- The people, the farmers are leaving the land. What can we do? If the commons are not used, the village authority can give them out to big companies. In the old law there is a shepherding rule, which requires deliberation of use and debate to make the best decision. Now the Mayor thinks he is the boss of the commons.
- The local priest organized the village to produce milk and make cheese when the previous system broke down. The church wants to pursue further agriculture education. The village where this church is has 230 people. 50% are retired. And of the 120 who work, 40 work at the church. Says the priest, “if we want to keep people here, we needed a school and orphanage. To sustain that we need a farm. And to employ people we need a bakery.”
- Ecological farming is labor, it’s bloody much work. After the revolution in the 90s, the borders opened and people left. They went west for jobs, or went to the city and became ‘overstudied’. There are no more farmers, welders, or electricians.
- I am the only young one, in my 20s. The other youngest are in their 40s. I decided whether to go to veterinary school or keep herding. I had a small flock during school, and I chose to keep herding. I don’t want to develop a specialty market for sales. I sell seasonally for Easter and other times, to the Arab market. I want to grow my herd to 300 head.
- The systems were sustainable for centuries and they are breaking down now. There are very few people involved making decisions, and they are pursuing narrow self-interest. So they use the best spots and graze close to the village now. If there were more farmers, more people would be involved to make decisions, then the decisions are better for the community and the land. Every time decisions are better as a group. They choose the greater good.
- Shepherds are the missing piece.
- My method, shepherding with dogs, is better than electric fence. The electric fence doesn’t see the pasture or if the sheep are sick, but I do. Whether the pasture plants are big, little, their color. I am there next to the pasture, and I can see which will be good for the next morning. The fence can’t see this. The dog is the electric fence, and with the dogs we can graze pastures better.
- Farmers want fence because it is cheaper. Electric fence is not the solution because we really need people for the livestock, it is the most important thing.