Hamsa Herbs – organic production with a social element and care for nature
Hamsa Herbs is a small, family-owned herb farm situated in the beautiful and biodiverse Sredna Gora mountains of Central Bulgaria. The mission of this organically certified farm is to grow and produce local, handcrafted herbals, and provide a fairly-produced, high-quality, tasty products. The herbs are organically cultivated and certified, and responsibly wild-harvested in a natural environment. Farm and Harvest Practice: Refrain from using any pesticides, herbicides, fungicides (including those that are allowed in organic farming), and artificial fertilizers, means that the farm is looking knowledge and know-how based cost-efficient practices on e.g. nutrient recycling, waste biomass valorisation, renewable energy production and use, biological agricultural inputs (bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides), biorefining, etc. Promote local plant and insect biodiversity, recognize the complex relationships between various species and restore healthy plant communities helps to mitigate the impact of extreme temperature and water fluctuations, counter pest damage, and foster beneficial interactions between herbs and organisms.Rather than growing large areas of the same herb species, the farm focusses on cultivating smaller plots with a variety of different species. The farm follows the WHO’s guidance on Good Agricultural and Collection Practices for medicinal plants (GACP). It uses 100 % compostable tea packaging, and re-useable glass, food grade plastic only for storing bulk herbs and tea mixtures.Social tools to address e.g. rural development of Less-Favoured Areas. Every year the farm welcomes volunteers from around the world to stay and work and learn about the entire process of growing herbs,harvest and processing.
MAINSTREAMing small-scale BIO-based solutions across rural Europe via regional Multi-actor Innovation Platforms and tailored innovation support
Completed | 2022-2025
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Belgium