Thursday, March 30, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Business Biz Plus

Tunisians battle to save Sahara oasis life

AFPbyAFP
March 21, 2022, 8:00 pm
in Biz Plus, Business
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

By Francoise Kadri

NEFTA, Tunisia—A remote oasis in Tunisia’s desert was exhausted by decades of wasteful water use for agriculture—but now pioneers around an eco-lodge are reviving the spot with innovative projects.

They hope their back-to-basics approach can keep alive the ancient Saharan caravan stop and its traditions as a sustainable alternative to the region’s high-irrigation date plantations.  

“Among the palm trees, everything can grow,” said Mohamed Bougaa, 63, a farmer in the remote Nefta oasis,  a seven-hour drive from the coastal capital Tunis.

Employees cultivate the Dar Hi hotel’s vegetable garden amid palm tree in the remote Nefta oasis, a seven-hour drive from the coastal Tunisian capital Tunis, on February 12, 2022. AFP

“There’s everything you need here: vegetables, fruit. We can plant peppers, tomatoes, carrots—everything grows when there’s sun and water.” 

ADVERTISEMENT

The problem has been that the Nefta spring—which once delivered some 700 liters (185 gallons) of water per second—has been exhausted to irrigate the region’s famous dates, called “deglet nour.”

“The Nefta springs dried up 20 years ago,” said Bougaa. 

As underground water sources have failed and summer temperatures peaked at a scorching 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit) last August, the season’s crop has been disappointing.

Mimicking nature

Patrick Ali El Ouarghi, who runs an eco-tourism lodge in the oasis, said date palm plantations, at the right scale, can be run sustainably.

He called them an ideal demonstration of permaculture, a system for producing food organically by mimicking natural ecosystems.

“The palm trees protect the fruit trees, and the fruit trees protect the vegetable patches, it’s natural in an oasis,” El Ouarghi said.

The French-Tunisian set up his Dar Hi lodge 11 years ago—including the so-called “Palm Lab” where engineers, architects and artists discuss how to conserve the oasis.

The ecology project aims “to make investors and farmers want to reinvest in the oasis, because it’s decaying a bit,” he said.

A key theme is tackling the severe water shortages by experimenting with technology such as drip irrigation.

The current system of flooding orchards with water, pumped from 100 meters (300 feet) below ground, is wasteful, he said. 

Date sugar

Not far from Dar Hi, others are trying different ways of creating value in the oasis.

American Kevin Klay, 35, a former resident of Sousse in northern Tunisia, says he fell in love with dates during a visit to the south.

“We realized that many dates, up to 20 to 30 percent, were thrown out and not used because of a small visual blemish,” he said.

So he bought a few kilos (pounds), removed their seeds, dried them and then put them through a coffee grinder. 

The result, he said, was a sweetener “with a fifth of the calories of white sugar” that is full of fiber and contains “more potassium than bananas.”

Armed with this knowledge, Klay in 2018 launched “Dateible,” selling his “date sugar” produced from the organic-certified desert fruits for export.

He now employs nine people, seven of them women.

“We’ve seen huge demand, particularly in the US where our main market is,” he said.

The firm is exporting dates in bulk and also starting to  sell on online retail site Amazon.

Several firms are producing other date derivatives such as a coffee substitute made of date pips and a form of molasses for use in pastries.

Unknown flavors

Back at the lodge, the restaurant is reviving traditional desert cuisine.

“It’s very simple and dates from the arrival of nomads,” when Nefta, today regarded as a spiritual home of Sufism, was a key stop on Saharan desert routes, El Ouarghi said.

They brought “unknown flavors and spices that have remained here as a tradition,” he said. 

Chef Najah Ameur says residents create their own unique spice mixes.

“It’s not the same as buying them at the market: cleaning the leaves, the smell, the flavor, you have to know exactly how to do it,” the 40-year-old said.

She cooks a menu of dishes she learned from her mother and from French celebrity chef Frederick Grasser Herme, the recipes collated in a recently published book on oasis cuisine.

“Many ingredients come from the palm groves: parsley, celery, chard, green beans, peas,” she said.

Some recipes are also adapted to use Moringa, an Indian tree famed for its nutritional and medicinal qualities and its ability to thrive in arid conditions.

The tree species may be new to the oasis, but residents are hoping that a mix of old and new can keep both their community and their ecosystem in good health.

Tags: NeftaNefta oasisTunisia
ADVERTISEMENT
AFP

AFP

Related Posts

ASIAN TERMINALS, INC.: Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders

byManila Standard
March 30, 2023, 6:00 am
0
8
ASIAN TERMINALS, INC.: Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders

ASIAN TERMINALS, INC.ATI Head Office, A. Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, ManilaTel. No. 8528-6000NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS To the...

Read more

Meralco, SMC unit sign one-year supply deal

byAlena Mae S. Flores
March 29, 2023, 8:05 pm
0
8
Meralco announces P0.31 per kWh hike in December rates

Power retailer Manila Electric Co. said Wednesday it executed an emergency power supply agreement with South Premiere Power Corp., a...

Read more

IMI, US firm agree to build electric motorcycles in PH

byJenniffer B. Austria
March 29, 2023, 7:55 pm
0
8
IMI’s unit prepares listing in New York

Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. of the Ayala Group and California -based Zero Motorcycles on Wednesday announced a strategic manufacturing collaboration on...

Read more

D&L Industries’ net income climbed 26% to record P3.3b in 2022

byJenniffer B. Austria
March 29, 2023, 7:50 pm
0
8
Exports to corner 50% of revenues, says D&L

Food ingredients and plastics manufacturer D&L Industries Inc. said Wednesday it booked a record P3.3-billion net income in 2022, up...

Read more

SBMA reported 181% growth in investment commitments to P50.4b in 2022

byOthel V. Campos
March 29, 2023, 7:45 pm
0
8
SBMA to fine shipping agency for disruptive off-signer

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said it generated P50.4 billion in committed investments from new and expansion projects in 2022,...

Read more

PEZA investments rose 54% to P12.54b in Q1

byOthel V. Campos
March 29, 2023, 7:40 pm
0
8
PEZA expects major investment projects to  seek registration in Q1

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority said it registered P12.537 billion worth of investments in the first quarter, up by 53.99  percent from P8.14...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • E-vehicle manufacturer to put up facility in Clark
  • ASIAN TERMINALS, INC.: Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders
  • Sneakers for Makati : AB4.0
  • Rody blasts ICC, ready for jail
  • PBBM to Ched: Address, reverse brain drain among Filipino nurses
  • Gov’t to raise ‘healthy citizens,’ to deal with malnutrition among kids
  • DepEd won’t revert to ‘old’ summer break
  • Maynilad: Brace for longer daily water interruptions next week

Advertisement

Latest News

Gov’t to raise ‘healthy citizens,’ to deal with malnutrition among kids

byWillie Casasand2 others
March 30, 2023, 1:20 am
0
8
P4-b shabu packed in tea bags seized in Baguio

One in three Filipino children under the age of 5 is stunted, the Department of Health said Wednesday—a situation that...

Read more

DepEd won’t revert to ‘old’ summer break

byManila Standard
March 30, 2023, 1:20 am
0
8
Tiamzons killed in boat explosion? Military mum on details of incident

Despite the call of a senator to move back summer vacation for schools to April and May amid the hot...

Read more

Maynilad: Brace for longer daily water interruptions next week

byOthel V. Camposand3 others
March 30, 2023, 1:10 am
0
8
Satellite captures traces of long oil slick in Verde Island Passage

Maynilad on Wednesday said it has begun daily service interruptions to preserve the remaining supply of water in the Angat-Ipo...

Read more

Ex-Gov. Teves signs waiver for phone, bank records

byManila Standard
March 30, 2023, 1:00 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Former Negros Oriental Governor Pryde Henry Teves on Wednesday filed a waiver allowing the Department of Justice to probe his...

Read more

P4-b shabu packed in tea bags seized in Baguio

byManila Standard
March 30, 2023, 12:50 am
0
8
P4-b shabu packed in tea bags seized in Baguio

Police and anti-drug operatives seized 575 kilos of suspected shabu, stored in tea bags, worth around P4 billion and arrested...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App