EBDA in August 2023
EBDA Farmers Training
The EBDA team in cooperation with the KHNA project (Knowledge Hub North Africa) designed five training modules and distributed them for the EBDA registered farmers in order to enhance their knowledge about farm transitioning processes, biological fertilizing and pest management, certification issuing procedures and marketing.
The training Map has been planned under the supervision of KHNA project management and conducted by the EBDA’s extension engineers and coordinators in August 2023 as the following:
1. Luxor
Training topics: The conversion processes from conventional to organic/biodynamic agriculture, Agricultural Products Marketing, and Total Number of attendees: 63 farmers.
1. Aswan
Training topics: Agricultural Products Marketing and The conversion processes from conventional to organic/biodynamic agriculture and Introduction to the Economy of Love standard and its services, and Total Number of attendees: 181 farmers.
3. Qena
Training topics: The conversion processes from conventional to organic/biodynamic agriculture, Agricultural Products Marketing and Introduction to the Economy of Love standard and its services, and Total Number of attendees: 74 farmers.
4. Minia
Training topics: The conversion procedures, the organic products market and marketing and introducing the EoL standard and its services with focusing on its Microloan program for supporting farmers enhancing their farm sustainable inputs, and Total Number of attendees: 69 farmers.
5. Sharqia
A combined training program for farmers from the two different upscaling projects.
Training topics: The conversion procedures, the organic products market and marketing and introducing the EoL standard and its services with focusing on its Microloan program for supporting farmers enhancing their farm sustainable inputs, and Total number of attendees: 35 farmers.
EBDA’s Digital Learning Materials and Social Media
The Egyptian Biodynamic Association communication and social media team created new learning videos and published these simple and short videos on social media. These videos are mainly presented by the EBDA’s extension engineers, consultants and agricultural expertise for the purpose of sharing knowledge, spread awareness and spotlight the importance of implementing sustainable, regenerative agriculture and the key role of the Egyptian farmers for mitigating the climate change crisis through their commitment to convert their farms into organic/biodynamic ones. Check the link to learn more: https://demeteregypt
PGS pilot phase training in Minia
On August 28 and 29 Eng. Buthaina Elhosieny and the extension service engineers from EBDA in cooperation with the COAE team, have conducted a technical training on the Economy of Love Criteria and the Participatory Guarantee System checklist for 5 peer reviewer farmers in Minia. The main purpose of the training was to qualify the 5 peer reviewer farmers to be able to make the audit on 51 other PGS registered farms in Minia. The training program consisted of 2 sessions, the first one was a rehabilitative/qualification session for the EoL PGS system and the second one was focused on the application of the PGS checklist and how the audit process runs. By the end of the training programme, the peer reviewer farmers were able to conduct the audit on other farms and that was concluded after testing them already on a model farm.
The Biodynamic Cotton Harvest Festival in Fayoum
With Helmy Abouleish, Naglaa Ahmed and some of the EBDA, Economy of Love and Organic Egypt’s project teams, a gathering with the biodynamic cotton farmers and traders in Fayoum region was organized and conducted there for the celebration of harvesting the biodynamic cotton in that region.
The Biodynamic Training In Zanzibar
Under the name of “The All Africa Anthroposophic Training AAAT”
Ms. Angela Hofmann conducted the biodynamic workshop in the AAAT conference that took place in Zanzibar from 6th until 13th of August.. The All Africa Anthroposophic Training offers five modules to deepen understanding of human development. The fifth module, held in Zanzibar, focuses on the development of the human and its commitment to cultural change in education, agriculture, medicine, social work, and ecology. The training aims to address the damage caused by a way of thinking that has lost connection with the cosmos and nature, leading to inhumanity, selfishness, violence, and ecological catastrophes. The course explores how living beings are connected, how to support healthy development, and how to incorporate this wisdom into daily practice and studying, observing and making biodynamic preparations as part of human development.
After the AAAT a deepening workshop on Biodynamics took place in the area of Steiner school and the Organic Spice Gardens. All basics of biodynamic farming were explained theoretically and implemented practically. This place is now developing to be the training facility and preparation provider for biodynamic agriculture for all Tansania.