By Atma Tattva Das,
Twenty-five devotees representing projects in nine countries gathered September 11–13 for the 15th European ISKCON Farm Conference at Goloka Ecofarm in Pontinvrea, Savona. The three-day, in-person meeting brought farmers, cow-protection practitioners and community representatives together around sustainable agriculture, self-sufficiency and practical cooperation. By the end, participants were developing plans to extend the annual gathering into a year-round network for training, knowledge-sharing, and mutual support.
A Small Farm with a Wider Role
ISKCON’s Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture, established in 1998 to support cow-protection centers and agricultural communities, organized the conference. The ministry said ISKCON now has more than 100 farms and goshalas, or cow-protection centers, worldwide.
Goloka Ecofarm, which officially opened in 2023 on a 75-acre property in Liguria, hosted the European gathering for the first time. Conference organizer Abhiram Das said participants came from the United Kingdom, France, Hungary, Belgium, Sweden, the United States, Bulgaria, Italy and Switzerland, with ages ranging from approximately 25 to 60.
Kalakantha Das, ISKCON’s Minister of Cow Protection and Agriculture, traced the European conference series to 2008 and said bringing farmers together for association and practical exchange has remained one of its central purposes. He described this year’s gathering as a notable shift toward participants taking greater ownership of the conference and determining how cooperation could continue between annual meetings.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/italian-farm-hosts-iskcon-conference-builds-year-round-network/
Comments