The Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun from Zadar

A sound art object and experimental musical instrument that creates lovely chimed tunes using only the rolling power of sea waves. The installation looks like a series of broad steps leading down into the sea hiding clever engineering beneath their surface. Nikola Bašić, a renowned architect, has devised an ingenious system of resonant chambers that produces ever-changing syncopated tunes which soothe and excite the minds of countless amazed visitors as they chill and linger on the Riva for hours to hear that dreamlike sound once again before they leave. Another installation of the brilliant architect symbolizes the communication between man and nature. This stirring monument consists of 300 multi-layered glass plates that absorb solar energy during the day and create a spectacular waterfront light show just after sunset. These installations are a holiday for all your senses. In love with the spectacular installations that show how well art and nature mix. Zeljko Serdar

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES: Nuvaxovid

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES: Nuvaxovid: Update:  Nuvaxovid is now authorised across the EU. This follows the granting of a conditional  marketing authorisation  by the European Com...

Agroforestry, forest farming, and food forest

Agroforestry, forest farming, and food forest

The terms agroforestry, forest farming, and food forest get used often in conjunction. Although they sound synonymous, in fact, they are related terms that have distinctly different definitions and practices. In today’s post, we explore these terms.

Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits.” So simply put, agroforestry is using trees and shrubs for some kind of benefit on the farm.

We at CCRES divide agroforestry into five major subsections. These are alley cropping, silvopasture, forest farming, riparian forest buffers, and windbreaks. So forest farming is a distinct subsection of agroforestry. To paraphrase that saying about squares and rectangles, all forest farming is agroforestry, but not all agroforestry is forest farming.

Let’s explore these five subsections.

Alley cropping is a system where trees are planted in rows for some purpose (like fruit, timber, nuts). While the farmer is waiting for those trees to mature, he plants some kind of annual between the rows of trees for short-term (annual) income.

Silvopasture is utilizing trees and livestock on a single piece of land. In general, the trees provide wind, shade, and rain shelter to the livestock. The trees themselves may be grown for timber, fruits, or nuts. The fruits and nuts may be for human or livestock consumption.

Forest farming is what everyone thinks of when the term agroforestry is used. Forest farming uses existing forests to grow food, medicinal or herbal crops with some slight manipulation of the existing forest. A classic example is using the shade of the forest to grow ginseng. Another classic example is growing shiitake mushrooms on logs from the forest under the shade of the forest.

Riparian forest buffers utilize plantings of trees, shrubs, and grasses right next to creeks, streams, and rivers. The two main purposes of riparian forest buffers are to stabilize the banks from erosion and to filter farm nutrient runoff from going into waterways.

Windbreaks are just rows of trees used to slow downwind. That being said, windbreaks have many uses. They can be used to shelter animals or buildings from wind, dust, or odors. They can be used to shelter crops from neighbors’ pesticide drift. In the Lika region, they often function as living snow fences in the winter, where snow piles naturally accumulate.

A food forest is an intentionally planned and grown “forest site.” It uses different heights of trees and shrubs to produce food at different canopy levels to maximize production. Planting is in a non-linear fashion. Food forests also utilize both the near above-ground level, ground level, and below ground level to maximize production. An example in descending height order would be chestnuts and pecans, followed by persimmons, followed by pawpaws, followed by dwarf apples, followed by comfrey (for mulching), followed by berries. Permaculturists from CCRES have been responsible for the increased popularity of food forests in Croatia over the last decade.

Permaculture Abundance / Land Equivalent Ratio

The Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) concept is considered for situations where intercropping must be compared with growing each crop sole. The need to use different standardizing sole crop yields in forming LERs is discussed, and a method of calculating an ‘effective LER’ is proposed to evaluate situations where the yield proportions achieved in intercropping are different from those that might be required by a farmer. 

The possible importance of effective LERs in indicating the proportions of crops likely to give the biggest yield advantages is discussed. Sustainable intensification of agriculture is needed to meet higher future food demands while mitigating agriculture’s ecological footprint. Intercropping is a strategy for increasing agricultural productivity per unit of land that is based on ecological mechanisms for improved resource capture. 

Here we use meta-analysis of the intercropping literature to study how the productivity of mixed systems is affected by intercrop system design and species traits. We at CCRES are focused on the effects of temporal niche differentiation between species, intercropping patterns, and relative densities. Thus, enhanced within-field crop diversity can make an important contribution to sustainable increases in food production. 

 

Komasacija poljoprivrednog zemljišta

Komasacijom se male i usitnjene površine poljoprivrednog zemljišta sjedinjuju u veće. Vlasnici i posjednici zemljišta neće snositi troškove postupka

Komasacija je skup administrativnih i tehničkih postupaka kojima se male i usitnjene površine poljoprivrednog zemljišta sjedinjuju u veće, uređuju putne i kanalske mreže te sređuju vlasnički i drugi stvarnopravni odnosi na zemljištu.

Zakonom o komasaciji poljoprivrednog zemljišta uređuju se načela za diobu komasacijske gromade, postupak za provođenje komasacije, troškovi komasacije, upravni nadzor te prekršajne odredbe.

Donošenjem Zakona o komasaciji poljoprivrednog zemljišta i provođenjem postupka komasacije omogućeno je okrupnjavanje posjeda i katastarskih čestica poljoprivrednog zemljišta, uređenje putne i kanalske mreže te sređivanje vlasničkih i drugih stvarnopravnih odnosa na zemljištu, radi njegovoga ekonomičnijeg iskorištavanja te stvaranja povoljnijih uvjeta za razvoj poljoprivredne proizvodnje.
 

Provođenje komasacije

Komasacija se provodi na temelju višegodišnjih programa, koje donosi Hrvatski sabor za razdoblje od pet godina i godišnjih programa, koje donosi Vlada Republike Hrvatske. Programe izrađuje Agencija za poljoprivredno zemljište na temelju stručnih analiza o provedbi postupka komasacije, a sukladno Programima izrađuje idejne projekte komasacije za pojedinu katastarsku općinu.

Komasacija se provodi tako da svaki sudionik komasacije dobiva za zemljište obuhvaćeno komasacijom novo zemljište u što manje čestica, u jednakoj vrijednosti, uz odbitak vrijednosti zemljišta za opće potrebe i zajedničke potrebe naselja odnosno sudionika komasacije.

Za provođenje komasacije na poljoprivrednom zemljištu koje je po načinu uporabe vinograd, voćnjak, maslinik i ribnjak, komasacija se može provoditi samo ako na to pristane natpolovična većina vlasnika, a bez njihovog pristanka ako se radi o katastarskim česticama površine do 0,5 hektara.
 
Prije pokretanja postupka komasacije Agencija za poljoprivredno zemljište saziva skup vlasnika zemljišta, radi upoznavanja sa svrhom i uvjetima pod kojima se namjerava provesti komasacija.

Rješenje o pokretanju postupka komasacije donosi Agencija za poljoprivredno zemljište, uz prethodnu suglasnost Ministarstva poljoprivrede.

Za provođenje postupka komasacije propisana su sljedeća komasacijska tijela:

• Županijsko komasacijsko povjerenstvo
• Državno komasacijsko povjerenstvo
• Odbor sudionika komasacije
• Posebno povjerenstvo koje utvrđuje stvarno stanje, raspravlja odnose nastale samovlasnim zauzećem zemljišta
• Povjerenstvo za procjenu zemljišta.

Županijsko komasacijsko povjerenstvo određuje posebnu usmenu raspravu sudionika i drugih, radi utvrđivanja površina i vrijednosti zemljišta koje se osigurava za opće potrebe i zajedničke potrebe naselja, odnosno sudionika komasacije i područja na kojima će se sudionicima komasacije dodijeliti nova zemljišta te radi utvrđivanja načela za osnivanje novih zemljišnih čestica, nakon koje izvođač stručnih geodetskih poslova izrađuje prijedlog diobe komasacijske gromade. Nakon toga se održava usmena raspravu o nadiobi zemljišta, na koju se pozivaju svi sudionici komasacije i druge stranke koje sudjeluju u postupku komasacije.

Županijsko komasacijsko povjerenstvo donosi i izvršava rješenje o komasaciji.
 
Utvrđena je novčana kazna za sprječavanje uvođenja sudionika komasacije u posjed zemljišta koja su im dodijeljena i predložen je način rješavanja započetih, a nedovršenih postupaka komasacije prije stupanja na snagu ovoga Zakona.
 

Troškovi komasacije

Vlasnici i posjednici poljoprivrednog zemljišta neće snositi troškove postupka komasacije poljoprivrednog zemljišta. Sredstva potrebna za izvršenje višegodišnjih i godišnjih programa osiguravaju se u državnome proračunu Republike Hrvatske, proračunu jedinica lokalne i područne (regionalne) samouprave, iz sredstava fondova Europske unije (program ruralnog razvoja), sredstava donacija, te drugih sredstava zainteresiranih pravnih i fizičkih osoba.
 
Troškovi komasacijskih operacija osiguravat će se iz dva izvora i to:

• sredstava Europskog fonda za ruralni razvoj u okviru kojeg je u Programu ruralnog razvoja mjerom - Potpora za ulaganja u infrastrukturu vezano uz razvoj, modernizaciju i prilagodbu poljoprivrede i šumarstva, predviđena potpora jedinicama lokalne i područne (regionalne) samouprave u provođenju mjera komasacije poljoprivrednog zemljišta
• državnog proračuna Republike Hrvatske. 
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Zaključak 

Stvorit će se uvjeti da sektor proizvodnje hrane, uključujući poljoprivredu, ribarstvo i akvakulturu, proizvodnju kvalitetne hrane uz održivo upravljanje prirodnim resursima i bolje upravljanje rizicima od klimatskih promjena. Produktivnost rada u poljoprivredi danas je na oko 20 % od EU-15 prosjeka, dok je produktivnost poljoprivrednog zemljišta na razini oko 50 % u usporedbi s EU-27. Hrvatska bilježi vanjskotrgovinski deficit u gotovo svim poljoprivrednim proizvodima osim žitarica i uljarica, a u trgovini ribom suficit. Niska produktivnost poljoprivredne proizvodnje povezana je s malom prosječnom veličinom poljoprivrednih površina i rascjepkanošću. Donošenjem novog Zakona o komasaciji poljoprivrednog zemljišta pokrenut će se rješavanje problema rascjepkanosti zemljišta, a time i razvoja ruralnog prostora. Veća očuvanost tla i okoliša u Hrvatskoj u usporedbi s prosjekom EU je prilika za rast hrvatske poljoprivrede. Razvoj „pametnih sela” uključivat će investicije u javnu infrastrukturu i usluge uključujući i širokopojasni internet. 

Željko Serdar, Hrvatski Centar Obnovljivih Izvora Energije ( HCOIE )

High Density Orchard by CCRES

From a historical perspective, a high density orchard is defined as any orchard with more than 150-180 trees per acre. However, many highly productive commercial orchards today have 150-180 trees per acre and higher density could be anything over 180 trees per acre. For the purposes of this publication, there are several characteristics in addition to tree number that are included in a high density orchard system. Besides having an increased number of trees per acre, a high density orchard must come into bearing within 2-3 years after planting. To achieve this early production, it is essential to use a precocious dwarfing rootstock. Although it is possible to restrict the growth of trees on semi-dwarf rootstocks, they do not have the genetic capacity for early bearing. #environment #sustainable #orchard #CCRES #HCOIE #highdensity #ZeljkoSerdar

Resilience

 

Resilience

Life may not come with a map, but everyone will experience twists and turns, from everyday challenges to traumatic events with more lasting impact, like the death of a loved one, a life-altering accident or a serious illness. Each change affects people differently, bringing a unique flood of thoughts, strong emotions and uncertainty. Yet people generally adapt well over time to life-changing situations and stressful situations — in part thanks to resilience.

“We have known for a long time that agroforestry can enhance resilience,” says Zeljko Serdar, from the CCRES team. “For example, trees in livestock-keeping and cropping systems provide people with diversified incomes, with food and fodder when crops fail, and they can help improve soil health.”

“This type of resilience is absolutely critical in areas such as the drylands of East Croatia where communities are struggling to cope with more frequent droughts and flash floods.”

Until recently, the exact contribution of trees to resilience in this region had been poorly explored, but in 2017 the assessment report, was published. (https://solarserdar.blogspot.com/2017/09/agroforestry-in-croatia.html ) 
It compiles what experts in research, academia, government, farmers and development practitioners already know about the links between trees and resilience in East Croatia drylands.

Studies at CCRES have shown that a 100 hectare agroforestry farm produces as much as a traditional farm of 130 to 160 hectares where trees and crops are grown separately. This finding has also led to modification of the European Common Agriculture Policy towards agroforestry.


Research on carbon sequestration, water quality protection and biodiversity at CCRES will be discussed during the session in addition to what policies and governance mechanisms are required to support agroforestry and other measures that maintain and improve environmental services.

Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. As much as resilience involves "bouncing back" from these difficult experiences, it can also involve profound personal growth.

While these adverse events, much like rough river waters, are certainly painful and difficult, they don’t have to determine the outcome of your life. There are many aspects of your life you can control, modify and grow with. That’s the role of resilience. Becoming more resilient not only helps you get through difficult circumstances, it also empowers you to grow and even improve your life along the way.

What resilience isn’t
Being resilient doesn’t mean that a person won’t experience difficulty or distress. People who have suffered major adversity or trauma in their lives commonly experience emotional pain and stress. In fact, the road to resilience is likely to involve considerable emotional distress.

While certain factors might make some individuals more resilient than others, resilience isn’t necessarily a personality trait that only some people possess. On the contrary, resilience involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that anyone can learn and develop. The ability to learn resilience is one reason research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. One example is the response of many Americans to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and individuals' efforts to rebuild their lives after tragedy.

Like building a muscle, increasing your resilience takes time and intentionality. Focusing on four core components — connection, wellness, healthy thinking and meaning — can empower you to withstand and learn from difficult and traumatic experiences. To increase your capacity for resilience to weather — and grow from — the difficulties, use these strategies.

Build your connections
Prioritize relationships. Connecting with empathetic and understanding people can remind you that you’re not alone in the midst of difficulties. Focus on finding trustworthy and compassionate individuals who validate your feelings, which will support the skill of resilience.

The pain of traumatic events can lead some people to isolate themselves, but it’s important to accept help and support from those who care about you. Whether you go on a weekly date night with your spouse or plan a lunch out with a friend, try to prioritize genuinely connecting with people who care about you.

Join a group like CCRES. Along with one-on-one relationships, some people find that being active in civic groups, faith-based communities, or other local organizations provides social support and can help you reclaim hope. Research groups in your area that could offer you support and a sense of purpose or joy when you need it.

Foster wellness
Take care of your body. Self-care may be a popular buzzword, but it’s also a legitimate practice for mental health and building resilience. That’s because stress is just as much physical as it is emotional. Promoting positive lifestyle factors like proper nutrition, ample sleep, hydration and regular exercise can strengthen your body to adapt to stress and reduce the toll of emotions like anxiety or depression.

Practice mindfulness. Mindful journaling, yoga, and other spiritual practices like prayer or meditation can also help people build connections and restore hope, which can prime them to deal with situations that require resilience. When you journal, meditate, or pray, ruminate on positive aspects of your life and recall the things you’re grateful for, even during personal trials.

Avoid negative outlets. It may be tempting to mask your pain with alcohol, drugs or other substances, but that’s like putting a bandage on a deep wound. Focus instead on giving your body resources to manage stress, rather than seeking to eliminate the feeling of stress altogether.

Find purpose
Help others. Whether you volunteer with a local homeless shelter or simply support a friend in their own time of need, you can garner a sense of purpose, foster self-worth, connect with other people and tangibly help others, all of which can empower you to grow in resilience.

Be proactive. It’s helpful to acknowledge and accept your emotions during hard times, but it’s also important to help you foster self-discovery by asking yourself, “What can I do about a problem in my life?” If the problems seem too big to tackle, break them down into manageable pieces.

For example, if you got laid off at work, you may not be able to convince your boss it was a mistake to let you go. But you can spend an hour each day developing your top strengths or working on your resume. Taking initiative will remind you that you can muster motivation and purpose even during stressful periods of your life, increasing the likelihood that you’ll rise up during painful times again.

Move toward your goals. Develop some realistic goals and do something regularly — even if it seems like a small accomplishment — that enables you to move toward the things you want to accomplish. Instead of focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, ask yourself, "What's one thing I know I can accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?" For example, if you’re struggling with the loss of a loved one and you want to move forward, you could join a grief support group in your area.

Look for opportunities for self-discovery. People often find that they have grown in some respect as a result of a struggle. For example, after a tragedy or hardship, people have reported better relationships and a greater sense of strength, even while feeling vulnerable. That can increase their sense of self-worth and heighten their appreciation for life.

Embrace healthy thoughts
Keep things in perspective. How you think can play a significant part in how you feel — and how resilient you are when faced with obstacles. Try to identify areas of irrational thinking, such as a tendency to catastrophize difficulties or assume the world is out to get you, and adopt a more balanced and realistic thinking pattern. For instance, if you feel overwhelmed by a challenge, remind yourself that what happened to you isn’t an indicator of how your future will go, and that you’re not helpless. You may not be able to change a highly stressful event, but you can change how you interpret and respond to it.

Accept change. Accept that change is a part of life. Certain goals or ideals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations in your life. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.

Maintain a hopeful outlook. It’s hard to be positive when life isn’t going your way. An optimistic outlook empowers you to expect that good things will happen to you. Try visualizing what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear. Along the way, note any subtle ways in which you start to feel better as you deal with difficult situations.

Learn from your past. By looking back at who or what was helpful in previous times of distress, you may discover how you can respond effectively to new difficult situations. Remind yourself of where you’ve been able to find strength and ask yourself what you’ve learned from those experiences.

Seeking help
Getting help when you need it is crucial in building your resilience.

Why invest in resilience?
There’s no denying it: social, economic, climatic and environmental indicators warn of uncertain times ahead. But while some advisors may recommend investments far afield, here at CCRES we offer practical solutions close to home.

We believe that high-performance properties that merge shelter, water, renewable energy, and food with revenue generation, community development, and ecosystem and wildlife habitat restoration, provide a secure and lasting source of land-based wealth. Tangible wealth that employs and restores nature’s healthy local abundance rather than relying upon fluctuating markets and currencies.

Properly managed, this natural capital can become the living heart of your investment portfolio. A dynamic, self-sustaining and diversified asset firmly ensures your personal autonomy and resilience, enabling you to thrive no matter what.
For many people, using their own resources and the kinds of strategies listed above may be enough for building their resilience. But at times, an individual might get stuck or have difficulty making progress on the road to resilience.