Since 2019 World Cotton Day is celebrated on the 7th of October for its importance economically and socially. The world uses more cotton than any other fiber and all parts of the plants are useful in many industries. For celebrating the day and emphasizing the importance of cotton, SEKEM did organize a trip for its employees to experience the harvest of cotton themselves.
Let’s harvest cotton together!
On the 27th of September, some SEKEM workers went on an exciting educational trip to Kafr El-Sheikh. Green land and white shiny cotton covered a vast area of the land around them. The first stop was one of the hosting farms where a tent was set up for visitors and the locals. The guests were welcomed by folklore music, creating a good atmosphere.
SEKEM CEO Helmy Abouleish, along with everyone, held an open discussion about organic farming and cotton. Farmers who switched to organic farming and others who intend to switch were present, as well as agriculture engineers from the Egyptian Biodynamic Association. The interested parties had a debate about the challenges of organic farming, the studies on the cotton seeds to produce the same amount of yield as conventional farming methods and the support needed from the government to spread organic farming across Egypt. The discussion was not limited to crops only, but also how to make agriculture a wholesome sustainable system by using clean energy sources as the water pumps that work by solar energy.
Who knew that harvesting could be so fun?
The friendly farmers invited the SEKEM workers to join them on 3 farms to teach them how to harvest cotton correctly. Women, men, children and everyone took part in the harvesting process happily and helped each other. “The energy was amazing,” says one of the SEKEM employees. “Everyone was so happy and excited about what they were doing. I can imagine that harvesting is a job that can make you really happy.“
Nour Altobgy
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