How to Take Care of Your Mental Health During the Pandemic
Instead of falling into a slumber, it’s essential to take care of your physical health – because the mental one can’t operate properly without being guided by a healthy body.
organic agriculture
Organic date syrup via Israel and Dubai show fruits of peace
Date honey is lower on the glycemic index than bee honey,” he said. “For people watching their sugar, dates are a healthy source of anti-oxidants and fiber. My father, for example, can eat date products but not table sugar. Unlike bee honey, it’s safe for babies—and it’s vegan.
Morocco celebrates its certified nuts in 11th annual Asni Festival!
The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) joined in the only Moroccan festival solely dedicated to celebrating nuts, a three-day festival held last Friday in Asni, a small village at the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, south of Marrakesh. The weekend of music and markets celebrates the Asni walnut processing plant, located nearby, where about 40 local women process […]
Lebanese “Green Loan” Funded Solar Irrigation System Breaks Ground
When Fadi Jamaleddine decided to install a solar array on his farm in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, he wasn’t thinking of the environment or global warming, he told The Daily Star. He was simply tired of spending $50,000 a year on electricity for what is a hobby organic farm for the corporate lawyer. And while he […]
15 surprising ways coffee grounds can make your life better
Coffee can have a secret life beyond your kitchen filter or your Turkish coffee pot. From compost to creative solutions. Give new life to the mountains of used grinds we toss out every week. Your favorite bean just became even better! 1. Keep your garden cat-free The jury’s still out on this: supposedly grounds spread around […]
It Took 15 Years to Build This and That’s a Good Thing
Remember the good old days when it took decades to build major monuments? Historians estimate that 30 years passed before the back-breaking pyramids of Giza came to glory, for example, and more than a century after construction began in 1882, La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is still not finished. Although laborers might disagree, there’s something […]
Traditional Palestinian Farming Spurs Rare Plant Boom
Low impact farming starts new cycle of plant life in the Palestinian Authority. Age-old agricultural techniques in the West Bank help conserve rare plants that might otherwise have perished, according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. A new survey shows that farmers following traditional practices in the south Hebron Hills have sustained a large […]
eZra3 Remote Farming in Egypt is Like FarmVille but Real
A brilliant new online farming system in Egypt allows city dwellers to become reacquainted with their agrarian roots without leaving their urban comfort zone. Egyptian urbanites who have a desire to grow their own food but lack the farming skills now have access to a brilliant new remote farming system that has both an online […]
Sustainable Bedouin Farm, Wadi Attir, To Break Ground in the Negev
After years of planning, a Bedouin eco-farm in the Negev will finally get under way next week. For years the Sustainability Laboratories (a New York-based organization) and the mayor of Hura in the Negev, Dr. Muhammad El-Nabari, have been planning an eco-farm for the Bedouin community. The farm, Project Wadi Attir, would aim to create […]
Actually, We Can Feed 10 Billion People. Here’s How
Even though it seems like the earth couldn’t possibly handle 10 billion people, an article published in Nature shows that it is possible to feed them all. Read on for five handy tips. So, all this worrying about the burgeoning population was for nought? We don’t need to be concerned that we are rapidly reaching […]
Egyptian Organic Farm Declared Sustainability World Leader
SEKEM, an Egyptian organic farming community has been chosen as one of 16 ‘Sustainability Champions’ in the developing world which are tackling environmental and social problems A recent report by the World Economic Forum has identified 16 successful companies from as far afield as Costa Rica and China which have shown great environmental awareness and […]
Nature Reserve In Jordan Is Growing Organic
Jordan is championing water-efficiency and chemical-free farming at the stunning Mujib nature reserve Following Qatar’s plans to build 1,400 organic farms, comes the announcement that a Jordanian nature reserve will be growing organic crops and medicinal herbs. The farm at the Mujib Biosphere Reserve is spread over 10 dunums and is designed to demonstrate the […]
Invitation for a Permaculture Tour in Israel
See how permaculture is spreading across Israel during an international tour at the end of September. Permaculture, or the sustainable use of land and agriculture, has thankfully been spreading across the Middle East in recent years. Permaculture farms have sprouted seeds in Palestine, grassroots permaculture initiatives have popped up in urban settings such as Jerusalem, […]
Organic Farming On the Rise In Emirates
Since 2007, land dedicated to organic greenhouse farming across the United Arab Emirates has increased by 15 percent Despite some debate over the carbon-footprint of locally grown food when using desalinated water, it is widely accepted that growing your own food locally is better and greener than shipping it in from all corners of the […]
Semi-Sustainable Berber Agriculture
The verdant valleys in the Toubkal National Park stand in stark contrast to the dry, red mountain sides. After my last visit to Toubkal National Park in Morocco’s high Atlas Mountains, where I ungracefully scrambled to the summit of its namesake in order to prove to myself and the world that I am cool enough […]
Egypt’s Urban Agriculture Movement is Growing!
Can urban agriculture save Cairo? We think it’s a pretty good start There has been an important spotlight on agriculture not only in Egypt, which is suspected by the EU of causing the E. coli outbreak in Germany earlier this year, but also other Middle Eastern and North African countries such as Morocco whose poor […]
Zionist Group Seeks Agricultural Homestead Where Jesus Traveled
Israeli idealists plan to develop a land trust in the northern Galilee to encourage rural homesteading. Despite its emergence as a developed, industrial country, Israel has a bevy of close-to-the-earth learning experiences to choose from. Several kibbutzim throughout the country offer a variety of useful workshops in permaculture, off-grid living, sustainable building, and organic farming. […]
CEO Of Organic Foods Company In Dubai Calls Local Farming “Stupid”
The CEO of a Dubai-based company says growing organic food in the UAE is “stupid.” No one would ever expect an organic food distributor to favor importing food to locally-grown produce, except in the Middle East. Despite efforts from people like Baker & Spice’s Yael Mejia, who is working furiously to improve the quality of […]
Lisa Durante: UAE Could Teach The USA About Sustainability
Italian expatriate and Managing Editor, Lisa Durante’s new book is designed to inspire the UAE to lead a “greener” life. Certain sectors of the United Arab Emirates are savvy about organic agriculture and the environmental benefits of a vegetarian diet. But judging by the ubiquity of mega-malls and towers, not all. Former development journalist and […]
Sturdy Chamber Pot Doubles As Watering Can
This nifty device made in Sweden allows avid farmers to create their own fertilizer! Urine has been getting a lot of attention recently. Though most city dwellers are opposed to a quick public wee, urine is so powerful it can be used to energize fuel cells and as fertilizer. Small scale farmers or gardeners who […]
Egypt’s Organic Sector To Get First World Regulations
New regulations in Egypt will prevent from fraudsters from falsifying inorganic food. Organic agriculture is not so widespread in the Middle East. There are certain places in Israel that belong to the WWOOFing network, while Dubai creeps along with farms that unfortunately rely on desalination for their water. Turkey too is heading in that direction, […]
Arugula Samples In Dubai More Contaminated Than A Toilet
Samples taken from arugula in 64 different stores literally contained million of E. coli bacteria. Although fledgling, Dubai’s organic farming is growing, and Yael Mejia with Dubai’s Baker and Spice is doing her part to help that along. Though critics question the wisdom of using desalinated water for farming, the water-strapped Emirates don’t really have […]
Better Than Masdar, Penyon Bay Ecovillage – Morocco – Is Accepting Applications
When it comes alive, the Penyon Bay Ecovillage will overlook the Bay of Alhoceima in Northern Morocco. As economies and ecosystems degenerate, and spiritual malaise increases (as I’ve pointed out in my green Christmas wish list), communities worldwide are forming new bonds. Moving away from the consumer model, ecovillages incorporate various degrees of the old […]
Beirut’s Souk el Tayeb Farmer’s Market Celebrates Healthy Local Food Traditions
What good is a farmer’s market if it only appeals to a small group of people? Beirut’s Souk el Tayeb reaches out to the community. Whereas some farmer’s markets can set an elitist tone – appealing mostly to a yuppy or wealthy clientele instead of delighting in bringing good food and good values to the […]
Beware Turkey’s Naysayers: Some Agricultural Chemicals ARE Harmful
It’s worthwhile to heed the “eco-washers” and other insincere marketers, but to completely overlook the harm in certain chemicals is to do a disservice to the community. We are as quick to take eco-washing to task as any rabid consumer. Earlier this year, we called out Foster & Partners for their “sustainable” architecture, which is […]