[ad_1]
Joanne Micallef gave up a long career in sales to return to her roots as a farmer carrying on her family’s centuries-old farming tradition.
Despite the rapid industrial development in Marsa, she has no intention of giving up the farm that has been in her family since 1908.
Joanne of Ta’ Lazzru Farms looks back fondly on growing up on the land she now tends.
“My earliest memories are of helping Dad take care of our piece of paradise,” she recalled, looking out over the blooming fruit trees and rows of kale and tomatoes.
Yet, just meters away from the fertile fields, tall buildings rise and factories increase in number year by year.
Two factories are within 200 metres of the farm, and the busy Massa Road is only about 100 metres away. However, Micallef still believes her land is still fertile and productive.
Micallef and her daughter Rhiannon run the business themselves, and Ta’ Lazzru already has a solid presence on social media, thanks to which, as well as word of mouth, they have managed to build a solid customer base.
“People come back again and again and recommend us to their friends. That just shows how great the land is,” Micallef said.
I have been passionate about agriculture since I was a child.
Micallef’s love of agriculture began at a young age, but it wasn’t until the pandemic and the death of her father that she began farming professionally.
Prior to taking over the farm, she worked in sales and marketing for decades, and now she’s applying those skills to her new career.
Micallef works the fields and handles sales, while her daughter, who also hopes to take over the farm when her mother retires, handles marketing and business operations.
Encouraged by his daughter, Micallef began to diversify his business. In addition to selling fruits and vegetables, the farm also produces its own products such as olive oil, peanut butter and olives.
Determined to keep these traditions alive beyond the farm, Ta’ Lazzru began organizing workshops called “HerHarvest” to teach women on-site how to grow produce using traditional techniques.
But as with other farms in Malta, the produce cannot be classed as organic.
“People are obsessed with organic food, but local produce can’t be organic because you need to be a certain distance away from cars, which is impossible in Malta given our size,” Micallef said.
Because of the farm’s central location, her family has had to fight for generations to prevent their land from being taken away, even leading to a court battle in the 1990s.
From sales to soil: Joanne plays under the carob tree where she grew up.More determined than ever to protect the land
As a result, Micallef is more determined than ever to protect her family’s land, produce and heritage.
“My ancestors fought for the land, now it’s my turn,” Micallef said.
Even though the work was very hard and she had little help, she never thought of selling the land because she was busy fulfilling her childhood dream.
“When I was a little girl, I was always asked to help my mother with work around the house. But I would find ways to sneak out and help my father with farm work.”
As Micallef moves from peach tree to fig tree, she said she has no plans to give up, but she understands why others might give up on farming or not try at all.
“It’s not easy working long hours in the hot sun and maybe not getting much done. People don’t understand the effort that goes into this job. You put in so many hours and we don’t get paid for anything,” she said.
Micallef said the biggest competition was from foreign suppliers selling in supermarkets, rather than local farmers.
Earlier this year, some local farmers gathered with tractors to protest against EU regulations, which they believe create an unfair playing field for local products as they face competition from imported food.
Micallef did not join the protest because she considers herself a lone wolf in the farming community and she does not even rely on the Farmers’ Wholesale Vegetable Market (il-Pitkalija) to sell her vegetables.
“I’m not an ordinary farmer, I’m a modern farmer. My daughter and I are trying to keep our traditions, but we’re doing it a little differently.”
Joanne and her daughter Rhiannon, who helps her run the business.[ad_2]
Source link
