
M.Sc. Alžbeta Nagyová, Ph.D.
Ambassador
Farma Bezdínek
Czech Republic
Environmental
Farming
Rural area close to city
The innovation journey
Bezdínek Ltd. farm is situated in the Ostrava-Karviná coal mine basin. The basic philosophy is to create a favourable food environment for a healthy and sustainable diet. They grow tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables on 11 hectares of greenhouses. Additional products are dried tomatoes and flower honey, widely used in the Chřiby Mts. region. The tomatoes are planted on an organic substrate made of crushed coconut husks, which are composted after the season. About 15 litres of water are used for 1 kg of tomatoes compared to hundreds of litres in field production. Rainwater is used for watering. Waste heat from a nearby power plant is used for heating.
Alžbeta Nagyová (39 years old, Slovak ethnicity) graduated from Comenius University in Bratislava (microbiology and virology, Ph.D. degree). After her studies, she worked at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, focusing on plant virology. Later, she moved to Czechia helping to establish hi-tech greenhouses for growing vegetables for other suppliers. In 2017, the Bezdínek company established its large-capacity greenhouses in Dolní Lutyně (approx. 5,300 inhabitants). The assistance of her husband was essential. Currently, both are employees of the Bezdínek farm. Shortly after the establishment of the farm, Dr. Nagyová became the chief agronomist.
The demonstration greenhouse allows visitors to understand the broader context of greenhouse operations. An interactive exhibition will soon present the principles of a healthy plate and shed light on the values of the carbon and water footprints.The company employs about 200 people, itparticipatesin food festivals and has a visitor centre. The innovation is promoted through TED talks. The farm participates in the campaign of the Vegetable Union of Bohemia and Moravia to support the consumption of local vegetables. The company received the Global Czech Society for Quality certificate (2023), and the ZERYA certificate for cultivation without pesticides in 2023. Tomatoes were awarded as a regional product of the Moravian-Silesian Region in the year 2020.
The innovation impact
The operation of the farm is valuable from at least three points of view: it is an ecological farm, focused on healthy nutrition and it provides job opportunities in a region where a demanding structural restructuring of the economy is underway. Therefore, it should serve as an example for other regions as well.