From Fabrizio Alemanno:
“Farming has always been a passion, a return of consciousness to my childhood years: back to the rural roots “from the field” of my father parents and those “from the mountain” of my mother parents. Even now when I talk about them I feel excited: an example for hard work and effort that I always relate to the sparkling and smiling eyes, strong arms, slightly dry and chapped skin which felt so crispy when I got a nice encouraging pat during work days spent under the sun together. I have always related with them the values of tradition, culture, upbringing and the uniqueness of emotional relationships that only they can offer.
At the time when I confidently insisted that “when I grow up I will work on a tractor”
First and foremost, I remember my young arms and their firm resolution in helping out at any cost, lifting the heaviest objects, watering the fields, harvesting potatoes, corn and cherries (when I was at my father parents’ farm) harvesting chestnut and grapes from the vineyards of my mother parents, subsequently squashing the grapes barefoot (it went on for about two, may be three years until we got a small squashing machine equipped with a basket.)”
Apart from passion and memories, the research and analysis made from 2011 onwards show a strong need of society to go back to traditions, to strong connections with health and natural soil fertility as a fundamental component of our own health and the health of future generations.
Perhaps the world has a more urgent need of farmers than of directors, photographers and actors: an ancient craft combining traditions and innovations, labour and protection of the environment. Indeed, a passionate connection with the land being cultivated, surely a new and innovative agriculture, but one that carries “the flavour of the past” reevaluating rural environment and breaking off the model of industrial agriculture to rediscover a sustainable future.
This is how SILMIK was established in 2001.
Its seat and all its terrains (industrial and agricultural) are located in Dabovo Municipality (Maglizh), Stara Zagora County (Bulgaria).
The farm comprises of more than 700 hectares organic terrains.
The area has been continuously expanded, each new parcel being immediately filed for an organic area conversion procedure, if not already converted.