Eldar Alić is a young farmer from Kalesija in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. He founded Nutri Pelet, a company that produces ecological manure pellets from unprocessed manure. Alić advocates for healthy living and practical, eco-friendly solutions to better manage earth’s limited, natural resources.
We live in a time of excessive air, water and soil pollution, as well as the [exponential] increase in carbon emissions. We need practical and ecological solutions to overcome this. With smart and efficient use of natural resources, we can alleviate, and, in time, defend our world from climate change and its consequences.
Working on my family’s farm, I realized the importance of a healthy lifestyle, which includes growing [and consuming] organic fruits and vegetables. More people are increasingly adopting similar practices, and even growing small plants on their balconies. That’s why I started making ecological manure pellets. The pellets serve as organic compost, stimulating the growth of plants, and are made from large amounts of unprocessed manure.
Although manure has many advantages, it also has cons – the high concentration of micro and macro nutrients can contribute to soil, surface and water contamination. Manure also contains a lot of micro-organisms, which can spread through birds and insects. Our production process at Nutri Pelet involves passing fresh manure through several different machines to improve its composition and eliminate the unpleasant smell. The manure is then pelleted, stored, and packed. Initially, I collected manure only from our farm, but later started buying from other farmers. In this way, they get rid of it, and the manure can be put to use, sustainably.
We managed to continue producing and distributing manure pellets during the COVID-19 crisis, however, our customers’ purchasing power has been affected [by the economic fallouts].
It is very important that all members of society protect our planet by offering creative nature-friendly solutions. Each of us face problems that require concrete solutions. I managed to turn my problem into an eco-friendly solution.”
Eldar Alić, 27, is the owner of Nutri Pelet, and won a start-up competition organized by UN Women’s partner, Foundation 787, which supports young entrepreneurs. UN Women spoke with Alić on the occasion of International Earth Day (22 April), highlighting the need to shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. In 2020, UN Women and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) jointly undertook a comprehensive flagship Country Gender Assessment (CGA) on agriculture and rural development for the first time ever in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Based on data collected by the assessment, UN Women and FAO are designing a new multi-year initiative that aims to ensure that agricultural policies and strategies respond to women’s needs as well as men’s; to increase women’s access to climate-smart financing, improve the use of technology, and strengthen the skills of women and their collectives in agriculture.