CIVIL SOCIETY: 45 PRACTICES
KETHEA is the largest rehabilitation and social reintegration network in Greece. It has been providing its services to drug addicts and their families since Ithaki, the first Greek therapeutic community, was set up in 1983.
Read more: www.kethea.gr
The aim of the farm development project is, in addition to meeting the needs of KETHEA units in Northern Greece in fresh agricultural products, the choice of processing the products and entering the market.
For this purpose, the processing of grains into flour and pasta has started and is expanding. The products are sold in SKLAVENITIS super market and the cooperative store BiosCoop, while new collaborations are sought. The goal is both economic (the provision of quality products with greater financial benefit) and social.
A parallel goal remains the training in organic farming of the members of the therapeutic community KETHEA ITHAKI who are in the phase of social reintegration. The training of members in this field is considered particularly useful, based on the latest developments in the field of employment, where the need to change the productive model, combined with the emerging food deficit, is expected to strengthen the "return to the earth" as a professional selection. At the same time, a part of the area will be allocated for cultivation to a group of members of the Therapeutic Community of KETHEA ITHAKI (main Therapeutic Phase), contributing to the therapeutic result through creative employment and contact with the earth and the natural cycles of life.
The evolution of its form from a Production Unit of KETHEA to a Social Integration Cooperative (KOISEN) is also examined, in order to acquire the flexibility in decision-making required for its operation in business terms.
To the members of the therapeutic programs of KETHEA of Thessaloniki who are in the phase of social reintegration, who will be trained in organic farming and agriculture and will learn on the farm, constituting an opportunity of professional training and gaining experience in a functional production unit.
In KETHEA units (consumers of the products of the Farm).
To the general public who will buy the products of the farm, while promoting the consumption of organic food.
The farm of KETHEA ITHACA is one of the Production Units of KETHEA that operate in Sindos, Thessaloniki. Together with the Carpentry and the Ceramics workshop, they operate as Protected Production Laboratories combining the Vocational Training of thebeneficiaries with the production of products that either meet the needs of KETHEA or are sold in the market contributing to the self-financing of the Organization.
The production of products and the training (through apprenticeship) ensure a safe environment where the beneficiaries are trained and gain workplace experience in full operation.
Current state of the farm
The arable land is about 130 acres (13 hectares). At the moment, 100 acres are cultivated with cereals (barley and common wheat), and 10 acres with vegetables, while an area is on fallow. There is also a greenhouse of 450 sq.m. The equipment in machines and tractors is complete, but part of it is old and needs maintenance. The Farm is certified as an Organic Farming Unit by BioHellas.
The farm, in addition to its contribution to the training of members of Social Reintegration, is an economic unit that must be sustainable, so that it can continue to operate covering its costs, without burdening the budget of KETHEA.
The farm focuses on the following areas:
* Large crops (arable). One part is sold in the market while the largest is processed into flour and pasta, in collaboration with specialized laboratories, and then sold or consumed by the therapeutic units of KETHEA, throughout Greece
* Cultivation of seasonal vegetables
* Production of seedlings
The benefits are coverage of its needs in food, but also in self-financing. Specifically:
* From the large crops (plows) where the product will be processed and sold on the market or self-consumption sold in the market, an area of 100 acres will be allocated (the crop will be wheat), which based on the usual yields and current prices, can yield an amount of € 30,000.00 per year.
* Cultivation of seasonal vegetables in an area of 10 acres. These will provide products capable of meeting the needs of all units of KETHEA in Thessaloniki, substituting the supply of vegetables that in the current conditions are estimated at € 1,500 per month, for a total of € 18,000.00 per year. They will also be available in the market. At the same time or alternatively, it may be available at organic outlets, chain stores or restaurants. As demand increases, more land can be allocated to this crop, which creates more jobs.
