Download - Desert Fruit The dates of Al Jufrah
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DESERT FRUITThe Dates of Al Jufrah
DESERT FRUITThe Dates of Al Jufrah
edited by Marta Mancini
Field research and texts by Marta Mancini
Translated by Carla Ranicki
Photographs by Marta Mancini and Carlo Bergesio
Historic map from the Istituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare
Illustrations by Irene Roggero
Design and layout by Alice Lotti
Printed on recycled and ecological paper
For their invaluable assistance, suggestions and support, many thanks go to
Dr. Bashir Gshera, local coordinator of the project; Mostafa Ali Gringo, guide
and interpreter; Elsanoussi Jalala; Mahmoud Abobaker Fadil; the Libyan Board
of Improving and Developing Olive and Palm Trees; all the people of Al Jufrah
who contributed in various ways to the production of this publication; Massimo
Battaglia, Italian coordinator of the project; Stefania Sani, librarian at the Istituto
Agronomico per l’Oltremare, Prof. Milvia Luisa Racchi; Piero Sardo, President
of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity; and Michela Lenta, in charge
of Mediterranean Africa for Slow Food.
DESERT FRUITThe Dates of Al Jufrah
Do not love me my master like a palm
that the wind caresses and then leaves languishing
Do not love me my master like a door
that the hurried man constantly pulls and pushes
Love me my master like a date
that the glutton sucks voluptuously down to the pit…
[Popular Arab ballad quoted by Giorgio Assan;
La Libia e il mondo arabo; Rome, Editori Riuniti, 1959; p. 25]
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40°
30°
20°
10°
30°10° 20°10° 0°
Twenty-ninth parallel Twenty-ninth parallel
THE WORLD MAP OF DATESThe map shows where the highest concentrations of date palms are in the world. The best zone in the world for cultivating
the palms and one of the historic caravan routes along which dates were traded are both along the 29th parallel.
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70° 80° 90°50° 60°40°
Twenty-ninth parallel
LIBYA
The number of palm trees in Al Jufrah has grown from around 88,000 in the 1930s to 3 million today. Half of the dates produced in irrigated plantations come from Waddan, while the rest come from Hun and Sokna. Zellah and Al Fugha are oases where date production is more traditional. Privately owned plots in Al Jufrah are of moderate size, between 6 and 10 hectares. One hectare can be planted with around 100 palms and each palm produces between 40 and 100 kilograms of dates a year.
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THE 95 FLAVORS OFLIBYAN DATESSome of the best dates in the world come from Libya, and dozens of different date varieties have been preserved here. This extraordinary heritage is the fruit of centuries of history, carefully safeguarded by today’s farmers to give hope for tomorrow’s desert.
Compared to the dates that flood
European supermarkets around Christmas, Lib-
yan dates represent a glorious celebration of
biodiversity and flavor. Today, 400 different date
varieties are still grown in the country, of which
95 are of commercial interest. This incredible
wealth has served as a highly effective natural
defense for the Libyan plantations, which have
remained safe from pathogen attacks like Bayoud
disease. Having destroyed two-thirds of Moroc-
co’s palm groves during the last century, the dis-
ease is now spreading to Algeria and threatening
the Tunisian plantations.
Libya’s date varieties can be di-
vided into three major groups: the fleshy-fruited
coastal varieties, which can be eaten fresh or re-
frigerated for months (Bronzi, Taluni, Baudi); the
semi-soft varieties from the central zone, mostly
consumed fresh (Bestian, Kathari, Abel, Tagiat,
Saiedi); and those from the southern oases, less
succulent and fleshy (Amjog, Emeli, Awarig, Tas-
cube, Intalia, Tamjog). These latter varieties are
suited for drying and can be stored for up to 10
years. They were highly valued by the caravans
that used to cross the desert.
Those familiar with the desert have
many different ways of distinguishing the varie-
ties: the shape of the palm’s foliage, the appear-
ance of the leaves, the length of the thorns, how
the bunches of fruit hang. But even a European
would immediately be able to see the striking di-
versity among the fruits when they are laid out
next to each other, even before experiencing the
bewildering symphony of flavors on their palate.
Kathary dates are greener than the yellowish Sok-
eris; Tagiats have a tapered shape; the prized Hali-
mas offer an incomparable concentration of pleas-
ure, their sweetness caressing the mouth without
DATE NAMES
The Arabic word tamar means both
“date” and “October,” the month
in which dates are harvested. As a sign
of the centrality this fruit has always
had in the everyday life and economy
of the desert populations, the same
word is also used to refer to fruit
in general. Dates are so important
in Arab culture that the Arabic language
has five different words for the fruit’s
different stages of development:
hababouk (unripe, green), kimri, blah
or khalal (fresh, slightly astringent,
juicy and fibrous, hard), rutab (medium
moisture), tamar (overripe, dry).
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ever becoming cloying. The country is also rich in
sayings and legends associated with the fruit, such
as the old adage “if you plant Berni dates, you’ll
eat Berni dates,” referring to a particularly resist-
ant variety able to guarantee food security.
The date palm varieties grown in
Libya today are the same as those described by the
Italians between 1926 and 1930, showing how the
impressive local genetic wealth has not been lost
over time, but wisely maintained and regenerated.
The Libyan government recently
launched a major project to encourage, improve
and promote the production of dates, planting
new palms in various desert and semi-arid re-
gions of the country, expanding research institu-
tions in the sector and supporting technical and
scientific exchanges, with the aim of genetically,
agriculturally and biologically improving the crop
in arid environments.
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Single-variety cultivation is not only more
susceptible to possible parasitic epidemics,
but also at greater risk in the event of unusual
weather patterns. If these occur during certain
key stages in the plant’s life cycle, such as
flowering and fruit setting, they can result
in serious production losses. Single-variety
crops are also more vulnerable to market
fluctuations dictated by the changing
preferences of consumers. In other Maghreb
countries the renewal and conservation
of traditional varieties is no longer ensured.
The resulting impoverishment in biodiversity
has already led to major cultivation of selected
varieties and the spread of monocultures
for export. Those varieties held to be
of lower quality or lesser commercial value
are particularly suffering. The complete
abandonment of traditional crops will inevitably
lead to the reduction of the genetic variability
available to the species, a variability that comes
from a long natural selection and constitutes the
primary factor for environmental adaptation.
As in other countries, drought, salinity,
desertification and aging palm groves have
created problems for date cultivation in Libya,
but farmers recognized the importance
of safeguarding the varieties common at a local
level. Today they have access to a heritage
that is extremely valuable for the environmental
and economic future of the country and
the whole Mediterranean basin.
THE ADVANTAGES OF BIODIVERSITY
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THE TREASURES
OF AL JUFRAHDates express what the French call terroir: the special combination of soil and climate that characterizes the identity of a geographic area. The fruits of the Al Jufrah palms represent the essence of a land shaped by nature and expertly tended by the people of the oases.
The Al Jufrah region of central
Libya has long been recognized as an ideal zone
for date growing, thanks to its soil composi-
tion, abundant aquiferous reserves and climate
(its seasons, temperatures, temperature swings,
humidity level and so on).
The particularly fortunate characteristics of
this area mean that the palms grow easily. Cul-
tivation is effectively organic, because no syn-
thetic chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used.
This undoubtedly has positive consequences for
the flavor of the fruits, which are naturally rich
in sugars and highly nutritious.
Dozens of different varieties are still being
grown in Al Jufrah. These local varieties, each
with their own sensory characteristics, can as-
tonish attentive and curious palates. These are
a few of the most common varieties:
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Kathari: Highly esteemed, though slightly
astringent; stays soft for the whole year;
has a stubby oval fruit, greenish-yellow
in color, with a thick, hard skin and soft flesh.
Tagiat: The dark-brown, elongated oval fruits,
with a smooth, thick, hard skin and soft flesh,
keep quite well. A popular old saying claims
that hunting dogs run fast because they
eat Tagiat dates.
Abel: Dry, easy to store and transport;
oval fruit, yellow with brown patches;
smooth, tough, thick skin; hard flesh
with a sweet but astringent flavor.
Halima: Considered a rare delicacy,
they represent the highest quality of date.
The very soft fruits are larger than
average and pleasantly sweet without
being cloying.
ABEL
variety
TAGIATvariety
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Saiedi, Kathari, Bestian, Hamria, Abel and
Tagiat, among other varieties, were identi-
fied as particularly valuable and reserved for
export by an Italian royal decree in 1928. The
palms were closely guarded by the colonists,
and when the dates were harvested the Italians
would buy all the best fruit, leaving little for
the local inhabitants.
Saiedi: Of ancient Egyptian origin, but now
considered one of Libya’s most important
varieties, it has a translucent dark-brown fruit,
shaped like an elongated oval, with a thin,
tender skin and soft, syrupy flesh. The palms
can be irrigated with brackish water. They are
highly resistant to parasites and very productive,
producing a regular yield each year. The fruits are
appreciated for their pleasant flavor and because
they store well.
Bestian: With a low sugar content,
this is the date variety most recommended
for diabetes sufferers.
Hamria: Very abundant in Al Jufrah. This variety
is particularly good for the production of lagbi,
the juice extracted from the palm’s trunk.
BESTIAN
variety
HAMRIAvariety
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DATE NUTRITION
A fleshy dried date contains more or less
the same constituents as the fresh fruit,
in concentrated form: high in sugars and
fiber, and no or very low fat.
In general, nuts and dried fruit are rich
in calories (100 grams of walnuts, for
example, have 660 kilocalories, hazelnuts
625, pistachios 642, almonds 542 and pine
nuts 569). Their energy content makes
them a particularly good food in cases
of fatigue or physical weakness.
Dates, on the other hand, have quite a low
calorie count: around 250 kilocalories per
100 grams. They are rich in simple sugars and
minerals like potassium, useful for rebalancing
the presence of liquids in the body and
assisting the cardiovascular system, as well as
calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and iron,
all effective in preventing muscular cramps
and lowering blood pressure.
Fresh dates are preferable to dried because
of the higher content of vitamins A and B,
carotenoids and fiber, which contribute to the
fruit’s remineralizing and laxative properties.
New palm groves began to be plan-
ted in Al Jufrah in 2005. In El Hizam El Gerbi, an
area near Sokna, 12,000 hectares stretching over
70 kilometers have been reclaimed and 780,000
palm shoots have been planted. The far-sighted
decision was made to preserve the traditional
genetic heritage by planting local varieties: Ta-
giat, Tasfert, Talis, Kathari, Saiedi and Abel.
The positive effects of these ex-
panses of young palm trees on the edge of the
desert have already been felt. In recent years
the sandstorms that usually plague the area in
the fall have considerably diminished, while the
rising humidity level seems to be slowing down
the desertification process.
Within a few years many of the
new palm groves will begin production, which
will more or less double the quantity of dates
available for export compared to what is produ-
ced today. There is no doubt that the country’s
entry into the World Trade Organization and
the possibility of using the Protected Denomi-
nation of Origin system will open up new op-
portunities for exporting the fruit. Additionally,
the new plantations established by the gover-
nment will be subdivided into small plots and
distributed among the region’s farmers, who
will now be able to benefit financially from in-
ternational sales.
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APPROXIMATE NUTRITIONAL AND ENERGY
VALUES FOR 100 GRAMS OF PRODUCT:
ENERGY (calories) 250 Kcal
Calcium 50-70 mg
Iron 1-2.7 mg
Magnesium 55-70 mg
Phosphorous 50-70 mg
Potassium 240-500 mg
Water 20-25%
Sugars 65-75%
Fats 1-2%
Protein 1.5-2.5%
Fiber 7-8%
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PALMS AND OASESTo the Western imagination, an oasis means little more than palm trees. In fact, an oasis is a complex microcosm, functioning according to an interconnected virtuous circle. Palms are the vital hub at the heart of this system.
In the desert, where for hundreds of
kilometers there is nothing to see but expanses
of sand and stones, barren mountains and phan-
tom waterways, one can suddenly come across
an area where life flourishes: small green zones
(Medwin or Al Fugha, in the case of Al Jufra)
or actual towns (the Sokna-Hun-Waddan area)
which have developed thanks to the water well-
ing up under the ground.
An oasis exploits aquifers and deeper
groundwater to protect itself from the advance-
ment of the surrounding sand dunes. Arabs like
to say that the date palm “must have its feet in
the water and its head in the fire.” Indeed, as the
palms grow their roots seek out the water flow-
ing in the ground. Their foliage creates a kind of
umbrella, protecting the soil around them from
the sun’s fiercest rays and allowing other plants
to sprout and grow in the shade.
Humans have taken advantage of
the natural protection offered by palms to cul-
tivate vegetables, fruit trees, fodder and even
grains. Peppers, onions, garlic, fava beans, pump-
kins, tomatoes, eggplants, pomegranates, figs,
citrus, wheat, barley and alfalfa for livestock
have all long been planted in gardens alongside
the palms.
Palms create their own protection
from the sun, concentrate water vapor, attract
insects, produce the humus which they then feed
on, protect the ground from atmospheric agents
and allow cultivation under their foliage, which
further increases the positive dynamics triggered
by the palms. This is the oasis effect, capable of
creating self-reproducing and self-sustaining life
cycles in conditions of scarce resources. Within
the oasis system, the amount of available water
is not only renewed, but also increased.
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An oasis should be understood as an artifi-
cial creation that exists because of the sophisticat-
ed environmental knowledge of the humans who
live there. The aridity of the desert is interrupted
by specific situations that create niches and micro-
environments in contrast to the surrounding hos-
tile conditions. The presence of palms generates fa-
vorable dynamics. Humans intervene with a wealth
of traditional knowledge, in harmony with nature,
ensuring a prudent and often collective manage-
ment of resources. As a result, community models
in equilibrium with the resources develop, often
remaining stable for very long periods of time.
Fatma Said Ejkhuri
I’m 60, and I’ve been running
the plantation for the last
35 years, since my husband died.
Listen, I’m not managing the business
from up above. I actually work,
I use my hands. I open the channels
when it’s time to irrigate, I take
care of the animals and I watch over
the workers when they pollinate
the palms, harvest the dates and
extract the lagbi, the palm juice.
I sort the different qualities
of dates. The Tagiat rejects go to
the animals, while the first grade,
together with the Abels and Katharis,
I’ll sell to clients who come to buy
here directly, without needing to
take them to the market: Those who
know me know my dates are good!
There’s always something to do:
I come here every day, I leave home
at 6 am, I walk five kilometers, but
I’m happy to do it, not just because
this way I bring home money for my
family, but also because it’s good
for my health. In fact, if I stayed
home what would I get from it?
I would become fat and then when
it came time to bury me they
wouldn’t even be able to lift
me up! Better to work and be
surrounded by nature.
«
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THE DATE PALM
Native to Asia Minor, the date palm
has been known to man for 5,000 years.
For many ancient cultures it has served
as a symbol of prosperity and riches
(the Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians
and Arabs) or honor and victory (the
Greeks, Romans, Jews and Christians).
Particularly characteristic of desert oases,
date palms are found in hot, arid regions
around the planet, but are most common
in the Middle East, India, North Africa,
the Canary Islands and the southern
United States. The tree can grow up to
30 meters high and begins to produce
significant quantities of fruit from its
eighth year, reaching full maturity at the
age of 30 and beginning to decline after
80 to 100 years. Each bunch produces
between 100 and 200 fruits, and weighs
around 12 kilograms; each tree can
produce on average 100 kilograms of
dates a year. The name “date” and the
date palm’s scientific name, Phoenix
dactylifera, come from the Latin word
dactylus, meaning finger or toe.
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To climb up the palm tree, which over the years
can reach a considerable height, harvesters use
the simplest of means: hands and feet. Tough
calluses form on the skin after contact with
the hardened spines where fronds have been
cut from the trunk. The most expert
and experienced workers can climb even
the highest palms in just a few seconds.
Many use a simple harness made from a strong
rope woven from palm fibers, while others use
a more modern ladder. Some old and very tall
palm trees have holes cut into the trunk for
hands and feet, easing the climb to the top.
During the first stage of the harvest (between
September and early October), the harvesters
climb the palms several times a week to remove
the fruits from the bunches as they gradually
reach the right ripeness level, leaving
the unripe fruits to keep maturing in the
sun. So during this first part of the season,
selection takes place directly on the tree.
In the later harvesting stage (end of October),
when the falling temperatures prevent the fruit
from ripening further, selection no longer
takes place among the fronds, but on the
ground. Branches with remaining clusters
of fruit are detached from the palm and
the fruit is divided into first, second or third
grades. Rejected fruits are ground up to
feed to animals or used to produce alcohol
in non-Muslim countries. Dates that have
not fully ripened on the palm are left
in the sun for around a week before
being packaged.
HARVESTING AND SELECTING DATES
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THE VALUE OF THE DATE PALMThe Arabs have a saying, “the palm is our dear mother (al-umm al-hanuna).” Only its fruits, its wood and its leaves make life in the desert possible. Without palms, nobody could survive in such a harsh environment.
Whole civilizations have devel-
oped thanks to the date palm, and popular
sayings recall their importance: “In a house
where there are no dates, the inhabitants will
suffer from hunger,” for example. In the Mus-
lim religion, which has spread widely among
the desert people, great value is attached to
this tree and its fruits. The 19th Surah of the
Qu’ran tells of the birth of Isa (Jesus) and de-
scribes an image full of divine tenderness:
the Lord, Allah, comes to the aid of Maryam
(Mary) and eases her suffering during child-
birth with the fresh, ripe fruits of the date palm:
The Muslim tradition has also
passed down some hadiths, sayings of the Proph-
et, which confirm the importance attributed to
the palm in the life of the universe and humans:
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the
trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish):
“Ah! would that I had died before this! would that
I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”
But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the
(palm-tree): “Grieve not! for thy Lord hath
provided a rivulet beneath thee; “And shake
towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree:
It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if
thou dost see any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast
to ((Allah)) Most Gracious, and this day will
I enter into not talk with any human being.’”
[Surah Maryam, 23-26,
translation by Yusuf Ali]
The Prophet Muhammad said,
“When doomsday comes, if someone
has a palm shoot in his hand
he should plant it.”
[Sunan al-Baihaqi al-Kubra].
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Date Palm Uses
Until a few decades ago, the
trunk, cut into thin sections, was used to build
supporting beams, doors, windows and stairs
in houses, while the woven branches, covered
in lime, were used for roofing. The leaves and
branches were also used to make fences to di-
vide agricultural properties.
A zeriba is a shelter built from palm fronds
(known as zerba in Arabic), where tools for the
fields could be stored. Also built out of palm
fronds, a cecabart is a clever circular hut in which
the hot air rises in the middle and leaves through
a chimney-like opening, making the hut fresh and
airy, rare and precious qualities in the desert.
Still today, skilled craftsmen transform
the leaves into vessels for storing food, everyday
objects, incense and jewelry as well as mats, hats,
belts and bags.
Craftsmen divide the leaves according
to the dimensions of the object they want
to make and dry them in the sun for a day.
When they are ready to use the leaves,
they soak them in water for half an hour.
Once softened, the leaves are woven to
form braids of various widths. The braids
are dampened to make them more flexible,
then tied together to form circular mats
used when eating on the ground, baskets,
food containers, lids and small jewel boxes.
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The tough fibers wrapped around the trunks can be woven into
ropes, which can make the harnesses harvesters
use to hoist themselves up the palms. The wood
not used for construction feeds the fires used to
cook food and heat the cold desert nights and
winters.
The apical dome of the palm can
be skilfully tapped to extract a juice called lagbi,
thirst-quenching, sweet and highly nutritious.
The cutting operation is very delicate, requiring
great care so as not to cut into the heart of the
tree and kill it. In the past the lagbi was collected
in a colocynth. This round gourd, typical of the
desert, has little flesh but makes an excellent
container when dried.
The fruits of the palm have long
been an essential food for both humans and
animals. Following the logic typical of rural ar-
eas or anywhere with limited resources, where
nothing is thrown away, the date pits (and today
the third-grade dates) were used to feed camels,
dromedaries and goats, giving their milk intense
aromas.
Eaten fresh during the har-vest season, and pressed or mixed with oth-
er poorer ingredients to be conserved for leaner
months, dates have always been central to the
diet of desert peoples. For the nomads and the
animals that allowed them to cross the desert,
dried dates were a vital energy-giving food able
to withstand the hottest temperatures. They
were also a precious commodity to be bartered
for grains grown along the coast.
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For centuries dates were a staple
food for the people of the Libyan desert, and
many recipes for date-based dishes have been
passed down through the generations. Dur-
ing feasts or special occasions, some families
still serve these dishes, but today’s lifestyles no
longer require the high energy supply needed by
those whose day involved heavy physical work
or crossing the desert by caravan.
The elders of Al Jufrah remember
when it was necessary to stock up supplies for
the months far from the harvesting period, and
refrigeration was not yet an option. Men would
crush the dates with their feet in a kind of vat, or
with a long, heavy stick in a karou (acacia-wood
mortar), while women used their hands and a
large, round, shallow vessel made of terracotta.
Some worked the dates without removing the
pits, because the seeds gave a particular pleasant
flavor. The paste was stored in terracotta ves-
sels or palm leaves and in the winter served as an
everyday food for families, its calories helping to
protect against the cold.
Today, pitted dates are still often pressed
for storage. Before eating, the paste is softened
in hot water and then modeled by hand into lit-
tle sweets, usually decorated with walnuts, al-
monds, pistachios or hazelnuts.
In the past, Libyan women used the date
paste to make basisa, a typical dish for Ramadan.
The dates were heated over the fire with the ad-
dition of oil and perhaps ground toasted barley.
Doba was made by mixing the dates with the ca-
sein obtained during the clarification of goat’s
milk butter.
Traditional Foods from the Date Palm
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Dates that are less fleshy, and
so less suited to being eaten fresh, can be slowly
boiled in water to make date juice. When strained
and further concentrated, the juice becomes a
syrup, called rubb, which can be drunk straight
or poured over a dessert made from ground bar-
ley, traditionally prepared for the religious holi-
day Mawlud, a celebration of the birth of the
Prophet. In times past it was also mixed with oil
or clarified butter (samen) and spread on bread.
During Ramadan, the sacred month of
Islam, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset to help
them remember that everything they possess
comes from God, and to symbolically identify
with the poor of the world by feeling hunger for
at least 27 to 29 days every year. Dates are a key
element of the evening meal, and the breaking of
the fast, whether in Mecca or Jakarta, Marrakech
or Istanbul, is marked by the call of the muezzin
from the mosque as the faithful drink a glass of
milk accompanied by fresh dates. Date syrup is
particularly appreciated as a beverage during this
time, as its high energy content can immediately
restore many of the substances needed by the
body after hours of fasting.
The milk-white palm juice called
lagbi can be boiled for many hours to obtain a
syrup that looks like dark-brown caramel, a
prized nectar reserved for special occasions.
Bread cooked in the ashes is a desert specialty,
and a piece dipped into palm syrup is a real deli-
cacy. In the 1930s the Italians fermented lagbi to
obtain palm wine, and Libyan families still make
vinegar from lagbi by fermenting it for 40 days.
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The European custom of eating dates
after a meal, particularly after the epic
feasts of the Christmas period, is not
recommended. Given their nutritional
richness, the fruits can weigh down digestion,
providing unnecessary excess calories.
The dried fruit is a highly nutritious food,
as shown by the many Libyans whose evening
meal is still just a few dates with a glass
of milk or the many European Muslims
who during Ramadan refortify themselves
after a day of fasting by drinking date
syrup or eating dates. All dried fruit is highly
digestible when eaten at breakfast, or as
a snack not too close to other meals, and
because of its high fiber content, it aids the
functioning of the intestinal system. Dates
make an ideal source of quick energy for
sportspeople, and their magnesium helps
muscular activity. Dates can be eaten plain
or in desserts, but they are also excellent
paired with cheeses, particularly flavorful
ones like goat cheese, Gorgonzola and aged
pecorino. Date syrup can help ease the
symptoms of coughs, colds and respiratory
inflammations in general.
NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS
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DESERT AND WATER IN CENTRAL LIBYA
The Al Jufrah region lies in central Libya, around 650 kilometers southeast of Tripoli. There is no one single oasis, but rather three main adjacent oases (Sokna, Hun and Waddan) within a radius of around 40 kilometers, and
two smaller oases, Al Fugha and Zellah, around 200 kilometers southeast and southwest from the main nucleus. The region’s significant water resources and loose soil has allowed the development of different groups of palm trees.
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The large basin of Al Jufrah (from the
Arabic jof, meaning belly or hollow) stretches
from west to east and is bordered to the south by
the spurs of the volcanic Jebel Soda, the basaltic
Black Mountains; to the northwest by the eroded
slopes of the Jebel Machrigh; to the northeast by
the Jebel Waddan, the Waddan Mountains; and
to the east by the Harugi Mountains.
The desert landscape is much more
than just dunes and sand. Here it is a vast flat ex-
panse of gravel (serir) or large pebbles (hammada),
interrupted by hills shaped like truncated cones,
smoothed by the millions of years since their for-
mation. The land is furrowed by wadi, riverbeds
now permanently dry but once able to fill with
water in just a few moments, becoming danger-
ous when sudden, heavy rains would cause flash
floods.
From above, the network of wadi looks
like a maze of lines intersecting the whole land,
their course easily traced by the vegetation that
concentrates along them, mostly tamarisks and
African acacias. The roots of the trees sink deep
in the ground in search of water and their leaves
become spines to limit the dispersion of moisture
and protect against animals desperate to feed on
their greenery. The acacias are so resistant that
on average they live for 200 years.
The average altitude of Al Jufrah
is around 220 meters above sea level, but there
is a considerable difference (around 60 meters)
between the area of Sokna and the eastern part
of the plateau, caused by ancient movements of
the Earth’s plates. Springs of water flow around
Sokna and feed the rest of the region, and Sokna
has long been considered the most precious wa-
ter reservoir in all of Al Jufrah.
The abundance of water just a
few meters below the surface has allowed the
cultivation of palm trees, which in the past were
rarely irrigated. There were around 88,000 trees
in the 1930s in Al Jufrah. Sadly, the Sokna plan-
tations, probably the largest with around 35,000
trees, were partially destroyed during repeated
clashes between Arabs and Berbers, who had one
of their strongholds here. In fact the story of Al
Jufrah has always been marked by the ongoing
conflict between various ethnic groups and raids
by nomads on more settled peoples, possessors
of the region’s only wealth: palm groves and veg-
etable gardens.
“Wild” palm groves, growing with-
out human intervention, draw out water with
their roots. They still survive today, after hun-
dreds of years, independent of people. But the
selected varieties of palms planted by people in
“gardens” are irrigated so that they fruit more
abundantly and produce softer, more succulent
dates. While production from an irrigated tree
can reach up to 80-100 kilograms, a non-irrigated
palm produces on average just 15-20 kilograms
of fruit. The palms can be irrigated using the tra-
ditional system, through a mesh of soil channels
surrounding every plant, or with modern drip ir-
rigation, which uses much less water.
The local people recall that up until
the 1960s the slopes of the Jebel Soda were green
with vegetation, and, like the whole surrounding
35
36
area, would become covered with grass as soon as
it rained, allowing the inhabitants of the nearby
village to raise animals other than camels. But to-
day the landscape has dried up, and the 1963-1964
season remains imprinted in local memory. Back
then, the peasants of Sokna rushed to the slopes
of the Black Mountains after the extraordinarily
abundant rains allowed them to plant even wheat
and barley. In the new millennium, rains able to
quench the earth’s thirst for at least a short pe-
riod of time come every three to seven years.
In 1938, an Italian observer was still able to
collect accounts of sporadic light snowfalls in the
region and to state that “the basin has inexhaust-
ible aquifers, at various depths” (Emilio Scarin
in La Giofra e Zella. Le oasi del 29° parallelo della
Libia occidentale; Florence, Sansoni Editore, 1938;
p.34). This kind of bold confidence would be mis-
placed today. Sokna still has the best water re-
serves, even though the water-bearing layer has
descended from 3-5 meters to 150-200 meters,
while for more than 20 years Waddan has been
drawing on fossil water, non-renewable reserves
left imprisoned in the earth’s depths (between
1,500 and 2,200 meters) by ancient geological
movements. This sulfurous water flows out at a
temperature of over 70°C and very high pressure.
It is left to cool in reservoirs before being mixed
with fresher water and pumped to the fields for
agricultural irrigation.
Censuses carried out by the Italians in the
1930s show that the population of the region
was then around 6,700 residents. At the start of
the 21st century, that figure had risen to around
60,000.
The local people were able to es-
tablish a way of life that was extraordinar-
37
ily well-suited to the harsh environment and
extreme hostility of the desert. Since ancient
times, these islands of green in the middle of
the sand were used by merchants as stopovers
as they traded spices, gold, salt and ivory. Over
the centuries the oases developed and grew
thanks to their function as staging posts, hubs
of traffic and communication for the Sahara.
They beame lively crossroads of different cul-
tures and sometimes birthplaces for important
civilizations.
The Al Jufrah oases, which for
centuries offered providential resting places
along the caravan routes that passed through
here, are today easily accessible by a network
of all-weather asphalted roads.
38
39
CARAVANS AND CASTLES
Our globe’s 29th parallel is one of those lines along which history has left deep traces. Some of the memories of what happened here have crumbled into the
sand of the Ghibli that “winds the sky into skeins” (as Mario Tobino wrote in Deserto della Libia) confusing the images of the past.
Since the remotest of times, a
caravan route has run along the 29th parallel,
connecting Egypt to the east with Fezzan to the
west and crossed by pilgrims and merchants on
camelback with their goods. During the journey,
the travelers would eat almost nothing but dried
dates, a food that could last for months even in
the hot sun, offering essential nutrition and the
energy needed for the tough desert crossings. It
was along this trade route that Arabs ventured
into the west of North Africa between the 7th
and 11th centuries.
During those centuries in which
the caravan routes determined the destinies of
whole geographic areas, Al Jufrah found itself in
a strategic position, located as it was along the
west-east route from Timbuktu to the Egyptian
Red Sea. The great pilgrimages along this route
would pass through Siwa, Jagbub, Jalo and Zellah
to reach central Sudan during the glorious age of
western Sudanese empires. The journey under-
taken in 1324 by Emperor Kanku Musa, accom-
panied by a caravan of 60,000 men, and the 1496
pilgrimage of Askia the Great are still famous.
Al Jufrah is also on the north-south route that
began in Tripoli, passing through Terhuna, Ben
Ulid, Bu Ngem, Sokna, Umm El Abid and Sebha
and stopping at Murzuq (the Paris of the Sahara)
before reaching the Niger River and Lake Chad.
Black slaves would be brought from Fezzan and
the desert regions even further south, passing
through Sokna before reaching Misurata, where
they would be traded for grains grown in the fer-
tile strip of coastal plain or goods manufactured
in the northern cities.
40
Detail of a Map of Tripolitania
(a former province of Libya),
Istituto Geografico Militare, 1911
The ancient caravan
routes are shown in red.
41
The caravan routes functioned because they could rely on the oases, while these in turn developed thanks to the commercial traffic. The water and shade of the oases which still today conveniently dot the roads would refresh travelers and their camels. Over the course of the centuries the miraculous abundance of water at oases like those in Al Jufrah convinced many travelers, merchants and later Arab conquerors and Muslim missionaries to stay for longer, turning these places into their permanent home.
42
By one of those strange analogies
that so often occur in human history, the settle-
ments that developed in the Al Jufrah strip of
Libyan desert bore a curious similarity to the me-
dieval villages that dotted Carolingian Europe.
A fort would be built on top of whatever high
ground could be distinguished in the flat land-
scape of sand and crushed stone. From here, the
horizon could be scanned for the potential arrival
of enemies and defenses could be organized. Just
as with a medieval European castle, the houses
of the common people rose up around the palace
in which the rulers lived, while the whole village
was protected by a sturdy wall with watch tow-
ers. The main roads would radiate out from this
hub.
The settlements of Sokna, Waddan and Zel-
lah, the oldest in Al Jufrah, were originally organ-
ized like this, and traces of the historic citadels
can still be seen today.
43
Waddan
The history of Waddan dates back
to before the Islamic era. It is said that two hos-
tile strongholds, Dolbaq and Busi, were built in
these hills, probably around 2,000 years ago. By
now they are long abandoned and buried under
the sand. The people who lived here grew figs,
vines and date palms, and according to the lo-
cal guides, they were “tall, much taller than the
Arabs who came later.” The inhabitants of Dol-
baq and Busi worshipped the sun god. They bur-
ied their dead in a fetal position with the hands
covering the face, turned towards the south,
the undisputed kingdom of the divinity. Perhaps
because of the limited resources, the two settle-
ments often faced each other in battle.
The ancient origins of the Waddan settlement
have been shown by the discovery of many kilo-
grams of jewelry and coins with pre-Islamic im-
ages on them, found during the excavations car-
ried out by the Italians in the 1930s when they
rebuilt the foundations of the fort.
Waddan, in the middle of the defensive line
that passed from west to east via Ghadames, Al
Jufrah and Jagbub, was probably the site of bat-
tles between the Romans and the Garamantes,
the native Berber population of central-southern
Libya. These legendary warrior-herders were de-
cidedly unwilling to submit to foreign invaders,
whether Roman or Arab. Their capital was the
city of Garama (now Jerma), close to the Idehan
Ubari desert, 150 kilometers from Sebha.
The castle of Waddan, surrounded by a sturdy,
winding wall and with a mosque at its foot, was
built in the 7th century by Arab conquerors from
the East who had come to convert the people of
the Maghreb to the worship of Allah. Waddan
and Zawilah (around 500 kilometers further
south) became key centers for the spread of Is-
44
45
lam. The houses of the common people also lay
within the walls of the Waddan stronghold. A re-
markable 35-kilometer-long underground chan-
nel connected a spring in the el-Bhallil mountains
to the fortress. The channel showed the rulers’
shrewdness, as it served not only to transport
water but also as an ingenious defense against
enemies. From the castle towers, the inhabitants
of Waddan could make out any strangers who
might position themselves at the foot of the
mountains, near the water. They could pass un-
disturbed through the underground channel to
the bottom of the well, where they would cut
the ropes the enemies were using to draw water
up in buckets, thus forcing the undesired guests
to move on elsewhere. This non-violent tactic
proved highly effective.
Waddan remained the capital of Arab Al Ju-
frah until the Ottomans moved the center of
power to Sokna.
Sokna
Sokna’s castle, surrounded by a wall, is
comprised of a few two- and three-story buildings
arranged around a well and a large courtyard used
in the past to keep troops and animals safe. Sokna
was long the political hub of the area, thanks to its
precious reserves of good-quality water. The Caim-
acans, the deputies of the Ottoman Empire’s Grand
Vizier and rulers of Al Jufrah, established and main-
tained their seat of power in the Sokna fortress for
all three centuries of Turkish domination, from the
start of the 17th century to 1929, when Italy defini-
tively established its occupation. At the foot of the
hill on which the castle rises lies the site still used
today for the daily date market.
Various 19th-century European explorers ven-
turing into the desert passed through Sokna, lo-
cated along the route into the immense Sahara.
Mentions of Al Jufrah can be found in the diaries
46
and travel journals of these geographers, who
had varying degrees of awareness of their role as
forerunners for successive political and military
colonizations.
Zellah
Zellah, whose origins date back
to a thousand years before Christ, is 160 kil-
ometers southeast from Waddan. The fortress
dominating the main hill, offering 360-degree
views of the desert and surrounding palm
groves, was built by the Italians in 1928 on the
ruins of pre-existing buildings.
The citizens who have heard tell of abundant
rains in the past dejectedly observe that today
desertification is advancing: The fortress’s well
has dried up and there are fewer and fewer
“wild” palms. The nearby palm grove of Med-
win, with some trees over 200 years old, used to
be called “the sister of Siwa” when it was just as
lush and luxuriant as the famous Egyptian oasis.
Unfortunately the hundred or so inhabitants of
47
Medwin were hard hit by malaria at the start
of the 1900s and today their mud-and-stone
houses are just ruins in the sand.
The Zellah palm groves were traditionally
fed by water from distant springs, carried to the
trees by subterranean canals built by digging a
successive series of wells, similar to the ancient
foggara system.
Dates have a long history and vital impor-
tance in this area. In 1947, following the Second
World War, a terrible famine struck Al Jufrah.
The already weakened people fought off dis-
ease by eating Zellah dates, the only resource
available in the whole region. At the time it was
a three-day donkey ride to reach Zellah from
Hun, Waddan or Sokna, but the fruits of the
far-off village proved to be a priceless treasure.
Even today, 1947 is still known as “the year of
the Zellah dates.”
A curious fact was recorded by an Italian ob-
server in the 1930s: Until the end of the 19th
century, ostriches were raised in Zellah. The
trade in their feathers was a source of income,
while the eggs, decorated with leather braids,
were given as offerings to the religious leaders
called marabouts.
48
Hun
The story of Hun is the story of a suc-
cession of towns progressively swallowed up by
the desert, and it has come to be known as “the
wandering city.” Though we do not know exactly
when Izkan (the “first Hun”) was founded, we do
know that the settlement disappeared five centu-
ries ago due to some sudden incident, possibly an
earthquake, flood or plague. The “second Hun”
was built during the Turkish period and remained
standing for 350 years until it was abandoned be-
cause of the sandstorms that relentlessly eroded
the walls of the houses. Around the middle of the
19th century the inhabitants wrote to the Otto-
man authorities asking for permission to build a
new town.
The result was the “third Hun,” which unlike
the concentric arrangements of the older villages
of Berber origin (Waddan, Sokna and Zellah), had
the square layout typical of Arab settlements. The
main road divided the town into two neighborho-
ods, animated by the same sense of rivalry seen
between the contradas in Siena. In a tradition si-
milar to Siena’s Palio horse race, representatives
from the two sides of the town would take part
once a year in a competition in which family affi-
liations were put aside and all that counted was
loyalty to your neighborhood. It involved a kind
of Greco-Roman wrestling, in which the fighting
would start between three-year-old children,
then pass from winner to winner before finally
reaching those in their sixties. This unusual com-
petition is today part of the lively folklore festi-
val, which fills the squares of Hun with music and
dancing for days. Locals are inspired to rediscover
their own traditions and this authentic festival is
far from an artificial construct designed for tou-
rists on the hunt for exoticism.
49
50
During their first attempt to
conquer the area, in 1914, the Italians establi-
shed their logistical base in Sokna, already a
center of local power for the Ottoman Empire.
That first Italian foray proved to be short-lived,
and it was only in the late 1920s that the fascists
managed to definitively occupy the region, esta-
blishing their capital in Hun. Seeing the abando-
ned state of many of the old town’s buildings,
the Italians distributed funds to the citizens of
Hun to rebuild the mosques. They also founded
the first research and experimentation center
for dates, forcing workers reduced to semi-sla-
very to move the dunes, carrying away piles of
sand with their hands in order to plant Kathari
palms, one of the most important local varieties.
The fascist rulers also dug an artesian well to
provide fresh water for the crops and drinking
water for people. The well still exists today,
though it is no longer in use.
In the 1970s, the “third Hun” was abando-
ned to the elements in favor of dwellings with
more modern comforts, like indoor bathrooms.
Today the old town is used as the picturesque
background for displays of local craftwork. The
area were the “second Hun” once stood has be-
come a favorite spot for picnics among the du-
nes, with views of the sunset and the marabout
(a place of popular worship around the tomb of
a religious figure).
51
52
53
Al Fugha
In the minds of many Europeans, the
word “oasis” conjures up a small corner of para-
dise lost in the sea of the desert. Al Fugha cor-
responds perfectly to this image. In the 1930s, it
consisted of 2,500 palm trees and a few hundred
inhabitants; today little or nothing has changed
in the rhythms of life, in the reassuring sensation
the shade of the palms provides to anyone pas-
sing through, in the feeling of finding oneself in
a remote spot in the desert, surrounded by impo-
sing plateaus.
The Al Fugha oasis rose up naturally around
a source of water that flows from the mountain
along a 500-meter underground tunnel to the pla-
teau, on which palms grew wild. Resources here
are shared, because private property has little me-
aning in a place where human intervention is so
insignificant compared to the work of nature.
Al Fugha built its fortune on the breeding and
sale of camels, used to transport goods in the de-
sert. Inevitably, the fortunes of this once flouri-
shing crossroads declined as the ancient caravan
routes were gradually replaced by asphalt roads
and the camels by powerful cars fuelled by the oil
that gushed abundantly from Libya’s sands.
Though no longer inhabited, the charm of the
12th-century village, built from stone and mud,
remains unchanged. Paths lead out to the houses
from the entrance gate, which was closed at half
past eight every evening to protect against unex-
pected visitors. Each house had its own well fed
by water from the spring, carried there by incre-
dible natural underground channels.
At the time, dates were a precious resource.
Dates harvested from the religious-owned grove
were kept in the mosque’s storehouse, which was
closed with three locks, their keys entrusted to
three different guardians. It was a way of saying:
to trust is good, not to trust is better. After all,
the fruits were destined for community feasts or
to help the needy, and everything had to be done
to protect them from theft.
54
55
56
57
LIBYANS DO NOT LIVE BY DATES ALONE
If you get tired of eating dates in Libya, there are plenty of other delicious traditional dishes with which you
can satisfy your appetite and curiosity.
A word of advice:
When visiting Libya, try to get an invitation to lunch at a family’s house. The conviviality of a meal shared with hosts whose sense of hospitality has been passed
down unaltered through the generations, and the attention to detail shown by the women in preparing and presenting dishes on splendid silver trays are pleasures – in our age, luxuries –
that should not be missed. Spending a few hours relaxing on the comfortable divans in the dining room of a Libyan home or in a Bedouin tent offers a restorative break for the body and mind.
58
RishdaRishda: Libya’s “national dish,” very thin
noodles handmade from flour and water,
with a sauce of onions, tomatoes, chickpeas,
meat and spices (black pepper, sweet paprika,
turmeric and cinnamon). The Italian presence
has left its mark in the kitchen; Libya
has numerous dishes of pasta in sauce,
generically called maccaroni.
CouscousOther typical North African and Mediterranean
dishes found in Libya include couscous
with mutton or chicken, stuffed vine
leaves filled with rice and spices and
a spiced soup (shorba).
BasinA kind of porridge made from barley, water
and salt and served with meat (or fish, along
the coast) and spiced vegetables.
MeatStewed camel meat, served
with a sauce over rice or couscous.
OsbanA sheep’s stomach, cleaned and stuffed with a
mixture of rice, aromatic herbs, liver, kidneys and
other kinds of meat, then steamed or stewed.
BreadVarious types of fragrant and flavorful bread: In
addition to fitat, there is also tammasi, cooked on
the inner walls of a terracotta oven buried in the
ground; tannur, cooked in clay vessels; taajilah,
a round and soft flat bread cooked under the
ashes by the Tuareg; and other typical breads
made from barley and millet.
FitatHard-wheat bread similar to Sardinian
carasau (the type from Ghat is particularly
thin and crunchy), layered with vegetables –
favas, lentils, zucchini, garlic and fresh tomato –
and lamb sauce.
DessertsThe typical Arab desserts, based on honey,
pistachios and almonds, are common here,
as are magrood, biscuits made from semolina,
flour, yeast and sesame seeds.
LIBYANS DO NOT LIVE BY DATES ALONE
59
60
61
THE SIGHTS OF LIBYA
If you go to Libya in search of the exquisite dates of Al Jufrah, here are some other archeological and natural attractions that should not be missed:
Tripoli The capital, with its blinding-white medina and the impressive
Jamahiriyya Museum, which contains finds from prehistory to the present day
and one of the largest collections of classical art in the world.
Jebel Nafusa Hills of constantly changing colors behind Tripoli,
dotted with Berber villages and qasr, fortified granaries.
Leptis Magna and Sabratha Two of the best-preserved Ancient Roman cities
in the Mediterranean. In Leptis Magna, the imposing ruins, backed by the sea,
are overgrown with fragrant Mediterranean herbs.
62
THE SIGHTS OF LIBYA
Cirene and Apollonia Ancient Greek ruins, showing Roman and Byzantine influences.
Bengasi The modern capital of Cyrenaica, whose architecture
still bears traces of Italian style. The lively suq of al-Jreed is well worth a visit.
Ghadames An oasis-village set in a desert of red rock, once an essential stopping place
for the caravan routes, protected by UNESCO and known as “the jewel of the Sahara.”
Ubari Lakes In the midst of the Sahara, these palm-fringed salty lakes
appear miraculously among the dunes of the Idehan Ubari, the Ubari Sand Sea.
Jebel Akakus One of the country’s most fascinating desert landscapes,
with mountains guarding prehistoric rock paintings from 12,000 years ago,
and the Tuareg village of Ghat built from clay bricks.
63
This publication has been produced as part of the Miglioramento e valorizzazione della palma da dattero nelle Oasi di Al Jufrah in Libia program for improving and promoting date palms in the oases of Al Jufrah in Libya, funded by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and coordina-ted by the Istituto Agronomico per l'Oltremare (IAO) in Florence in collaboration with the Libyan Board of Improving and Developing Olive and Palm Trees.
The project’s origins lie in the commitments made between Italy and Libya to strengthen and develop relationships between the two countries. The central go-vernment and local authorities in Libya share an interest in improving agricultural, forestry and pastoral systems. As part of the effort to support the agricultural im-provement of land cleared of Second World War surplus, the Italian government has begun providing assistance and collaboration in the agro-zootechnical and en-vironmental sector.
In Al Jufrah, activities agreed on by the two countries began in May 2009. They are aimed at encouraging local economic development through coordinated actions to support producers of quality dates, whether individuals or associations. The stra-tegy is led by two guiding principles: identifying and guaranteeing quality dates through production protocols that will ensure the consistency and quality of the final product; and protecting the agrobiodiversity of Al Jufrah by promoting the local palm varieties and strengthening traditional oasis-management systems.
The initiative involves all the actors in the date production chain, reinforcing asso-ciations and relationships between producers, processors and traders; encouraging the protection of the environment and raising awareness about quality dates among consumers. This last objective will draw on experiences in Italy promoting typical local products using the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geo-graphical Indication (PGI) systems, closely linking a product and its place of origin.
The aims of the Italo-Libyan technical and scientific collaboration are to increa-se the quantity and quality of date production through the selection and genetic improvement of local varieties; to introduce cultivation systems able to optimize the use of water and energy resources and reduce negative external effects; and to improve processing systems and marketing domestically and abroad.
THE PROJECT
64
The coordination and technical and scientific supervision of the project are led by the Istituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare (IAO), an agency of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs with widespread experience in the management of international cooperation projects in rural areas and responsible for other bilateral agricultural and zootechnical programs in Libya. The IAO’s GIS (Geographic Information System) Unit is mapping the distribution of different palm varieties in Al Jufrah’s five oases.
The Libyan Board of Improving and Developing Olive and Palm Trees, founded in 1988, headquartered in Tripoli and with operational branches throughout Libya, is the local partner at an operational level and plays a key role in the program. Biological analyses are being carried out in its specialized laboratories, while its greenhouses and land are being used for field tests.
Project Partners
65
In a reciprocal exchange of skills and knowledge, Italian and Libyan experts in the sector are collaborating on studies of the systems and productive potential, with the aim of ensuring optimal use of water, energy and natural resources and improving the living conditions of the rural populations.
As part of the Miglioramento e valorizzazione della palma da dattero nelle Oasi di Al Jufrah in Libia program, departments from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Florence are working together with experts from the Libyan Board of Improving and Developing Olive and Palm Trees to facilitate the transfer of important specific skills. Researchers coordinated by the Genetics section of the Department of Agricultural Bio-technologies are using molecular markers to genetically fingerprint the date palm varie-ties. This information allows the tracing of their geographic origin and is essential to genetic improvement. Under the supervision of the Department of Plant Production, Soil and Agroforestry Envi-ronment Sciences, the biological and productive characteristics of the date varieties present in the selected oases are being identified. In consultation with the Department of Agricul-tural and Forestry Economics, Engineering, Sciences and Technologies, proposals are being drawn up for the mechanization of the fruit washing, storing and packaging processes.
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, by virtue of its proven experience in pro-moting traditional, high-quality foods, is assisting with adding value to Al Jufrah’s dates and their commercial promotion. Specifically, in collaboration with producers, experts from the Foundation are defining the quality parameters for selecting the best dates. The Foundation has also produced this publication and a documentary on the oases and Libyan dates and will be helping producers participate in events organized by the Slow Food association.
More information about the topics explored in this publication and the issues dealt with in the Miglioramento e valorizzazione della palma da dattero nelle Oasi di Al Jufrah program can be found in materials available from the library and historical archives of the Istituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare in Florence and the following departments of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Florence: Agricultural Biotechnologies; Plant Production, Soil and Agroforestry Environment Sciences; and Agricultural and Forestry Economics, Engineering, Sciences and Technologies.
DESERT FRUIT
The Dates of Al Jufrah
09 / 2010