[:en]Helmy Abouleish is New President of Demeter International[:ar]حلمي أبو العيش رئيسًا جديدًا لمؤسسة ديميتر الدولية[:]

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At the recent General Assembly of Demeter International, Heliopolis University Chairman of the Board of Trustees Helmy Abouleish had been elected as the new president. 21 years after its foundation, the pioneers Thomas Lüthi and Susanna Küffer stepped back from their functions. Thomas Lüthi was given the title of honorary president for his merits and Susanna Küffer received the title of Honorary Board member.

“The new president Helmy Abouleish represents perfectly the next step in the organizational development of Demeter International”, the Demeter International board stated. The organization commits itself in supporting the holistic vision of the Biodynamic movement worldwide. From an association of certifiers and protectors of the Demeter and Biodynamic trademarks, Demeter International has developed towards an organization taking responsibility for supporting the Section of Agriculture in research, training and advisory activities and for developing the Demeter markets around the world. Demeter International: “The SEKEM Initiative is one example how this vision can become a reality towards supporting an agriculture of the future.”

Supporting the holistic vision of the Biodynamic movement worldwide
Demeter Switzerland was the host of this year’s Demeter International Members Assembly and impressed the visitors with insights into the Biodynamic work in Switzerland. Best farm practice was to be seen at a Demeter farm working with a low tillage system and producing Swiss cheese which is mainly sold in the region. Research work at the Agricultural Section of the Goetheanum and at FiBL, especially the DOK-Trial which compares Biodynamic, Organic and conventional farming since 40 years, gave impulses for further discussions. Where future is made was also made visible with the explanations about Biodynamic plant breeding at Sativa Rheinau and the Biodynamic Farmers School Rheinau.Besides, the assembly has adopted new Standards for Biodynamic breeding to enable the labelling of those products that support this crucial contribution to future seed diversity. Working groups were discussing the future of the standards, certification, training, marketing and policy activities. It became visible what impressive work already happens in the different countries, for example in the training of farmers and other producers.The Biodynamic Association India became full member of Demeter International – which has now member organizations in 19 countries worldwide. Altogether, more than 187.000 ha land are Demeter-certified, 5387 farmers are certified to work under Biodynamic methods and 979 processors produce under Demeter standards worldwide.

 

Source: Demeter International

Copyright Photo: Demeter International

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في اجتماع الجمعية العمومية الأخير لمؤسسة ديميتر الدولية، أُنتخب رئيس مجلس أمناء جامعة هليوبوليس حلمي أبو العيش رئيسًا جديدًا للمؤسسة.

بعد ٢١ عامًا من تأسيسها، تراجع كل من توماس لوثي وسوزانا كوفر عن مهامهما. ولقب لوثي بالرئيس الفخري وحصلت سوزانا كوفر على لقب عضوة مجلس الفخرية.

وأقر مجلس إدارة ديميتر الدولية: ’’يمثل الرئيس الجديد حلمي أبو العيش تمامًا الخطوة التالية في التطوير التنظيمي لديميتر الدولية‘‘. وتلزم المنظمة نفسها تجاه دعم الرؤية الشمولية لحركة الزراعة الحيوية في جميع أنحاء العالم. ومن رابطة من الموثقين والرعاة للعلامات التجارية ديميتر والبيوديناميك، تطورت ديميتر الدولية لتكون منظمة تحمل مسؤولية دعم قطاع الزراعة في أنشطة البحث والتدريب والاستشارات وتسعى نحو تطوير أسواق ديميتر في جميع أنحاء العالم. وتؤكد ديميتر الدولية: ’’إن مبادرة سيكم هي أحد الأمثلة على كيفية تحقيق الرؤية على أرض الواقع لدعم الزراعة في المستقبل‘‘.

كانت ديميتر سويسرا هي المضيفة لجمعية أعضاء ديميتر الدولية وحازت إعجاب الزوار بالمعلومات التفصيلية التي عرضتها أثناء الاجتماع متناولة أنشطة الزراعة الحيوية في سويسرا. وكانت أفضل الممارسات الزراعية في مزرعة ديميتر التي تعمل بنظام حرث منخفض وتنتج الجبن السويسري الذي يباع بشكل أساسي هناك. هذا بالإضافة إلى عرض العمل البحثي لقسم الزراعى بـ Goetheanum و FiBL، وخاصة تجربة DOK-Trial التي أثارت العديد من النقاشات، تقارن بين الزراعة الحيوية والعضوية والتقليدية منذ أربعين عامًا. وحيثما يُصنع المستقبل، احتلت تربية النباتات الحيوية أهمية قصوى في ساتيفا رايناو Sativa Rheinauومدرسة المزارعين الحيوية Biotechnology School Rheinau.

إلى جانب ذلك، اعتمدت الجمعية معايير جديدة للتربية الحيوية من أجل تمكين وضع العلامات على تلك المنتجات التي تدعم هذه المساهمة الحاسمة للتنوع المستقبلي للبذور. وناقشت مجموعات العمل مستقبل المعايير، والاعتماد بالشهادات، والتدريب، والتسويق، وأتطبيق السياسات. وقد أصبح واضحًا ذلك العمل الرائع الذي يحدث بالفعل في بلاد مختلفة، على سبيل المثال في تدريب العديد من المزارعين والمنتجين الآخرين.

كذلك أصبحت جمعية الزراعة الحيوية في الهند عضوًا عاملًا في ديميتر الدولية التي تضم الآن أعضاء منظماتها في ١٩ دولة حول العالم. وبشكل عام، هناك أكثر من ١٨٧ فدان مرخصة من قِبل ديميتر، وتم اعتماد ٥٣٨٧ مزارعًا للعمل في إطار أساليب الزراعة الحيوية كما أن هناك ٩٧٩ معالجة حيوية تنتج تحت معايير ديميتر في جميع أنحاء العالم.

المصدر: مؤسسة ديميتر الدولية

الحقوق الملكية للصور: ديميتر الدولية

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MED-WET Partners Participate in Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, October 2024, Portugal

[:en] The MED-WET partners, including the team from Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, had the opportunity to showcase their excellent results at the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, held during (9-13) October 2024 in Portugal. This event provided a wonderful platform to widely share the project’s advancements, exchange insights, and engage with various international stakeholders in the water, energy and agricultural sectors. During the fair, the HUSD team actively participated in a parallel conference, where they delivered in-depth presentations and speech covering the MED-WET’s goals, achievements, and importance in advancing sustainable water management for climate-resilient agriculture among the rural and desert communities. At the heart of their presence was the MED-WET stand, which attracted significant attention of the majority of participants. It served as a focal point for information dissemination, providing an interactive space where farmers, agricultural experts, policymakers, and researchers could learn more about the project’s innovative approaches to water conservation and irrigation technology in arid regions. The stand featured detailed explanations of the project’s outcomes, including key findings and 3-D prototypes of the three technologies “Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco”. This obviously proven the MED-WET’s success in realizing efficient water management practices that contributed to sustainable farming and addressed water scarcity challenges in the Mediterranean region. Overall, the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair was a highly productive experience for all participants. It allowed the MED-WET team to expand their network, raise awareness about the critical issue of water scarcity, and underscore the project’s role in promoting sustainable agricultural practices across the Mediterranean region. The fair highlighted the increasing importance of collaborative efforts in addressing water conservation and irrigation challenges in agriculture, reinforcing the relevance of the MED-WET initiative. [:]

[:en]Showcasing the Med-Wet Project: Partners Participated in the Euro-Mediterranean Innovation Marketplace in Cairo[:]

[:en] One of the Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development’s successful research projects called “MED-WET” is selected among the top successful and highest performing 20 EU–Prima projects worldwide this year 2024. An international conference and fair was conducted on 3 Oct., 2024 in Cairo organized by Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in association with the European Commission (EC) office in Cairo. In which, a team from HUSD and MED-WET’s partner countries from Malta and Germany presented the key results of the MED-WET project, including the successfully developed three technologies (Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco). That mega event allowed HUSD to showcase the innovative solution of the low-cost, low-energy and nature-based “Instream Constructed Wetland” model addressing water challenges and climate change in the Mediterranean. Such innovations aim to conserve water, improve irrigation efficiency and tackle water scarcity (climate-resilient agriculture). The marketplace offered meaningful exchanges with international partners. HUSD’s team discussed potential collaborations with stakeholders who are interested in new research projects, which will help further amplify the impact of the Med-Wet project. The conversations done with promising future partners underscored the importance of cross-border cooperation and innovation in addressing complex environmental challenges, on the top of them “water scarcity and climate change”. [:]

[:en]Announcement: Heliopolis University Low Carbon Energy Report Released![:]

[:en]Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development is proud to announce the release of our latest report on Low Carbon Energy Usage across campus! This report highlights our commitment to a greener future by measuring the amount of low-carbon energy utilized in our operations. Through this analysis, we’re taking bold steps toward sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. Key Highlights: A detailed breakdown of renewable energy sources powering our campus Insights on energy efficiency improvements across our facilities Actionable goals for expanding clean energy use in the coming years Together, we’re paving the way for a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this report possible! Stay tuned for more updates as we continue working towards a 100% low-carbon campus! #HeliopolisUniversity #SustainableFuture #LowCarbonEnergy #CleanEnergy See the report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/122aDtID_M3wxZSzZnKuzx-VcHolUbxh5/view?usp=sharing[:]