Core Team
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The Polyculture Project is a sister project of Balkan Ecology Project run by Paul Alfrey, Sophie Roberts and their two boys Dylan and Archie. They have been in Bulgaria since 2005, before which Paul worked as an arborist running a tree care business in the suburbs of south London and Sophie as a nurse. Inspired by the widespread practice of locally grown food and the incredible biodiversity of Bulgaria they started to develop productive ecological gardens.
Paul founded the Balkan Ecology Project in 2010 with the main aim being to develop and promote practices that provide nutritious affordable food while enhancing biodiversity. He has been working towards building a world class example of a regenerative landscape at their site and working as a designer and consultant on multiple agro-eco projects across the temperate zone. |
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Collaborators
Christopher Kirby-LambertEcological Consultant and Entomologist
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Sofia UniversityAssoc. Prof Ganka Chaneva
Assoc. Prof. Miroslava Zhiponova Assist. Prof. Detelina Petrova |
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
- Assoc. Prof. Grigor Traykov Zehirov
- Prof. Valya Nikolova Vassileva,
- Prof. Valya Nikolova Vassileva,
Why The Polyculture Project ?
Industrial agricultural practises often result in destruction of habitat for many organisms. We believe this is unnecessary, and want to provide healthier models of agriculture that can provide nutritious affordable food while at the same time promoting biodiversity and general ecosystem health. Industrial methods are heavily researched and funded, and there is a general belief among many farmers that this is the only practical way of operating. Following 12 years of cultivating polyculture gardens we are seeing that small scale biologically cultivated polyculture gardens are a realistic and practical way of providing food for humans whilst preserving biodiversity in the environment. Furthermore we believe this type of agriculture can help create thriving local economies that strengthen community and enhance the amenity value of an area. Little data exists showing the productive capacity of polyculture systems and the economic viability of them. There is a big need to fill this gap and provide solid data and concise coherent models that can be replicated easily and provide real solutions to the environmental damage caused by industrial agriculture. This project intends to go some of the way in filling this gap.
Contact UsThe Polyculture Project is a sister project of Balkan Ecology Project15 Dobri Kartolov
Shipka 6150 Bulgaria phone - +359988342649 email - balkanecologyproject@gmail.com |
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