In August 2016, almost 100 of SEKEMs contracted farmers came from all over Egypt to attend a conference on sustainable agriculture organized by the Egyptian Bio-Dynamic Assosciation (EBDA). Within the framework of integrating the contracted farmers more into SEKEMs holistic approach, this meeting is considered to be the starting point of a monthly series of meetings. Hence, not only the latest Biodynamic agricultural studies and natural pest control procedures were introduced to the farmers, but also researches and projects in various ecological fields were presented.
“Biodynamic agriculture is a fundamental aspect of sustainable communities. And to reach sustainability, human development is inevitable’’, said Helmy Abouleish during his speech to SEKEMs farmers. “You are a fundamental part of SEKEM. Therefore, we should stand together to build a living and learning community, a safe environment for us and the coming generations”, the CEO of SEKEM remarked.
To promote this, informative sessions beyond general farming topics had been offered to SEKEMs contracted farmers at this day. Maximilian Abouleish, SEKEMs sustainability expert, providing them with news on solar pumping systems and Dr. Samir Ali, a professor of agricultural and biosystem engineering gave insights to the Aquaponic agricultural system, which combines keeping fishes with cultivating plants.
“Our lands and water became vulnerable by the climate change and wrong agricultural practices that happened in the past years. By promoting research and education, the community shall become fully aware of the challenges we are facing now to tackle it then.” By these words, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish highlighted the role science plays in overcoming the problems of these days. “We have to express our appreciation to science, because without it, we would even struggle much more to get food from our lands and to keep living”, SEKEM founder said.
Noha Hussein
SEKEM farmers telling about responsibility, challenges and opportunities
Monthly meetings for SEKEMs contracted farmers
Training for SEKEM farmers in Beheira