Return to Food Sovereignty: The Revival of Old Bulgarian Vegetable Varieties in the Village of Pavel – Kiro Breika

In search of the lost authentic taste of local food, producers in the village of Pavel are restoring the cultivation of genuine Bulgarian vegetable varieties through entirely ecological methods, proving in practice the country's potential for food sovereignty.

Bulgaria's Potential and Lost Agricultural Traditions

Bulgaria has more than 30 different types of soil, which creates enormous natural potential for achieving complete food sovereignty and producing exceptionally high-quality products. In the past, the country produced real food, and village life was inseparably connected with agriculture and local traditions. During harvest time, rural villages organized large celebrations with local food, and every settlement had its own mill and bakery, which provided fresh bread with an unmatched aroma. Every household cultivated large yards of one or two decares, where elderly people grew their own vegetable varieties for decades and carefully preserved seeds for the following year.

The modern reality is completely different, with the market flooded with hybrid vegetable varieties grown using huge amounts of pesticides. These products are often difficult to distinguish visually, have no taste qualities, and cause stomach problems, despite being widely advertised as a healthy alternative. Many rural areas are completely depopulated, agricultural lands lie abandoned, and basic crops such as onions and garlic are imported from countries like China. With the loss of elderly people in villages, authentic Bulgarian tomato varieties are also disappearing, replaced by imported and tasteless hybrids.

Returning to the Village and Creating a Clean Farm

Against the background of the widespread decline of agriculture, initiatives for reviving Bulgarian traditions are emerging. After a 15-year stay in Germany, Vasilka and her mother Maria make the firm decision to return to Bulgaria. The main motivation for this return is the restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic and the desire for a freer way of life. The two women settle in the rural village of Pavel, renovate their house, and transform the abandoned yard into a maintained garden for vegetables and flowers. For Vasilka, working in the garden serves as psychological relief from her main profession, which involves providing customer service in German from home.

Initially starting with a small greenhouse and conventional hybrid seeds, the family quickly realizes that this is not the authentic taste of the past. Vasilka begins targeted research and a search for old Bulgarian varieties. Through online contacts and on-site searches, she manages to find and reproduce original seeds from local grandmothers in the village of Pavel, as well as from producers in the Varna region and the village of Neofit Rilski.

Cultivated Crops and Ecological Practices

The farm in the village of Pavel is developing extremely successfully and currently offers a wide variety of clean crops that have been completely forgotten in mainstream commercial circulation.

Main crops grown in the garden:

• Tomatoes: Various old varieties, including the red "oxheart" tomato, which produce natural sauce and have a distinctive sweet taste.
• Cucumbers: Traditional varieties such as "gergana", as well as the extremely rare local types "krokodilka" and "sumitsorio", from which seeds are preserved.
• Other vegetables: Peppers, eggplants, potatoes, green beans, Bulgarian onions, garlic, asparagus, cauliflower, and cabbage.
• Fruits: Melons, watermelons, and various types of pumpkins and zucchini.

A key element of the production process is the complete refusal to use conventional chemical preparations with long waiting periods that accumulate in plants. Crop protection is carried out through certified biological products that are completely safe for people and bees. Vasilka also applies traditional homemade recipes involving microorganisms and natural ingredients to nourish the soil and plants. This ecological approach guarantees the purity of the harvest and allows the restoration of the authentic taste that amazes even foreign guests and high-ranking visitors during their visits to the country.

Direct Marketing and Connection with Consumers

To sell her products and reach people, Vasilka builds an effective direct sales model that eliminates the need for intermediaries.

Interest in this initiative is growing extremely quickly through recommendations from satisfied customers. Consumers from different cities who once taste the authentic flavor of the vegetables often increase their initial orders from one kilogram to more than ten kilograms. This entrepreneurial approach provides an opportunity for additional income in small communities and proves that Bulgarian villages can develop sustainably through the production of clean and high-quality food.