• Name: The Habiba Organic Farm (HOF)
  • Institution: Habiba Organic Farm is listed among WWOOF Independents in the world of sustainable volunteer tourism, the first one in Egypt. also HOF is a Demeter registered farm and a member of the Center of Organic Agriculture (COAE) in Egypt.
  • Address: Habiba Bay, Nuweiba, South Sinai, Egypt
  • Contact: ​ nuweiba@gmail.com Tel: : +20 122 217 6624 
  • Sustainable initiative kick-off: 1994
  • Goals: The main aim is to highlight the benefits of organic practices to not only the local environment, but also to the communities that produce and consume our produce. The Habiba Organic Farm trials new varieties regularly, and acts as a hub for knowledge transfer between the farm, the Desert Research Center, Ain Shams University - Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University and the local Bedouin tribes (Tarabin, Jabaleya, Muzeina).
  • Features: HOF acts as a community-based farm to benefit the people of South Sinai. Our farm has became a production hub for wide variety of local grown organic products. Collaboration between Bedouin natives of the Sinai, with researchers from across Egypt and world wide, and the generous efforts of volunteers from around the world led to the development of a high yielding, purely organic farm that continues to deliver healthy, fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs to the local community.

Projects and Actions:

I) Innovative Research

The main competitive advantage achieved in Habiba community, it is the know-how obtained building up a singular model. Indeed, Habiba is certified as an organic farm with organic products that are sold in Nuweiba with the technical know-how of agriculture in the dessert of Sinai in a salty soil by the sea. The main products obtained in Habiba organic farm are moringa, quinoa, onion, garlic, kale, pumpkin, tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, dates, olives, cherry tomato, pomegranate, corn, amomg others.

II) Learning Center

Habiba Community as well understood the importance of the education and knowledge exchange in building communities and their role in sustaining the developmental plans. This has helped in promoting the idea of having a learning centre in the city that would support the locals in experiencing exposure to different cultures and nationalities throughout different volunteering programs. This would also help in exchanging the knowledge and adding value for the kids in different fields through applied education.

II) Sinai Palm  Foundation

Created under the umbrella of Habiba project, aims to recover and stress the importance of the palm heritage in Sinai through its cultivation. Indeed, date palm farming not only preserves cultural and natural heritage, but also contributes to local sustainable development.

In this direction, the Sinai Palm Foundation carries out a collaborative methodology of crop sharing that involves the community, creating a workforce taking advantage of synergies. This methodology would create a synergy in the community creating a dynamic workforce. As a result, of the sharing of Palms, the community would obtain the 80% of the crops obtained, and would pay the 20% to the owner for the land use.

Future Projects:

Habiba project aim is to achieve self-sufficiency in an area of 100 km range decreasing the cost of transportation and reducing carbon emissions, and at the same time, well supply the local market with their needs. Finally, Habiba future prospects is to extend and transfer the experience for achieving sustainable development in Nuweiba area.

Country: Egypt