While most of the farmers in Lublin agreed to sell their land, a few refused, including Polish farmer Michal Myslowski. This explains why you’ll see him grow crops in between several residential buildings. It’s a stark contrast between the urban and rural, and people are praising Myslowski for standing his ground. In fact, locals near the titular Jantaraowa Street shared clips of his harvest on social media where they went viral.
Farmer Grows Crops Between Residential Buildings
In an interview with Polish news outlet Dziennik Wschodni, Myslowski is nonchalant about the unique arrangement. “People are fine. They understand that I have work to do. They watch and make videos. The children are also happy. There have never been any problems with it.“
The residents in the building aren’t bothered by the farming. In fact, some like the rural view. As the farmer said, his work “is a sensation for people living in the city. They are curious.”
Local resident Katarzyna added, “We have a substitute for the village in the city. As a resident, I can say that it does not bother us at all, on the contrary. Better such a view outside the window than being surrounded by concrete buildings.“
In a Facebook post, Myslowski thanked the residents for being supportive of growing crops. “Some would give anything for such views. For my daughter, (there’s) only concrete and supermarkets,” he wrote. “Nice of you not to complain about dust or noise. Respect for you, let there be more like you. I greet you as a farmer’s son.”
Support Over Social Media
Additionally, Myslowski garnered support over social media when the clips of his farm when viral. ‘‘Glad this man won,” said one comment. “Others aren’t as fortunate.”
Another wrote, ”As someone who has seen the loss of farmland around me in favour of warehouses and business parks I feel this man’s pain and admire his ‘f*** you’ attitude.” [1]
One user said, “I think it’ll be a good education to the city folks, remind them where their food comes from.” This could be very needed according to this other comment, “I’ve literally heard people swear that we don’t need cows because milk comes from the milk factory near their home, that we don’t need farmers because we import everything. Meanwhile, the media and the government are destroying the farmers.” [2]
Even Imperial Seed, a forage, turf, and cover crop seed specialist company complimented the farmer on Twitter. There they said, “Always stand up for what you believe in, even if means standing alone.”
Another comment agrees, quipping, “He went against the grain.”
Building Residential Buildings Over Farmland
However, the farm isn’t all scenic views of watching crops grow. As the Lublin Chamber of Agriculture president Piotr Burek said, the country smells are intensified every time farming work is done. “It bothers you,” Burek said. “Just like a dirt road. When it is wet, and a farmer drives into a field to plow, he will naturally carry himself to the road.”
Burek said the government is working on an “odor law.” As he said in an interview, “A village is a village; there must be agricultural production. And a person moving to the countryside must take into account certain inconveniences and nuisances.”
In the meantime, the population in Poland is growing, with multi-family housing starting to take over what once was farmland. In Lublin there are about 2,800 farms and 15 square miles of farmland, often producing wheat and corn, and sometimes chickens and pigs. The town itself is about 57 square miles of land, but that might continue to build into the farmland. [2]
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Sources
- “Brilliant moment farmer harvests field surrounded by APARTMENTS after refusing to sell land to greedy developers.” The Sun. Aliki Kraterou. September 13, 2021
- “Polish Farmer Who Refused To Sell Land Harvests Field Surrounded By Apartment Blocks.” Lad Bible. Poppy Bilderbeck. July 6, 2021
- “Farmer Grow Crops Between New Apartment Buildings After Refusing To Sell Land.” Outsider. Matthew Memrick. August 24, 2021