From 2 hectares of arid land, Zineb has created a lush oasis where diversity prevails over profusion. Her methodology: permaculture, observation and being in tune with nature.
About the Gardens of Zineb
The concept defended by Zineb comprises a clever mix of respect for the land, the safeguarding of community-based traditions and personal development. Everyone is invited to share mealtime with the five families who work on the farm, train in permaculture and do some ‘woofing’, which involves living and working on organic farms. Convinced of the place’s baraka (‘blessing’), she cultivates sustainability both out in the fields and in bodies and minds.
One life: Zineb Benrahmoune Idrissi, champion of permaculture in Morocco
“Opposite my farm, I once saw a man burn a tree on the pretext that it was harbouring snakes. I yelled like a crazy woman. I was prepared for the worst.” At 57 years of age, this former feminist is a permaculture champion in Morocco. In 1998, whilst working as a botany professor, she acquired 2.5 hectares of arid land in Shoul, near Rabat, which she decided to ‘tend’ so that humans, fauna and flora are able to live there in complete harmony. In eighteen years, she’s made a model garden in the region, with its own genuine eco-system. This achievement has earned her such widespread acclaim that celebrities like the ecologist Pierre Rabhi and philosopher Edgar Morin have come along to pay a visit.
