James Thompson
Working in Saudi Arabia
As I come to the end of a wonderful four years working within a community in the northern mountains of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I think back to my very first introduction to the historic oasis landscapes of the Arabian Peninsula during my studies at Witzenhausen, where I graduated with M.Sc. International Organic Agriculture in early 2008. These enduring examples of traditional agriculture have prevailed when modernity has led to the abandonment of so many traditional farming communities throughout the world. In Al Ula, 300 KM north of the city of Medina, the community works to restore the oasis landscapes, to preserve the reservoir of oasis genetic material and to share their food culture locally with visitors and internationally through branded and certified dates products. Our work has been conducted in accordance with the ecological agriculture principles of FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) and the Slow Food Movement. We collaborate with numerous national and international partners at a time when the district, that has the UNESCO heritage site of Hegra as its centre piece, has been opened for tourism and the community is ready to share their bountiful harvest of dates, citrus, fruits, vegetables, honey, dairy and meat products from their farms and rangelands.
My way to organic agriculture and Witzenhausen
As a youth in south-eastern Australia, I was fascinated by the lively abundance of the natural forests and coastal heathlands compared to the intensive effort that was required to make a living from farming. Working in the Australian horticulture industry in my early career in the 1980s, during technical training at Sydney’s Ryde School of Horticulture and numerous travels I felt a great sense of unease about the reliance on agricultural chemicals and the land degradation that resulted from modern farming practices. My first real enlightenment regarding truly natural approaches to farming came in East Africa where I was welcomed into traditional farming communities.
Back home in Australia early in the new millennium I was searching for an organic agriculture consultant to contribute to one of my projects. During my search I became aware that the University of Sydney was offering degree courses in ecological agriculture. My enrolment in the under-graduate course set me on a most rewarding pathway of academic studies that eventually led me to the post-graduate programme in Witzenhausen.
My experiences in Witzenhausen
It has been one of life’s great privileges to be part of the Witzenhausen community – to be guided, challenged and encouraged in my personal growth, my thinking and awareness by such an inspiring group of academics and fellow students. My thesis research with Prof. Dr. Andreas Buerkert in the Section of Organic Crop Production and Agro-ecosystem Research in the Tropics and Sub-tropics (OPATS), involved a study of homegardens along the Nile River in Urban and Peri-urban Khartoum in Sudan. This experience, together with value chain and organic certification courses that I participated in at DITSL, set me on a pathway to a post-graduate career in ecological agriculture consulting and project management. My work that has been focussed on small-scale agricultural production and value chain development has taken me to interesting, and sometimes challenging, locations including Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, the Western Ghats of India, Abu Dhabi and most recently here in Saudi Arabia.
When asked how I managed to find my way into these varied life experiences, I really am lost for a logical answer! However, it has been a pathway of progressive enlightenment as one experience created the