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SUSTAINABLE LIVING OFFERS HOPE FOR FUTURE FOR HUNGARIAN FAMILIES



THE WIDER IMAGE


SUSTAINABLE LIVING OFFERS HOPE FOR FUTURE FOR HUNGARIAN FAMILIES



Mihaly Pogany, 29 gives water to his animals, at his farm near Kecskemet,
Hungary, July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Marton Monus




SUSTAINABLE LIVING OFFERS HOPE FOR FUTURE FOR HUNGARIAN FAMILIES



By Marton Monus

Filed April 26, 2024, 9:23 a.m. GMT


Photography and reporting by Marton Monus
Reporting by Krisztina Than and Krisztina Fenyo

Filed: May 02, 2024, 8 a.m. GMT

Laszlo Kemencei lives as sustainably as possible on his small farm in eastern
Hungary. He believes the land is effectively borrowed from his young daughter,
so he must do all he can to preserve it for the future.

Kemencei, 28, wife Cintia and Boroka, almost 2, moved to the farm outside
Ladanybene three years ago. They keep horses, pigs and chickens on an area of
4.5 hectares (11 acres), which they partly lease for grazing.


Laszlo Kemencei, 28, plays with his daughter Boroka in the underground
greenhouse at their farm near Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Martin
Monus

Pigs eat at Laszlo Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7, 2024.
REUTERS/Martin Monus

They do not use pesticides, keep their animals free range, and dig the land as
little as possible to preserve the structure and moisture of the rich soil. They
grow their own vegetables and slaughter or barter the meat they need, while
trading the rest with families who choose a similar lifestyle.

Kemencei says while becoming fully self-sufficient seems an unrealistic goal,
they rely minimally on external resources.

“This land, we have not inherited from our fathers, but we have it on a lease
from our children ... so we try to live and farm the land in a sustainable way,”
he says, sitting in their cosy kitchen where a chunk of pork sizzles in the
oven.

























Kemencei, his wife Cintia Mnyere, 31, and their daughter Boroka have breakfast
at their farm near Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Martin Monus


Laszlo Kemencei, Cintia Mnyere, and their daughter Boroka.

Ladanybene, Hungary



Two slaughtered chickens are seen on a table at Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene,
Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Kemencei and his friend Krisztian Kisjuhasz, 41, hang a scorched pig at
Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Cintia Mnyere, 31, puts her daughter Boroka to sleep at their farm near
Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Kemencei waters plants in the underground greenhouse at his farm near
Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Cars drive past Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene, Hungary, March 19, 2024.
REUTERS/Marton Monus



While there are no statistics on how many families are following a similar
lifestyle in Hungary - part of their choice is not necessarily to engage with
central institutions - anecdotal evidence suggests it is a growing trend.

Some want to rein in the costs of living, while for others it is to escape a
consumer-driven society or live a more environmentally friendly life.

Kemencei estimates there are around 1,000 families trying to embrace some form
of sustainability, either alone or as part of informal barter arrangements, or
as part of more structured eco-villages.

He said a loose grouping called Sustainable Regression had around 600 to 800
members - although not all have committed to all aspects of sustainable living.


Vegetables grow in the underground greenhouse at Akos Varga's farm in
Nagybereny, Hungary, March 26, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus

Onions sit inside a boz at Akos Varga’s farm in Nagybereny, Hungary, March 26,
2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus

Reuters spoke to six other families, many of whom had left jobs in the formal
economy, who were now growing much of their own food. Some had their own energy
and water supplies.

Akos Varga and wife Gabi, both in their late 50s, sold their IT and solar panel
business four years ago to live a freer life on a farm in Nagybereny, in western
Hungary.

Varga believes small, self-sustaining communities where mutual trust matters
will spread.

“We thought we had achieved what we wanted and asked ourselves if this is really
happiness. And we could not say yes to that,” Varga said. “We were seeking being
close to nature.”

























Akos Varga checks the light system above the vegetables in his underground
greenhouse, at his farm in Nagybereny, Hungary, March 26, 2024. REUTERS/Martin
Monus


Akos and Gabi Varga.

Nagybereny, Hungary



Akos hands empty crates to Emo Ambrus at Varga’s farm in Nagybereny, Hungary,
March 26, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Gabi feeds the chickens in her farm, in Nagybereny, Hungary, March 26, 2024.
REUTERS/Marton Monus


Gabi Varga (left), 57, and Emo Ambrus wash vegetables to make kimchi at Varga’s
farm in Nagybereny, Hungary, March 26, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Ambrus carries a salad for lunch at Varga’s farm in Nagybereny, Hungary, March
26, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Ambrus and Ildiko Kamocsai prepare kimchi at Varga’s farm in Nagybereny,
Hungary, March 26, 2024.  REUTERS/Marton Monus


Members of an eco community have lunch at member Istvan David’s home in
Nagybereny, Hungary, March 26, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


 Petra Pogany-Bago, 24, and her mother Marsa Irma play with Petra’s son, Mihaly
Pogany at their farm near Kecskemet, Hungary, July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Martin
Monus


Mihaly Pogany, Petra Pogany-Bago, their son Mihaly Pogany and her mother Marsa
Irma.

Kecskemet, Hungary



Mihaly Pogany, 29, looks at his wife Petra (not pictured), while he collects
onions from the vegetable garden at his farm near Kecskemet, Hungary, July 16,
2023. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Sheep walk around Pogany’s farm near Kecskemet, Hungary, July 16, 2023.
REUTERS/Marton Monus


Petra collects eggs at her farm near Kecskemet, Hungary, July 16, 2023.
REUTERS/Marton Monus


Mihaly, Petra, their son Mihaly Pogany and Marsa Irma have dinner at their farm
near Kecskemet, Hungary, July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Petra puts away clean dishes in the kitchen, at her farm near Kecskemet,
Hungary, July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Marton Monus



Barter trade

For Kemencei, the trusted networks matter too. A small pot-bellied pig traded
with a friend is eaten from nose to tail. A rooster is swapped with another
friend who is a beekeeper.

“We sometimes slaughter chickens for barter trade ... but only from a place
where we know the farming is similar to ours,” Kemencei said.

“We don’t want to change the world here ... or become some kind of superheroes,
there are plenty of those out there, we would like to produce most of what we
need.”

Currently, they do not live off-grid. They have the internet, and buy
electricity and gas for heating. But their water comes from a well and they hope
to install solar panels and a wind turbine when they can afford it, Kemencei
said.


Kemencei prepares slaughtered chickens, on his farm near Ladanybene, Hungary,
March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus

They can get by on about 250,000 forints ($680) per month, outside of
emergencies. They buy milk, sugar and other basics that they cannot grow
themselves.

The family have a walipini greenhouse for plants  - a hole in the ground covered
with polyethylene glazing. The name means “place of warmth” in the language in
Bolivia where the practice comes from.

“We should reduce our wants just a little, as now we live in a world where we
sit on a galloping horse and when the horse dies, we just jump on another one,”
he says.

“This is scary, but I think everyone should do their best within their limits.”

























Mnyere holds her daughter Boroka while she feeds the pigs at their farm, near
Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Kemencei and Kisjuhasz load pork on a car at Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene,
Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Kemencei and Kisjuhasz scorch a pig at Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene, Hungary,
March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Kemencei and Kisjuhasz scorch a pig at Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene, Hungary,
March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


A dog stands next to a chicken’s head at Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene,
Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Jars full of Kisjuhasz’s honey sit on shelfs in Ladanybe, Hungary, March 7,
2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Kisjuhasz sells his honey at a market in Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2024.
REUTERS/Marton Monus


Kemencei, Mnyere and their daughter Boroka have breakfast at their farm near
Ladanybene, Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus


Kemencei, Mnyere, their daugther Baroka, and their friends Kisjuhasz and his
partner Zsanett Homoki, 34, have lunch at Kemencei’s farm near Ladanybene,
Hungary, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Marton Monus



The Wider Image

Photography: Marton Monus

Reporting: Krisztina Than and Krisztina Fenyo

Writing: Krisztina Than

Photo editing and design: Marta Montana Gomez and Maye-E Wong

Text editing: Alison Williams



LICENSE THIS STORY


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