EnterpriseAM spoke with SEKEM CEO Helmy Abouleish to discuss the firm’s desert reclamation project in the Bahariya Oasis, dubbed the Greening the Desert Project, to learn what SEKEM’s farming method can bring to the table for Egypt’s sustainable agriculture industry.

EnterpriseAM: Talk to us about the role of organic and biodynamic agriculture in reclaiming desert land. What does the process entail, in simple terms?

Helmy Abouleish: Organic and biodynamic agriculture is a process of building and investing in living soil — soil made from scratch using organic matter and compost — as a base upon which you can eventually start having plants, animals, people, and then a larger community over time.

My father started this process 47 years ago, at a time when there was no model for organic or biodynamic farming in the desert anywhere in the world. Beyond developing the concept, there was another essential part of our business that took shape during this time — making organic agriculture competitive through what we call the economy of love. We’re not just concerned with the farming methods and agriculture, but with the whole management of the supply chain from farmer to consumer — that everyone has a fair share of the added value and living wages, and that everyone involved in the supply chain can develop their potential in the process.

We’ve managed to become market leaders in segments where we compete with global firms using this approach, which we think demonstrates that the economy of love doesn’t just sound nice — it’s also a very competitive model.

Back in 2019, we asked ourselves how we could make organic and biodynamic farming the norm in Egypt, which would be better for the climate, for biodiversity, for water, food, and health. The reason it hasn't happened is because it’s more expensive, so we decided to develop models for the 7 mn farmers along the Nile and in the desert to show them how our methods for organic and biodynamic desert land reclamation can minimize water consumption, maximize yields, and have the least impactful carbon footprint — all while providing a base for community development.

E: In 2020, SEKEM launched the Greening the Desert Project — what has been accomplished so far, and what still needs to be done?

HA: The Bahariya Oasis has an area of 50k hectares, with around 40k people living there. We have a goal of supporting the 11k farmers in the oasis transition from conventional agriculture to organic and biodynamic agriculture by 2027. We’ve reached about 1.7k farmers — or 17% — so far.

The transition from conventional to organic farming will be wholly funded using carbon credits. We pay the farmers using carbon credits, and we place a condition that they won’t sell the organically produced products at a premium. We also help them switch from diesel generators to renewable energy sources. This process could help offset 14% of Egypt’s overall emissions, provided that all 7 mn farmers in Egypt follow this method. Farming is a big part of the problem for Egypt’s emissions, but it can also be a big part of the solution.

E: How has the government facilitated the project? Has it offered any incentives for SEKEM?

HA: Since our project’s launch during COP27, the government has made decisions that have greatly supported our project. In particular, the government’s passage of the voluntary carbon market law and establishment of a full accreditation program for carbon credits on the EGX through the Financial Regulatory Authority has bolstered our economy of love approach.

E: Are there more reclamation projects outside the Bahariya Oasis in the pipeline?

HA: Outside of the Bahriya Oasis project, we aim to work with 40k farmers by December 2025 and 250k farmers all over Egypt by 2028. We want to reach as many people as possible to enact systemic change. It’s all about working with the farmers in these communities and shifting their farming methods, but it’s also about human development. The questions we care about are how we’re improving the livelihoods of the farmers, their potential, whether their kids are going to school or not, how their health is improving, etc.

We currently have 15k farmers involved in our project — and for them, the most valuable part for them is feeling seen, honored, and respected. They see a future for their kids and they are part of a community.

E: Is SEKEM’s work limited to Egypt, or are there ongoing projects abroad?

HA: Besides Egypt, we are operating in India, Tanzania, Kenya, and Brazil, and will start working in Morocco. We believe that the concept can be applied in countries around the world, and we’re supporting whoever’s interested in applying it. We have no commercial interest, because we believe that every single country should apply this model — or something like it — to their respective agricultural systems.

We’re working with 250k farmers across three different cooperatives in India, and in Tanzania with 40k farmers through one cooperative, all with the goal of helping farmers around the world to make this transition based on ecosystem service payments — which are currently limited to carbon credits, but we hope will eventually include biodiversity credits, water credits, and others.

E: In a water scarce country like Egypt, what kind of challenges do you face in water recycling and sub-surface irrigation methods?

We can improve our water consumption, as well as our food security and self-sufficiency by changing our agriculture system, introducing new tech, and having different varieties of the crops we farm. Optimizing water consumption can be done through sub-surface irrigation, or smart irrigation tech that can reduce 15-20% of water consumption — but utilizing organic and biodynamic farming practices and having living soils can reduce it by 20-40%, because the water-holding capacity of the soil will improve. Growing drought-resistant crops is another strategy to help circumvent the issues related to Egypt’s water shortage and to help address them as well.

E: Does SEKEM partner with the private sector on any of its projects? What would successful private sector partnerships look like?

HA: We cooperate with many Egyptian firms along the supply chain, whether they’re supplying us with packaging material or raw materials, and our products are present in 55k supermarkets and 35k pharmacies across the country. We’re trying to raise awareness among our partners and with other firms, and push the idea that they should embrace models akin to what we’re trying to do and introduce more sustainable development practices. Companies are starting to respond to this, and offsetting through carbon credits has helped speed the process along — especially for newer firms.

We also help aid companies’ transitions toward more sustainable business models through our Carbon Footprint Center at Heliopolis University, which works with companies to develop their sustainability reporting and limit their carbon footprints.

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