עברית

PROJECT WADI ATTIR

Project Wadi Attir is a groundbreaking initiative of a Bedouin community in the Negev desert, establishing a model sustainable farm that leverages Bedouin traditional values, know-how and experience with The Sustainability Laboratory’s signature approach to development.

INNOVATIONS AT PROJECT WADI ATTIR

The project was initiated by THE SUSTAINABILITY LABORATORY in partnership with the Hura Municipal Council. It presents an integrated, holistic approach to development, relevant to the local community, to the region, and to other arid zones around the world.

The brainchild of Dr. Michael Ben-Eli, founder of The Lab, the project innovates in five key dimensions, reflecting The Lab’s SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES, and related to the Material, Economic, Social, Life, and Spiritual Domains.

MATERIAL DOMAIN

Project Wadi Attir’s system of integrated green technologies and waste-to-resources approach maximizes the use of renewable resources, eliminates harmful emissions, and aims for near-zero waste.

ECONOMIC DOMAIN

The project seeks to go beyond “job creation” by creating new enterprises and empowering a community of entrepreneurs who take responsibility for their own futures and can inspire other community members to do the same.

SOCIAL DOMAIN

The project has been successful in creating a unique coalition of individuals and groups representing all sectors of Israeli society, and featuring cooperation between different Bedouin tribes, women in leadership roles, and a cooperative organizational structure.

DOMAIN OF LIFE

The project takes a humane and low-impact approach to raising farm animals, while orchestrating the enrichment of biodiversity of flora and fauna on the project site.

SPIRITUAL (VALUES) DOMAIN

The project is anchored in a value proposition, upheld by the community and articulated in the project’s Declaration of Principles.

THESE INNOVATIONS ARE EXPRESSED THROUGH THE PROJECT’S MANY FUNCTIONS AND INITIATIVES.

PROGRAM INITIATIVES AND TECHNOLOGIES

Mouse over the key or map markers for more information.

Indigenous Vegetables Initiative

Indigenous Vegetables Plot
Drying Shed

Medicinal Plants Initiative

Medicinal Plants Plot
Drying Shed/Greenhouse

Herding and Dairy Initiative

Dairy Plant and Milking Facility
Animal Pens
Barn and Warehouse
Grazing pasture

Visitors, Training and Education

Visitor, Training and Education Center

Ecosystem Restoration Initiative

Olive Grove

Wind-Barrier Trees
Slope Stabilization Trees
Water-Retention Earth Mounds

Integrated Green Technologies

Solar/Wind Energy System
Bio-Gas System
Wastewater Treatment System/
Constructed Wetlands
Composting Facility

Irrigation System
Green Building Design

IMPACTS AT PROJECT WADI ATTIR

“Project Wadi Attir is creating a new reality of empowerment and hope for the future, encouraging a move to self-reliance. In particular, the project creates an unprecedented new situation whereby women are equal partners in leading a significant development process with men. Involvement in the project will open new horizons and new opportunities for women and strengthen their ability to influence the fabric of family and community.”

AMAL ELSANA-ALH’JOOJ
DIRECTOR, AJEEC-NISPED

“This project offers a golden opportunity for people in the Bedouin community to organize in an independent, democratic fashion, with emphasis on common goals, shared effort and commitment to community values. With this project we broke the mythos that ‘these people’ are not able to manage themselves, that they always need someone else to tell them what to do. In all my years in community work, I have never come cross a change-making project like Project Wadi Attir.”

AATEF ABU AJAJ
FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE PROJECT TEAM

“Once the project is fully realized, it will undoubtedly serve as a blueprint for the development of rural areas in Africa and other Less Developed Countries. I am very optimistic about the success of this project under the leadership of Dr. Ben-Eli, whose creativity and imagination is put to use to conceive, organize and orchestrate the process.”

PROFESSOR JIMMY WEINBLATT
PRESIDENT, SAPIR ACADEMIC COLLEGE, FORMERLY RECTOR, BEN-GURION
UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV

“It has been an honor for me to participate as one of the founders of Project Wadi Attir. This unique project constitutes an important breakthrough in the area of sustainable development, an idea which resonates with values and principles that were deeply ingrained in Bedouin society, prior to the era of urbanization of the last few decades.”

עברית

PROJECT WADI ATTIR