Farm Day: Apricots, Compost & Sustainability

Today, students took a break from their service learning at the Dar Shbab to learn about building and working on a sustainable farm: Aliya’s farm, located about an hour outside of Mohammedia and owned and run by the family of Madiha (CIEE Rabat & Mohammedia Director). The farm  day was a great extension to our tree planting and conversations about sustainability and environmentalism from earlier in the week at the Dar Shbab and in the classroom.

First we stopped at a souk [large outdoor market], where students were separated into teams to test their Darija vocabulary through interactions with the local vendors. Once at the farm, Madiha’s brother Salah gave us a tour of the grape and apricot orchards, the solar panel system, the pool currently inhabited by fish, their chicken coop that redefines “free range,” and their experiments growing different plants, vegetables, and fruits. The farm is 100% organic, foregoing traditional pesticides, chemicals and techniques, and instead they focus on ways to maximize the natural resources of their land and surrounding materials - for example, sawdust from a local carpenter for the compost!

After a delicious homemade lunch of veggie pasta for the vegetarians, meat sandwiches for the meat eaters, and watermelon for all, the students had the opportunity to learn about and partake in the composting process. Check out the photos to see the students’ different roles! 

In addition to enjoying a day outside in the sunshine, the students shared their appreciation for learning about the farm’s innovative methods and the opportunity to help partake in what is truly a family effort. Today was another example of how service-learning comes in so many different shapes and sizes, with “learning” always playing an important role.

(Overheard on the bus back: “Today was my favorite day so far!”)

On Friday we head to Marrakech for two days, so check back after the weekend for lots of photos and stories!