FAO Human-interest story on #FoodHeroes

Farmers are essential change-makers in our communities, driving collective efforts for healthy diets. They not only cultivate the land but also pave the way for equitable access to nutritious food. We must respect their rights to food and land, and honor their knowledge, culture, and traditions. By providing farmers with access to training, finance, and innovation, we can support them in producing safe, diverse, and nutritious foods for all.

Toni Dimevski, a small family farmer from North Macedonia, founded "Domesno Pile" (Home Chicken Farm) in 1999, now called Toni’s Farm. Starting with laying hens, Toni expanded into broiler production in 2008. Today, his farm, located near Skopje, processes 20,000 fresh chickens monthly, supplying the domestic market with healthy and nutritious products.

Toni’s passion for poultry farming grew from his European travels, especially inspired by Hungarian practices. With just 250 chicks, he steadily expanded, now processing over 250,000 chickens annually. His farm offers a range of fresh chicken products, always delivered fresh, never frozen.

In the family business, Toni's wife, sons, and daughter-in-law all play vital roles. Together, they manage the farm and a small slaughterhouse, ensuring quality and freshness. The family’s hands-on approach, with his son even building most of the farm’s facilities, underscores their commitment to hard work and teaching the next generation responsibility.

Expanding the business hasn’t been easy. Toni emphasizes the persistence and constant supervision needed to raise healthy chickens and ensure a smooth farm-to-table process. His fresh products are sold within 24 hours of processing, available in butcher shops and supermarkets across Skopje, with home delivery also offered.

For Toni, farming is more than a livelihood—it's a family legacy and a passion for quality food and healthy diets. He encourages young people to view farming as a rewarding and viable career, helping to create a more sustainable food future for all.

His dedication to family farming, sustainable practices, and community education makes Toni Dimevski a true #FoodHero, championing the right to food for all.

Practicing Sustainable Agriculture
Toni Dimevski is a passionate advocate for sustainable farming, focused on promoting biodiversity, conserving resources, and minimizing environmental impact. His farm stands out for its commitment to producing nutritious, affordable, and sustainable food locally.

Toni continuously invests in his education and adopts new technologies to ensure healthy food production. His chickens are fed homegrown, nutritious feed made from wheat and corn cultivated on family fields, ensuring high-quality products that have earned consumer trust.

The farm's energy-efficient poultry houses, insulated with treated glass wool, maintain optimal temperatures year-round. Toni also uses a smart management system that allows him to remotely monitor and regulate conditions like temperature, humidity, and ventilation, ensuring both productivity and food safety.

To combat North Macedonia's hot summers, Toni introduced an evaporative cooling system to prevent poultry heat stress. He’s also begun producing biofuel from pork lard, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving sustainability by repurposing a waste product from the meat industry.

Advocating for Small-scale and Family Farmers
Toni is a strong advocate for small-scale and family farmers in North Macedonia's poultry industry. From 2019 to 2021, he participated in the FAO project "Development of a Green and Competitive Broiler Subsector that Contributes to Poverty Reduction and Improved Nutrition for the Population." As part of the project, FAO organized a study tour to Slovenia in 2019, where Toni visited leading poultry producers and gained valuable knowledge on sustainable production, value chain coordination, and food safety standards. These insights helped him and other Macedonian farmers adopt strategies to boost broiler production and compete with imports, meeting the growing demand for high-quality poultry.

Engaging in Community Education
Toni plays a key role in educating his community on sustainable farming and nutritious food. He frequently shares his knowledge with fellow farmers, consumers, policymakers, and students at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food in Skopje. Through these efforts, Toni inspires positive change and fosters a deeper understanding of the connections between food, health, and the environment. 

Toni Dimevski’s dedication to sustainable family farming and community engagement makes him a true #FoodHero, demonstrating how perseverance and innovation can help secure a future where nutritious, safe, and sustainable food is accessible to all. His story reminds us that farmers are not only producers but also guardians of our food systems, ensuring that everyone has access to healthy food.

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Radmila Slavkova

Communications and Monitoring Officer, FAO
Ul. Aminta Treti 2, 1000 Skopje
radmila.slavkova @fao.org  
Tel.: +389 71 21 23 08