Jó napot, friends! We just returned from a wonderful case study trip to Hungary, where we met with experts from academia, government, and NGOs over the last three days to learn about the social, political and ecological aspects of integrated water management in the Tisza watershed.
View of a very low Tisza River from the banks of Nagykörű.
The presentations and discussions took place in a quaint and rustic guesthouse in the charming village of Nagykörű. Nagykörű is located about 100 km southeast of Budapest on the western banks of the Tisza river.
Map of the village of Nagykörű
Our cozy guesthouse
Breakfast discussion at the guest house
Management of the Tisza River in Hungary is a fascinating area of study due to the complex socio-economic, political and agroecological context that it operates in. The river runs through five countries from the mountains in Ukraine to the north of Serbia where is deposits into the Danube River. Once known as the "Slow Tisza" or "Blonde Tizsa" (from all the suspended sediment), the meandering river was confined, straightened and shortened in the 19th century through major engineering projects to allow for shipping, agricultural development and flood protection. Not surprisingly, this created many new issues such as increased flood risk from floodplain development, and symptoms of water cycle imbalances, such water stagnation and drought on farms.
Attila, with a map of the historical Hungarian empire
What I found most inspiring in meeting all of the experts working on the Tisza was their tireless effort to realize a vision of healthy social and ecological communities in the region. This vision is holistic and created by integrating river management with rural development, agroecological farming and biodiversity conservation.
Our incredible host, Balogh Péter. We are so indebted to Péter's generosity in sharing his time, his passion for sustainability, his love and wisdom regarding the Tisza and Hungarian culture. He is also the most patient dance teacher.
I thought it was also interesting that all of our speakers alluded to the existence of "multiple realities" (one, for example, that is fueled by money and profit, and one that is fueled by natural elements, like the sun) in discussing the challenges of implementing their joint vision of a sustainable "living Tisza". They insisted that we must understand the root of the root (... bud of the bud? :) ) of the problems on the Tisza (which are not unlike those in many other waterways in the world), and really grapple with fundamentally philosophical questions, such as, how do we define "sustainability" and "development"? How do we differentiate between standard of living and quality of life?
Kristine during one of our daily outdoor afternoon discussions
From having the rare opportunity to speak to such a diversity of experts, to walking along the shores of the Tisza to foraging for wild berries in the surrounding forests, to eating delicious Hungarian food everyday, and learning traditional Hungarian folk dancing, our trip to Hungary was such a valuable opportunity for us to really experience and be immersed in the social, cultural and ecological environment of the Tisza.
Péter holding a kersege (sturgeon) caught in the Tisza.
Delicious wild berries we ate by the handfuls while walking through the forest
Homemade goat cheeses we ate at every breakfast
Palacsinta (Hungarian crepes) with cherry filling
Fresh bread topped with the most delicious cherry preserves made (with love :) ) by Péter's wife from cherries from their own tree. Nagykörű is locally famous for it's cherries.
Gratuitous photo of the kittens that we lavished with attention
Group photo of the students with Jan, Péter, and our speakers Borsos Béla, from the UNDP, and Sárvári Attila, from the Thistle (“Cötkény”) Alliance for Regional Development
We should be updating this blog about once a week from now on. Christina will be writing about our time in Budapest soon, possibly including a report of Hungarian folk dancing until nearly midnight. We have photo and video documentation, so stay posted.
This is Christina, our next student blogger, in Hungary. She is happy.
A teaser photo of us spinning about during our evening of Hungarian folk dancing in Budapest:
This is Christina, our next student blogger, in Hungary. She is happy.
A teaser photo of us spinning about during our evening of Hungarian folk dancing in Budapest:
What a beautiful trip :) Sounds like learning via deep immersion!
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