Trades of Our Fathers 2011 - Friday 8th July 2011 from 5:30pm The first edition of 'Trades of Our Fathers' (Hidmet Missirijietna), a traditional agriculture and rural crafts festival, was held in Mgarr, Malta, right in the wide expanse of wheat fields and meadows of the Bingemma Valley. Mgarr farmers contributed the variety of animals, including heavy horses, donkeys, piglets, lambs, poultry birds and more. Besides the children's petting zoo, many animals were used for re-enactments and demonstrations. The traditional harvesting, winnowing and threshing of wheat (qiegha) was also performed repeatedly throughout the event. Several craftsmen showed off their skill in purpose built stalls, which featured wicker baskets, sheep wool looms, fishing net weaving and more. The event was closed off with a large BBQ dinner based on skewered pig prepared with a traditional rural recipe. All with the unique scenery of Mgarr acting as a backdrop. The Festival is the brainchild of a young Mgarr farmer, barely out of his teens, who has the Maltese agricultural traditions and heritage at heart. He spearheaded the effort to kickstart this event and rallied the Mgarr Youth Drama Company (MYDC - which he heads), the Mgarr Youth Committee as well as the local council to volunteer to put up this unique event. Being the first edition, attendance was not only very encouraging, but exceeded all expectations. The public flocked to Mgarr, not merely viewing but also participating in the re ...
Tags :Mgarr, Malta, Agriculture, Imgarr, rural, crafts, folk, qiegha, harvest, Festival, farm, wheat, thresh, thresher, winnow, wicker, backet, sheep, wool, weaving, loom, children, donkey, pony, rides, pet, petting, zoo, Traditional, Festa Frawli, Lejla Mgarrija, Maltese, Tourism

Malta farmers in Uttarakhand struggle to make a profit, despite government provisions. Luxmi's video today tells us about the trials that small-scale farmers in Gairsen face in trying to make a living from farming malta, a type of citrus fruit. The biggest problem they experience is exploitation by middlemen. Since malta is locally grown in plenty by the community, the fruit is mostly taken out of the hilly areas and sold in the plains near Uttar Pradesh or exported. Although the Horticulture Department of Uttarkhand is supposed to be buying the fruit at a standard price, the logistics and bureaucracy involved with this process make the farmers reluctant to get involved, and instead take the easier option of selling their produce to middlemen who appear at their doorstep. Since they live in the hilly areas, the terrain is difficult to navigate and the weather seasonal. Transporting the fruit becomes an an expensive investment. The Horticulture Department pays in cheques and not cash, and these sometimes take months to arrive. Malta typically ripens very fast and if not taken down, the trees break easily. They don't have adequate storage facilities. For all these reasons, the farmers are beset by huge losses of both produce and money. "Also," Luxmi explains, "they have traditionally sold all their fruit to the middlemen. They told me that this is what their ancestors did, so it is hard to break this tradition." "I want these farmers to stop selling their fruit cheap to the ...
Tags :citrus, fruit, Community, Media, Export, farmers, farming, gairsen, horticulture, department, loss, Luxmi, Nautiyal, malta, markets, middlemen, price, fluctuation, speculation, prices, seasonal, weather, spoilage, storage, tradition, transportation, uttrakhand

Is Malta steering away from the self sufficiency of traditional farming?
Tags :Green, Thumb, Malta, agriculture, permaculture, ecology, ecosystem, biodiversity, agro, house, bio, biological, plant, diverse, permanent, culture, crop, produce, food, grain, soil, micro, organism, document, nature, trailer, documentary, outdoors, tourism, wilderness, environment, contamination, pollution, fruit, vegetable, counsellor, macrobiotic, processed, convenient, traditional

Peppi Gauci, a Maltese permaculturist, talks about Malta's land, the soil and the climate elements affecting agriculture.
Tags :Green, Thumb, Malta, agriculture, permaculture, ecology, ecosystem, biodiversity, agro, house, bio, biological, plant, diverse, permanent, culture, crop, produce, food, grain, soil, micro, organism, document, nature, trailer, documentary, outdoors, tourism, wilderness, environment, contamination, pollution, fruit, vegetable, counsellor, macrobiotic, processed, convenient

Divers from "The Changing Oceans Expedition" explore a red tuna farm in Malta. Red tunas are trapped in large cages (approximately 1000 tuna in a 50m diameter cage) were they are fed systematically until they reach commercial size. More info on the expedition : www.changingoceans.org
Tags :fisheries, tuna, aquaculture, fish farming, fishery, overfishing, underwater diving, big tuna

www.cheflaszlo.com - Fish is rightly one of the mainstays of the islands' diet with the abundance of fine fish and crustaceans in the Maltese fishing waters. Generally fish is very fresh -caught and eaten on the same day. We ate our catch raw (sashimi) right after the fishing trip. It was delicious! The treats to be found include lobster, prawns, calamari, octopus, dentex, grouper, John Dory, pandora, sea bass, swordfish, tuna, amberjack, bream, mullet, scorpion fish and when is season lampuki.
Tags :Fishing, Malta, marsaxlokk, yellowfin tuna, lobster, prawns, calamari, octopus, dentex, grouper, John Dory, pandora, sea bass, swordfish, tuna, amberjack, bream, mullet, scorpion fish

The Presidential Palace at San Anton Garden, in Malta, was opened to the public for the Citrus Festival (Festa Tac-Citru) which showcases both freshly picked citrus fruit as well as a myriad of food prepared with Oranges and Lemons grown in these luscious gardens. Jointly put up by 'Naturalment Malti' (MRRA) and the Community Chest Fund, with all the proceeds going in aide of Haiti. Citrus fruit and associated food was only the tip of the iceberg though, as a petting small zoo with typical Maltese farm animals as well as children entertainment were setup inside the San Anton Garden grounds. Also, parts of the gardens' which are usually closed to the public, being part of the President of Malta's palace, were opened, including the magnificent chapel and the secluded gardens and fountains. As part of an ever increasing number of agri-tourism events in the Maltese calendar, the festival rediscovers Malta's rich heritage in farming and agriculture, as well as restoring and showcasing the treasure trove of architectural jewels left over by Malta's past occupiers. The Citrus Festival is quite similar to that held annually in Santa Paula, California, although on a smaller scale. The main difference (beside size) is the venue. With the San Anton Gardens offering an outstanding frame to this event. The video presents a small part of the festival to give an idea of this event to all those who could not make it. The music is from a track called 'Maltese Nights' by Melchior Sultana ...
Tags :Malta, Maltese, Festa, tac-Citru, Citru, Citrus, San, Anton, Garden, Gnien, Naturalment, Malti, MRRA, folk, folklore, tradition, ethnic, cultura, culture, agriculture, agri-tourism, Festival, Fest, Presidential, Palace, George, Abela, Palazz, Palaz, President, Laring, Orange, Lemons, Lumi, food, ikel, entertainment, kids, children, petting, zoo, farm, animals, llama, swan, goat, ghogol, calf, moghza, sheep, balloon, face, painting, Melchior, Sultana, Community, Chest, Fund, Santa, Paula, California, CC, Creative, Commons, http://creativecommons.org/

www.cheflaszlo.com - Fish is rightly one of the mainstays of the islands' diet with the abundance of fine fish and crustaceans in the Maltese fishing waters. Generally fish is very fresh -caught and eaten on the same day. We ate our catch raw (sashimi) right after the fishing trip. It was delicious! The treats to be found include lobster, prawns, calamari, octopus, dentex, grouper, John Dory, pandora, sea bass, swordfish, tuna, amberjack, bream, mullet, scorpion fish and when is season lampuki.
Tags :Fishing, Malta, marsaxlokk, yellowfin tuna, lobster, prawns, calamari, octopus, dentex, grouper, John Dory, pandora, sea bass, swordfish, tuna, amberjack, bream, mullet, scorpion fish

Technology has helped the farmer keep up with the demand for food, however agriculture is facing a lot of challenges in this unfriendly ecological climate.
Tags :technology, pesticidies, chemicals, fertilizer, Green, Thumb, Malta, agriculture, permaculture, ecology, ecosystem, biodiversity, agro, house, bio, biological, plant, diverse, permanent, culture, crop, produce, food, grain, soil, micro, organism, document, nature, trailer, documentary, outdoors, tourism, wilderness, environment, contamination, pollution, fruit, vegetable, counsellor, macrobiotic, processed, convenient

Jørgen Skov (video), Anders Skov - 2009.08.11
Tags :Tuna, Fish, Farm, Malta, Bluefin, Diving, Dive, Jørgen, Skov, Anders

The time-honoured rural traditions of Burmarrad were brought back to life during the first edition of Festa Bdiewa f'Burmarrad. Traditionally, Burmarrad has always been connected with farming as most of its residents were engaged in the agricultural sector. They celebrated their profession participating in a pilgrimage around Burmarrad, during which they used to carry along their tools, animals and produce and then have them blessed on the church parvis. This year, St Paul's Bay Local Council and the Burmarrad Feast Committee teamed up in order to revive this traditional feast in an activity called Festa Bdiewa f'Burmarrad. The historic pilgrimage and blessing of animals and tools were re-enacted. The pilgrimage started from near the Chapel of San Pawl Milqi (St. Paul Welcomed), situated on the largest Roman Villa ever found on the Maltese Island. A good number of participants took part in this pilgrimage which paraded through the streets of this small village of Burmarrad.
Tags :Burmarrad, Malta, farmers, tractors, pilgrimage, parade, agriculture, feast, festa, bdiewa

Guzeppi Borg, an organic farmer, talks about organic fruit and tests on how to pick out these naturally grown crops from the rest.
Tags :Organic, Fruit, Vegetable, Malta, Farming, agriculture, Joe, Guzeppi, Green, Thumb, Permaculture, Ecology, Ecosystem, Biodiversity, agro, house, Bio, Biological, plant, Diverse, Permanent, Culture, crop, produce, food, grain, soil, micro, organism, document, nature, trailer, documentary, outdoors, tourism, wilderness, natural

Tuna are ocean-dwelling carnivorous fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers—they have been clocked at 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph)—and include several warm-blooded species. Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, tuna flesh is pink to dark red, which could explain their odd nick-name, "rose of the sea." more: en.wikipedia.org
Tags :Tuna, Tuńczyki, Nurkowanie, Diving, Malta

Visit to a tuna pen at Maltese tuna farm. Did free dive with some 1000 fish approx 2 meters long. Cool experience, the fun cost about 20 EUR including boat trip and is available for both scuba and snorkeling.
Tags :divewithtunas2011

Shrouded in mystery, I had no idea where I was being taken by my children on 'Mother's Day', so I waited in joyful anticipation at 7.am on my doorstep for their arrival. Less than two hours later, we reached the enchanting village of Gharb in Gozo, where our host, the indomitable Victor Galea, chairperson of the Ager Foundation, emerged full of his usual enthusiasm, from his idyllic retreat in a sun-splashed street, and introduced us to his charming wife Miriam who gave us a true Gozitan welcome. I did not yet know that a memorable day on a neighbouring farm was to be my experience. A very homely Grezzja, sweet daughter Guza and avuncular dad Karmnu stood at the entrance of their farmhouse ready to receive us. We were joined by two young couples from Malta and a beautiful lady lawyer from Russia. Fortified by steaming mugs of coffee flavoured with tacci (cloves), we made our way to the farm around the corner. Here we found sheep, goats and rabbits and here also, we were introduced to the art of milking - everyone trying his hand - and treated to a sheep-shearing session. The biggest rabbit I have ever seen ate his dinner unperturbed by prying eyes while a kindle of kittens would their way around our feet. And so to lunch to Grezzja's cosy kitchen who, before we sat down to table, prepared a big container with the milk which Karmnu had brought back and into which she put coagulating powder for the production of cheese which took exactly one hour to settle. Steaming bowls ...
Tags :Gozo, Ghawdex, Malta, Farming, Fishing, holidays, Victor, Ager, Environment, annimali, ghelieqi, animals, fields, Alternattiva

A great group of students from the English Language Institute of NSTS hopped on a bus to an organic farm in Dingli, Malta. We walked through the olive groves, tasted some local fruits and vegetables, learned about biodiversity and organic farming, saw a reservoir from the 18th century, learned about the machinery used to make olive oil, and then enjoyed a Maltese lunch overlooking Dingli Cliffs and the sea. This is one of the many excursions around Malta offered by NSTS. If you're interested in more information or in joining us, please visit our website at www.nsts.org.
Tags :malta, travel, tourism, NSTS, NSTS Malta, excursions, olive oil, wine, cuisine, organic, biodiversity, mediterranean, English language school, culture, food, cooking, nature, dingli, language, study, english, course

MEP David Casa visited Mr. George Sacco's farm in Qrendi. This farm benefited from almost 110000 euros to improve his final product.
Tags :David, Casa, Lawrence, Gonzi, Malta, in, EU, Funds, Success, Partit, Nazzjonalista

The world is full of good news. The following are just a few ... The Israeli Security Cabinet has expressed willingness to ease regulations to allow more goods into Gaza, Palestine. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invites members of Afghan groups to UN-sponsored peace talks, pledging to continue humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, including infrastructure development and electricity supply. Egypt's Investment Minister Mahmoud Mohieldin meets with Iraqi officials to discuss reconstruction projects in Iraq and other areas of further cooperation. Italy donates €1 million for the construction and equipping of a blood donation center in Yemen's Taiz province. With organically grown produce increasing in popularity, Malta encourages growers on the island of Gozo to switch to organic farming as well as qualify for Malta Standards Authority certification for better access to European markets. British Prime Minister David Cameron issues an official apology for the 13 Irish Catholic lives lost in one day in 1972, conveying his sorrow for the actions of British troops at that time. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and his Lao counterpart Boungnang Vorachit witness the signing of 18 cooperation agreements in fields such as trade, infrastructure and power generation between the two countries. Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz spends five days in Ghana to help raise awareness with US-based non-profit organization Free the Slaves, a group ...
Tags :CONSTRUCTIVES, Israeli, Security, Cabinet, ease, Gaza, regulations, Palestine, Turkmen, President, Afghan, peace, talks, humanitarian, assistance, Egypt's, Investment, Minister, Iraqi, reconstruction, projects, Italy, donates, blood, donation, Yemen's, Taiz, province, organically, grown, produce, Malta, farming, British, Prime, apology, Catholic, lives, lost, 1972, Chinese, cooperation, Lao, agreements, trade, infrastructure, power, Jason, Mraz, Ghana, Free the Slaves, Israel, volunteering, food, pensions, Paraguay

The Ager Foundation operates as a non-governmental non-profit making organization. It aims to focus public attention on the value of safeguarding the natural environment for present and future generations. Its principle mission is to improve the quality of the life of the local community within the context of a responsible tourism infrastructure by promoting sustainable rural development in the region island of Gozo. Based on eco-tourism criteria, the foundation promotes the 'The Gozo experience', the first project of its kind by: 1. Capitalising on the potential of the island of Gozo as sustainable tourist destination and a unique selling proposition: the people, the tradition of hospitality, the culture and countryside; 2. Stabilizing the otherwise erratic seasonal pattern of Gozo tourism, agrotourism being an all weather service; 3. Diverting the heavily weighted density of tourists from the traditional commercial resorts, primarily concentrated on the coast, in favour of the countryside in the hinterland; 4. Marketing Gozo as a unique holiday destination while providing a focus of action and debate for participants (both service providers and service users) to promote and implement the values of responsibility and respect towards traditions and culture in an ecologically sustainable society. The Ager Foundation serves as a catalyst and facilitator among Gozitan organizations and residents and fosters the sustainable, responsible development of the region-island as a ...
Tags :Gozo, Ghawdex, Tourism, Education, Green, Eco-Tourism, Malta, Farming, Victor, Galea

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report, from voaspecialenglish.com | http German health officials announced on June tenth that bean sprouts were the cause of Europe's deadly outbreak of E. coli bacteria. E. coli infections killed at least thirty people since late May. Nearly three thousand others were sickened. Most of the victims were in Germany. After the announcement, Russia said it will lift its ban on European Union vegetables in return for EU safety guarantees. At first, German officials suggested that cucumbers from Spain were to blame. Russia and other countries quickly banned vegetable imports from Spain and other European countries. The Spanish agriculture minister, Rosa Aguilar, demanded that Germany pay for her country's losses.John Dalli of Malta is the European Union's commissioner for health and consumer policy. He said a rush to judgment "spreads unjustified fears in the population all over Europe, and creates problems for our food producers selling products in the EU and outside of the EU."Some critics accused Russia of using the issue to try to help its effort to join the World Trade Organization. Russia is the largest economy without membership in the WTO. EU Farm Commissioner Dacian Ciolos proposed giving European farmers two hundred twenty million dollars in aid. The goal was to help European farmers recover at least fifty percent of their losses. By June eighth, Mr. Ciolos had raised the amount to over three hundred million dollars. The E ...
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