“Ilias Mathes has protection against bank closures, capital controls and the slashing of his pension: 10 goats, some hens and a vegetable patch.
If Greece’s financial crisis deepens, as many believe it must, he can feed his children and grandchildren with the bounty of the land in this proud village high in the mountains of the Arcadia Peloponnese.
“I have my lettuce, my onions, I have my hens, my birds, I will manage,” he said, even though he can no longer access his full pension payment because of government controls imposed six days ago. “We will manage for a period of time, I don’t know, two months, maybe three months, because I also want to give to our relatives. If they are suffering, I cannot leave them like this, isn’t that so?”
Many believe the ability to help one another with food gives Karitaina, with about 30 year-round residents and 100 in the long, drowsy summer, a better chance of surviving than city dwellers coping with the same anxieties. Rural Greek communities have age-old survival tactics that allow them to weather storms such as World War II deprivation and natural disasters.
“In the village it’s easier to live,” said Ionnis Psilas, who is saddled with debts he says he can never repay after the failure of his car import business. “You can get products from neighbors and give them some. In Athens you are strangers.”
Full story at Epoch Times
The article is cute and down to earth, but why it is said in the title: villagers “secret” weapon? It is quite a common thing in many countries – if you provide your own food you will survive quite a long time on your own.
But these kind of titles usually appear in women magazines:
“10 undiscovered ways to be fit”
“Discover her (some famous names) secret for a perfect skin”
etc.
Just that I like this blog, but I feel it has no need to take a niche out of these kind of magazines to make your articles more promotive.
Growing your own food is not a secret to you, me and our readers, but it is to many millions and maybe even billions of people. Some city people have no idea where food comes from or how to grow anything.
The title: that’s the title they chose. We often use content from other sites and direct readers to the full articles.
The key word here is food security. We’re living in uncertain times and I consider it essential to have a good garden. The economic problems in Greece and spreading worldwide.