Next to dates, olives have long been the second-most important perennial crop in Siwa. The Hamed olive from Siwa is world-renowned, and yet in recent years, European investors have introduced into Siwa many Kalamata trees from Greece and other cultivars from Spain. Because Egyptian labor costs far less than that in Southern Europe, these investors have attempted to undercut the prices for these same olives grown in Spain and Greece in the global marketplace. One set of investors from Canada, the U.S. and the European Union has proposed increasing the number of olive trees grown in Siwa from 70,000 to 4 million with the next decade, so that olive groves might eventually eclipse date plantations in economic importance. These investors would no doubt plant more of the European cultivars than the time-tried Hamed native heirloom, unless forced by political pressures to do otherwise. Nevertheless, as of this writing, the perennial cover of Siwa offered by dates, olives and jujube trees superficially looks much as it has looked for centuries.
What has already changed is the second tier of trees and shrubs grown at the oasis, and the vegetable varieties grown beneath these perennial fruits and nuts. Curiously, the number of species of fruits and nuts has increased at Siwa since the arrival of the paved road, because trucks can now carry in exotic nursery stock. Apples, guavas, prickly pear cactus and bananas have been added to the traditional Mediterranean mix of fruits and nuts such as figs, pomegranates, apricots, peaches, mulberries, citrus, hibiscus and grapes. Beneath these trees, shrubs and vines, a diverse array of vegetables, grains, legumes and spices are grown. European cucumbers have recently replaced the older snake melon cucumbers in dominance, and an heirloom called the honey melon has been replaced by modern cultivars of cantaloupe.
Nevertheless, some thirty-three crop species recorded at Siwa during the era of plant explorations by Forbes, Gudzoni and Vavilov remain in cultivation within the oasis, and many of the particular local varieties known as biladi [1] heirlooms remain in Siwan cuisine. I began to wonder what accounts for this relative stability in the crop repertoire found at Siwa, despite the many economic pressures being felt there to fully enter the globalized food economy.
Notes:- See the discussion of “baladi” in the context of Jaffa oranges. [↩]
Show on map
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
A note on new cultivars being introduced to Siwa: – Living in Siwa’s most western (settled) oasis of Bahy’eldin & working with the local Bedouin farmers as an organic agronomist, I was approached in 2009 to solve an olive fruit-set problem. Olives remained the size of a pea, with less than than 10% ever reaching maturity. Believing it was nutrient based, farmers began amending their 4,000 year old organic-soils with crude, artificial fertilizer applications.
The problem only occurred in the Kalamata & ‘elSpanyi’ (Spanish) var. with the local Hamid & Saidi varieties unaffected. A bit of research & the experienced opinion of a horticulturist from Palastine determined there were too few CU (chilling-units). These new european imports were simply not acclimatized to the ‘warmer’ winters of Siwa. It may take the trees up to 5 years to adjust or risk replacement.
Whilst lessons include the unnecessary application of artificial fertilizers into a region where (in the 70’s) elders wisely vowed to refrain from chemical inputs, – modernization could potentially offer the Siwa depression a greater understanding of water management & soil conservation where soil-salinity is fast becoming one of their greatest challenges.