Farmer Portrait: Totis Kampitsis

When Ada Vlachoutsikos arrived in Zakynthos in 1988 she looked around to find the allies with which she would promote the creation of the National Marine Park. Of course, there were international and national NGOs engaged, but where were the locals?

Well, one of the first to go against every norm was Totis Kampitsis. Totis was the first officially certified organic farmer in Zakynthos and has remained steadily at the task of promoting the task of organic farming since then. In his humble and quiet way he has inspired a lot of people onto the path of respectful traditional organic farming. To this day he is president of the Organic Farmers Association of Zakynthos island of which he was a founding member.

Totis farm is traditional all the way. He harvests olives for the oil, grapes for the wine and raisin production, keeps a small vegetable garden for the family and the truly free running chickens, while he adorns the Korinth raisin variety drying field with flower beds. His field worked with love and respect pays back over the years. Last summer for example the tomato fly decimated the tomato cultivations on the island while his continued to bear tomatoes till late autumn. The flies came but the plants’ healthy strong immune system isolated the bites in a way that the tomato was not damaged! Just one of the many proofs that organic farming in the long run is cost effective.