On our desert farm in Wahat El-Bahareyya, we are currently reclaiming 63 hectares of desert land through sustainable agriculture and supported by a crowdfunding campaign. Here is the latest update.
By Narimeh Paeplow who coordinates the campaign in Egypt.
In the beginning of the year we had the unbelievable goal, to raise 400.000 Euros to fund the reclaiming of 630.000 square meters of desert land. Now, 9 months later it doesn’t look that unrealistic anymore – we are almost there!!
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How far are we?
Meanwhile the second pivot is running and irrigates the next 21 hectares of sandy desert soil – the first chamomile plants spring already. Due to more than 1,000 tons of compost, that we spread on our new fields, the sand turns slowly brown. The compost offers our still very tender plants what they need to thrive in this harsh environment. Thanks to the “Greening the Desert” campaign we were able to green already 42 hectares of desert land only in this year.
What is still missing
We are only 10 percent away from achieving our total 400.000 Euros! With the missing amount, the solar-power-supply for the third pivot will be funded.
What’s next?
After peppermint and peanuts are already irrigated by our 1st pivot, the 2nd Pivot supplies chamomile with water and finally 3rd system is meant to irrigate spearmint and 50.000 trees. Then we will not only make the desert bloom but also create a forest in the desert, that brings several other benefits for flora, fauna and the climate.
Support us on the home stretch – green with us the desert!
Join our Project!