see the model - here -, and - here -, and here.

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The shower is a simple outdoor enclosed area, just for protection against wind and view, with a gravel floor bottom (for drainage), and using a simple metal bucket mounted by the handle above head for easy tipping over - around 10 liters of warm water is more than enough for a thorough wash, and I've often done it with 5-6L on my travels.

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Electricity is given for the first few months by the neighbour (while the house is being constructed), but an alternative for those who can't manage that is in either renting or buying a generator. Organising work efficiently will keep the fuel costs down.
After a while, the connection to the city grid will ensue. If living remotely (the power grid is not available or too expensive/far to connect to), solar power is a good alternative if you need constant use of electricity (also good for electric fences) - otherwise, a power generator with occasional will do. In both cases, efficient use and a good battery is essential.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

That is it for now, stay good, and I will see you in a few days again.
By then, I might already finish setting up some online presence, mainly Facebook, with some branding work done, too.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, just a quick update on the online presence.

I have opened up a Facebook group, which can be found here: tinyurl.com/mrxj9rsd.
I have a LinkedIn profile, too, with Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, even TikTok, coming soon, although these won't see much activity until the actual start of the project.

On a related note, I got a logo for the farm made, and am absolutely loving it. A dear friend of mine and his missus offered to make it to help me get started, and I can see a long future of jolly cooperation for us.
I'll put some designs in the bottom of this post (and you can also see them on the above FB link provided), and if you like them, you can give them a visit and see their other work at their places:
LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-maksimović-052681218/]
Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/voluharica_illustration/?hl=en]
Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/voluharicaillustration]

My signature will now also provide access to the FB page for when I'm on the other posts so people can catch it there if they don't see this particular thread.
There on the FB you can also see what the land used to look like when I just bought it.

- - - - - -

We are getting close to the starting date and the excitement is starting to rise! Just under 4 weeks and the great project shall commence.
I'm currently in the process of acquiring a transport vehicle for the farm, which will be used for hauling all sorts of stuff, from materials to animals, feed, and so on. I'm currently deciding between a Volkswagen Caddy (2010) and a Renault Kangoo (2008). I you have any experiences with one or both of these and would like to share your insights to make the decision easier, please feel free to do so.

Thanks again, and see you soon!

Hi all, a great start of the day today. I got my first ever donation to the Svarog GoFundMe project, so a BIG MASSIVE thanks is in order for a certain Francine Montibeller dos Santos! I'll find a way to commemorate her and permanently put her name somewhere to record her as a core founder of the community.

That brings up another topic which I was going to take on, and that is addressing all the donors. As this is a project to serve the community, I want to include the names of all those who helped make it come true and make them permanently recorded in the foundations.
One thing I had in mind was a big log in the sense of a totem-pole, and carving and then burning in the names, afterwards coating it with oil and varnish to preserve for long time. Let me know if you have any experiences with totem poles or if you have a better idea in mind.

Also, I realise not many of my backers will find themselves in Croatia, but if you're ever in the neighbourhood, please do stop by the farm and I'll show you around, give a tour of the farm, sample some produce, get you a place to stay, whichever, just come and say hi.

- - - - -

Meanwhile, we had an unexpected yet quite cozy snow-day back here in Ireland, and I just took out the pork neck out from the improvised smokehouse I made in the back yard. It wasn't completely done yet (it's only 10 day matured) but it tasted amazing nonetheless. It was also my first proper smoking too - last year I did some smoking but the smokehouse needed some modifications and by the time I got to it the summer was already here.
This time I got to it just in time for the just-above-zero-°C temperatures and it worked out great.


As it wasn't fully matured, we roasted it instead of eating it "raw" (we did sample it raw, though) - it was crispy on the outside and nice and juice on the inside, I surprised even myself how well it turned out!

- - - - -

As the final weeks are approaching, there are some more details to work out, mainly which plants will be planted there.
Late March/early April is a great start for many veggies and herbs, but even though I have lots of space, I don't want to be growing to many things at once, instead I'll focus on stuff that grows fast, easy, and abundantly, but preferring those that will either sell/trade easily and/or preserve easily.
For now, these are some off the top of my mind (in no particular order): hemp, dill, beans, peas, potatoes, spinach, sunchokes, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, sage, thyme, mint, radish, zucchini, lettuce, bell peppers.
Some of these are better suited for sowing in late spring, which comes in very handy as chickens and pigs will need some time to work the soil and it should be ready in the 2-3 months that it takes.

That is it for now, in preparations for the travel I still have a bit of clothes and equipment to prepare for shipping.

Thanks for reading, and see you again soon!
Stay frosty!

This is it, the time has come!

Well, actually, the time already came 4 weeks ago, I was just a bit occupied with other stuff, plus internet access is restricted at the moment (and so is water and electricity).

Anyhow, I have finally gathered up all I had and headed south from Ireland to Croatia.

And now I'm here, slowly working on the new soon-to-be homestead.

The crowdfunding project is closed for now, as there was some bureaucratic issues with the GoFundMe campaign (apparently, the site doesn't operate in Croatia yet, and I can't live in Ireland and accept funds which will be spent in a different country...), so I'll delay that for now. I'll open a new one once I figure out what the best option is for these parts.

I will open a different project thread on this forum where I'll keep all the updates and how things are going - the other sites are up, namely Facebook and Instagram (not posting frequently yet), but will be working on others once the majority of the setting-up is done.

-- Just a quick update before I head on over to a different thread:

> the garden beds are established, 6 of them. So far I've sown tomatoes, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, beans, herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme), flowers (anise, marygold)
> 4 out of 5 chicken tractors have been made, 1 has been populated with 6 hens and a rooster.
> the pigs are on the way (super excited!), should be here just after weekend - area for them has been designated and cleared, need to set up electric fence still.
> met a good few of the people from the village, everyone is super nice, but yesterday I met someone with experience in the very same methods I'll be using (an eco-guy)

As mentioned earlier, I don't actually have grid power and running water, and have limited internet access (sometimes it's there, sometimes it's a bit shy...), and so I'm at the library for any 'serious' posting from now on (mostly on rainy days).

So that's it for now, I'll see you another time when I get the other thread up (will come back here to link the two together).

Happy homesteading everyone!