Ároktő is a small village with 1200 inhabitants, huge unemployment rate, high level of poverty and with a big ratio of Roma population.
Ároktő is also a village with a nice landscape, in between the big flat land and the hills in the North.
It has an excellent soil and it is surrounded by the river Tisza.
In 2016 we begun with implementation of the Pro Ratatouille program in Ároktő. The first year activities were very successful.
More detailed photo-documentation you can find on this facebook page:
Butterfly Free Flow Development/Ároktő
The success of the Pro Ratatouille program lies partially in the local integration of the project. Therefore it is important the support of local major. This has many aspects. It is important to provide suitable land for vegetable growing.
This year the decision was taken that there will be more plots, which are central in the village, but are since many years abandoned. This decision contributed to the local visibility of the project. It also made possible the gradual learning of cooperation of the participants.
The major also integrated the project in the local festivities. This contributed to gaining pride in the participants, and made for them possible to learn additional soft skills, like: preparing, presenting, keeping a deadline etc.
During the summer month aroused the idea in the participants, that it would be good to have a bigger plot as well in the village. The major was also with this issue very cooperative, and we have found a bigger plot.
This will contribute several ways to the enlargement and deepening of the Pro Ratatouille program:
- It will make possible to produce bigger quantities,
- it will allow to invite more participants,
- It will allow to learn to handle a bigger plot, both in the agricultural, and both in cooperation skills of the participants.
From the year 2017 we will continue with the enlarging of the Pro Ratatuille project.
The work in Ároktő is supported by the LDS Charities.
