Konstantina Karnavas – the woman who gives her love to the Ikarian land

Konstantina Karnavas – simply known as Dina – is sitting on a small chair next to the little kiosk that she is running on her land in Kambos. She is trying to stay as deep in the shadow as possible. Difficult these days. With nearly 40 degrees at noon, it has become unbearably hot and working on the field has become an incredible challenge. Dina tries to cope with it, changing her working hours, getting a rest. But it is difficult, because now – at full summer season, beginning of August – her gardens need a lot of attention and work. And as the heat is not enough to make her life difficult, Dina is facing serious water shortages these days – a disaster for her fruit and vegetables.

As she’s now takinga little rest, Dina pulls her hat deep down into her face, trying to figure out what work has to be done in the afternoon. Despite the water shortage, she must manage to water the vegetables that are nearly ready to harvest. The plants still need a little boost to ensure the good quality Dina’s vegetables and fruits are known for. Dina sighs. She’s putting a lot of effort into her fields. And it had been her choice to become a farmer and to continue the family tradition when she came back from Athens years ago, but in times like these, she is not sure how long she’ll still be strong enough for this hard work.

Dina grew up on this land here in Kambos. She and her two sisters have farming, growing seeds, harvesting and living with the seasons in their DNA. So she knew exactly the kind of work that was waiting for her when she took over the fields where her grandparents had already been growing fruit and vegetables. Kambos is known for its good soil, so it produces beautiful results. But farming has always been hard on Ikaria. On this rocky island, the fields are small and it takes a lot of knowledge and commitment to learn where seeds will give produce good results.
Sitting there in the shadow and waiting for some people who might stop by to buy her fresh vegetables, Dina is wondering how else she might have spent her day in Athens today; the city where she lived for over 20 years. It’s not that she regrets coming back to Ikaria, but sometimes these reflextions are part of her thoughts, so that she can reassure herself why she does this hard job as a farmer at all.

Dina left Ikaria, her parents and friends after finishing high school. She wanted to become a medical technical assistant, so she enrolled on the corresponding courses in Athens. She passed the exams, but in the long run she could not see herself working in this field to make a living. So, she went back to school  and became a ceramist.

Together with a friend she opened a shop and enjoyed her independence and creativity. When Dina had to close it, she worked in different other jobs until it was time to return to Ikaria.
In the meantime, Dina also grew a family. She had a son and together with her boy and her husband, she settled down in the old family house of her grandparents in Kambos. Here she could reconnect with her roots; she became a farmer again with vegetables, fruits and some animals – and she could also continue her work as a ceramist. She converted the old kafenion of her grandparents, which was in the upper part of Evdilos, into a ceramic workshop. It was a good investment and for years Dina was happy to bring her knowledge and love for the ceramic work back to the Ikarians.

But Dina also faced tough times. When she separated from her husband, it became difficult to run the workshop and to look after her son and the fields at the same time. Dina managed, but in the end, she closed the ceramic shop and concentrated on farming. She needed to focus to ensure the income of the family.
Dina took over some more fields in her neighbourhood and made a big effort to grow the vegetables without pesticides. Sometimes a difficult job – especially under the changing climate conditions. Over the last few years, Ikaria has faced more and longer hot periods, where water is scarce and in winter the island does not have enough rain to fill up the water reservoirs. As a result, water shortages are happening more frequently on the island, especially during summer, when whatever water is available has to be shared between the tourists and the farmers. Dina knows that now different seeds are needed, those which can cope with this kind of climate change, seeds that are more resistant to heat and water shortage. But there is no professional help available for farmers like Dina, so that she can learn how to adapt to the new climate situation. She has to learn by herself – trial and error is her best teacher. Dina misses the exchange among farmers, but as she is still the only woman looking after her fields in Kambos, the discussion with the other farmers is difficult.
Dina sighs, sitting there in the shade besides her kiosk in Kambos. Yes, times are very difficult now. But what other alternatives does she have? Her son has just finished school and in September he will head to Thessaloniki to start his studies in Forestry. Dina is happy about her son’s choice.

Over the last years he had helped her a lot; working with her in the fields and he has learned a lot from her. But what is much more important: her son shares with his mother the love for the Ikarian soil, the love for protecting the environment on this precious island. So she will not only support his choice to leave the island, but she will also do her utmost to support his studies and his further development. Growing and selling vegetables and fruits of high quality on this rocky island will be her way to show not only her love to her son but also her love for this island … and she will not allow herself to give up. Against all odds! Having made this statement to herself, Dina stands up and turns towards her field. The beans need some water now … and she will do the job.

(Photos and text: @Birgit_Urban)