Beldi Tribe – Agricultural and community recovery project
LOCATION: OULED HAMMOU (TAUNATE, MOROCCO)
PROMOTERS: ASSOCIATION «Dreamseeders» , IDRISS BENABDELJELIL, OLIVIER VUILLEMIN (UNTIL 2016)
REALIZATION: 2012 – IN PROGRESS
Ideas, dreams and goals
In 2012, a group of young people, one of them linked to the area where he had lived during his childhood, decided to return to those places driven by a passion for nature and with the intention of promoting a project capable of combining that passion with the desire to do something useful for the community.
After the flood, the local population found themselves in the same territory, but at the same time uprooted from it. They had not been able to recover and find alternatives to the disappearance of the way of life in that area, they were in a state of discouragement and were not willing to accept outside help. However, the good relations that the father of one of the promoters had left in these communities, having been the last to cultivate these lands, allowed them to overcome this blockage and launch an initiative linked to permaculture and social sustainability.
The aim was to demonstrate, by reactivating the farm, that human reactivity can be developed in a way that is respectful of nature and, at the same time, ethical and profitable.
The initiative, however, would not only involve the agricultural aspect, but also the community aspect, and this has materialized over the years with the construction of infrastructures such as the rainwater collection tank and a preschool center in and for the community of Ouled Hammou.
At first, there was the fact that the chosen site had no infrastructure, with only a few ruins of stone buildings, as well as the lack of access, water, electricity and supply difficulties due to isolation, and the lack of motivation of the local community.
The aim was to demonstrate, by reactivating the farm, that human reactivity can be developed in a way that is respectful of nature and, at the same time, ethical and profitable.
The initiative, however, would not only involve the agricultural aspect, but also the community aspect, and this has materialized over the years with the construction of infrastructures such as the rainwater collection tank and a preschool center in and for the community of Ouled Hammou.
At first, there was the fact that the chosen site had no infrastructure, with only a few ruins of stone buildings, as well as the lack of access, water, electricity and supply difficulties due to isolation, and the lack of motivation of the local community.
Project development
Over the past ten years, the promoters have organised activities and invited experts who could provide real tools and knowledge to think about, design, plan and implement the project objectives. Some of the collaborations were better suited than others to the initial situation on the ground and in the community and therefore prospered, while others did not, but still provided valuable lessons.
In 2012, the initiative met with Ctrl+Z during a workshop that was being held, and during which the idea of organizing a course on the superadobe technique on the farm for the training of local workers was born, which was held in 2013.
By then, construction work had already begun and they had completed the first facilities, such as a temporary kitchen, some residential spaces and toilets, and they had a tractor. All this facilitated the development of construction and cultivation activities and the permanence on the farm, allowing work to be carried out and activities to be organised on a different scale.
Architectural Approach
Since then, there has been a stable collaboration in the construction of the work spaces (farm warehouses, forge and dairy), the stables and two houses; the recovery of the ruins present on the property for kitchens, warehouses and other unfinished buildings for the future sale of products, educational activities...
Ctrl+Z's work has been divided between working remotely and on the grounds of Ouled Hammou's farm, where he has stayed over the years for various periods, some brief, others lasting almost two months.
The interest that led to the immediate acceptance of the proposal was the idea of combining the construction processes with the training of local personnel and experimentation in order to find suitable and appropriate techniques to be applied with the means and materials available locally. A complicated scheme at the beginning that became easier with the development of the project. During the design, construction and experimentation phases, the community was not considered as a passive subject waiting for instructions from the technicians, but as an active subject that brings both the “genius loci” and the deep knowledge of the territory from the physical and sociocultural point of view. They indicated, for example, the different types of soil present on the land and the traditional ways of mixing and applying them, as well as the availability of other materials in nearby markets.
All those involved agreed on a “motu operandi” in which architecture was not an independent process, but integrated into the sustainable development of the community and the territory. This type of approach, committed to the values of the project and linked to the local community, benefits all parties involved and the initiative as a whole. The processes of experimentation and research, as well as those of design and planning, have been carried out in a shared manner, which has allowed the refinement of intermediate solutions that were nourished by the best of many sources.
To date, there are a dozen complete and operational infrastructures, and another half dozen under construction, as well as a natural water movement and cultivation project implemented on site that includes, among other things, five rainwater collection and retention basins.
All those involved agreed on a “motu operandi” in which architecture was not an independent process, but integrated into the sustainable development of the community and the territory. This type of approach, committed to the values of the project and linked to the local community, benefits all parties involved and the initiative as a whole. The processes of experimentation and research, as well as those of design and planning, have been carried out in a shared manner, which has allowed the refinement of intermediate solutions that were nourished by the best of many sources.
To date, there are a dozen complete and operational infrastructures, and another half dozen under construction, as well as a natural water movement and cultivation project implemented on site that includes, among other things, five rainwater collection and retention basins.
Architectural achievements
After many tests, a technique was chosen that includes stone foundations, a wooden structure and vertical fences of straw and clay (5%) protected by traditional plastering, both for its adaptability to the territory and local workers and for its thermal properties, its durability and its aesthetic integration.
Solutions were also found for floors, heating (rocket stoves), etc.
In an isolated and at the same time globalised context, the local population was abandoning traditional techniques in favour of buildings made of concrete blocks and zinc sheet roofs that were not really adapted to the region's climate and local culture, as well as being very expensive and presenting logistical problems in terms of accessibility to materials.
By providing direct training through courses for their workers or indirectly through experimentation with different techniques for building the farm's infrastructure, it was possible to contribute to enhancing the knowledge and materials already present on site and to recover some techniques in their original or updated form, not only for the construction of the farm, but as knowledge that each of the local builders took home to improve the environment and living spaces.
Social goals and achievements
In the medium and long term, the aim of the initiative was to establish a symbiotic relationship with the community, so that it could benefit from the dynamism generated and the project would have a community to rely on.
At the beginning of the initiative, the population, especially the young, considered that leaving the community for the city was the only way to improve their situation, so many left the project as soon as they had enough savings to do so. One of the main achievements of the initiative was to reverse this situation and give these young people reasons to stay, not only economically, but also in terms of pride in being part of the solution and the rebirth of their community.
At the beginning of the initiative, the population, especially the young, considered that leaving the community for the city was the only way to improve their situation, so many left the project as soon as they had enough savings to do so. One of the main achievements of the initiative was to reverse this situation and give these young people reasons to stay, not only economically, but also in terms of pride in being part of the solution and the rebirth of their community.
Future
Despite all that has already been achieved, in my discussions with the promoters, they believe that the first phase is still in development and that the infrastructure needed to implement the project in all its aspects (agriculture, training, local employment and in the future tourism, etc.) is not yet complete.
Its objective for the next 5 years would be to operate 100% as a productive and self-sufficient farm that improves the physical and sociocultural environment in which it is inserted.
Improving crop and animal husbandry infrastructure, installing a solar power grid and building some hospitality facilities are among its new goals to ensure the project can continue to be a driving force for the entire local community and expand its object and purpose.
The greatest satisfaction is in seeing how the knowledge provided has been incorporated by the local community and is being used in its original form or modified to better adapt it to the particular conditions of use.
The greatest satisfaction is in seeing how the knowledge provided has been incorporated by the local community and is being used in its original form or modified to better adapt it to the particular conditions of use.
