This is the site of the international ecotourism society. You will find a lot of information about ecotourism in the world. You will see how you could get involved and/or also learn about the intership opportunities. There is also the possibility to sign up for the newsletter … Read more
The Credito The currency used in and around the ecovillage of Damanhur, Italy
The Credito is an alternative monetary system that is used in Damanhur, Italy. It is used by around 100 businesses and about 2000 people. Damanhurians see it as a way to give nobility to the concept of money, by not considering it an end in itself, but only as a functional tool for exchange between people who share ideal values. … Read more
Co-operative Partnerships with Tourism Operators Partnerships with hotels to sell Argan products to tourism customers
The South West of Morocco attracts many tourists. Through partnering with hotels and guest houses, the Argan producing co-operatives can be sure of having their merchandise sold under fair trade practices. The hotels collect a percentage of the profits but this loss is offset by the co-ops receiving the full marketable value for their products. … Read more
Pigeons towers Pigeons Breeding Towers
Pigeons have been bred in Egypt since the ancient Egyptian periods. Pigeons stuffed with rice is considered a special Egyptian meal. In addition breeding pigeons is practiced as a traditional hobby, specially those type of pigeons called 'Zagil' which are the first historical messages courier. Breeding pigeons is considered a good business for people in countryside specially that pigeons are easily fed with grains such as lentils, corn and barley. The farmer usually adds simple minerals to the … Read more
Manual ‘konafah’ Manual baking of 'konafah'
The 'konafah' was introduced in Egypt during the Fatimid period. The maximum consumption of 'konafah' is in the holy month of Ramadan. After their breakfast in sunset time; Muslims prefer to eat the 'konafah' as dessert. In this month the bakers get the most revenue from this traditions. The baker prepares the dough of water and flour used in baking 'konafah' in a big pot. He then pours the dough using a scoop in a perforated cup. He then pours the dough on the stove. The stove used for … Read more
Daret (the round) A traditional Moroccan way for organizing a community bank
“Daret”: is a common organization for comunity banks in Morocco. Every woman in the group makes a monthly contribution. Let’s say we have a group of 10 women where every woman gives 100 MAD. The money gathered after 1 month, which is 1000 MAD, is given to a chosen woman from the group every month according to her needs. The 9 other women keep receiving the amount of 1000 MAD in turn every month, while they keep of course, making the contribution of 100 MAD per month. The decision of which woman … Read more
Creating a Local Currency for use in Women’s Co-operatives Generating wages for women in the co-operatives
The new system will be more transparent and can be directly exchanged for groceries, vegetables and meat at the local market. It can also be exchanged for money. … Read more
Promoting Women’s Handicrafts Women's co-operatives provide a market for local handicrafts
As part of the cultural tradition, women learn to make carpets, hair accessories, scarves, and pieces of traditional clothing. In addition to marketing Argan, cooperatives would encourage the women to produce more handicrafts by marketing these pieces as well. … Read more
Online marketing of Moroccan Argan products and handicrafts Selling Argan products and handicrafts through a womens co-operative online for fair trade
For women who produce Argan oil or make carpets, co-operatives can have an online website for them where they can sell their product nationally and internationally, enabling them to become more financially independent, as well as receiving the true commercial value of their products. … Read more
Bookbinding Traditional hand-made bookbinding
There are several types of bookbinding, ranging from normal to luxurious forms. Bookbinding can be done with paper, leather, gauze, light metal sheets and wood. There are various tools and materials linked to this industry including; paper, cardboard, leather, glue, mixture of water, flour and alum, linoleum, iron, gold solution, gauze, pins, cutter, puncher and sponge. The stages of the bookbinding process are as follows: gathering the book sections, assembly and knitting, hammering, 80 gm … Read more
