Book review: Il-Biedja f’Malta by Stanley Farrugia Randon (2016)

The capitalist family model probably contrasts with the preceding family model, centred round the farm and agriculture. I have been meaning to review a beautiful book about Malta’s agriculture and I think it would not out of place to do it now.

I’m referring to Stanley Farrugia Randon’s IlBiedja f’Malta, a labour of love but also of intelligent, acute observation and meticulous collection of facts and data.

This handsome 347-page volume, printed in full colour on thick, glossy paper and written in a suave and suasive Maltese, looks like an exhaustive overview of the subject – and probably is. The way it is divided reflects clarity of mind and vision, making it not only an invaluable reference book but also a pleasurable read for your free time if you happen not to be directly involved in agriculture.

The book makes fascinating reading and not just for being a goldmine of information on agriculture itself: it covers probably all the vegetables and fruits grown in Malta, as well as the methods and machinery used and how to counter parasites and disease. It is equally a goldmine for the linguist and those interested in folklore: Dr Farrugia Ran- don not only preserves the language of agriculture, but also the proverbs and other lore related to it.

The book opens with a brief, yet detailed history of agriculture in Malta. One aspect that caught my eye was that today’s agricultural land measures one-third of that in 1647, one-sixth of 1888, and one-half of 1956. That said, today’s land is better irrigated than ever in the recorded past, and the number of glasshouses is on the rise.

Regarding the future of agriculture, Dr Farrugia Randon is realistic. Few young people choose fulltime farming to earn their living, and the vast majority of farmers today are older than 55. Yet, he warns us, in the event of calamity history teaches us that our ancestors had to rely on local production for survival. I think this warning should be heeded to by policy-makers. Indeed, I wonder what plans Malta has in case of natural disasters or other calamities.

Society has to be grateful to APS Bank for sponsoring this high-quality publication: our book market is so small that, without the bank’s generous help, this sumptuous book would not have been possible.