Pierre Rabhi
Encyclopedia
Pierre Rabhi is a French writer, farmer and environmentalist. Originally a Muslim
, he converted to Christianity
when he started his studies in France as a youth. He invented the concept of « Oasis en tous lieux » - Oasis in any place.
He proposes a society that functions in a manner that respects populations and land and supports the development of agricultural techniques that take care of the environment preserving natural resources. His theories relate particularly though not exclusively to arid
countries.
, near Béchar
, an oasis in southern Algeria
, in 1938. His mother died when he was four years old. His father who was a blacksmith, a musician and a poet, got to know a French couple, an engineer and his wife who was a primary school teacher when they came to work at the Compagnie des Houillères (Coal mining Corporation) in his native village during colonisation. As this couple were unable to have a child and young Pierre’s father was worried about his son’s future, he accepted that the couple bring up his son on the condition that he continue to be a good Muslim. Later, his father would find himself obliged to close his workshop and to go to work in the mine. This would influence the thoughts and philosophy of his son. Thus, Pierre Rabhi’s childhood was shared between France and Algeria and the catholic and Muslim worlds until the age of 14. He chose to convert to Christianity when he was sixteen years old. He completed two years of secondary education but had to stop because his family were unable to cover the costs. When the Algerian War broke out in 1954, at the start of the war he was rejected both by his father for having converted to Christianity and by his adoptive father following a dispute. He decided to settle in Paris.
, an ecologist and visionary involved at the time in the creation of the Cévennes National Park
, who encouraged them in the steps they took. They then decided to move to the Ardèche
department to remain there permanently from 1960 on. In those years, this was quite an original move to make, because they went well before the French neorural movement of the late 1960s.
, they married in Thines. Pierre Rabhi became a father and with no knowledge of agriculture, he registered with a Maison familiale rurale – a centre run by volunteer groups funded by national and regional government in France – and gained a diploma.
In 1963, after three years working as an agricultural worker, he became a small farmer himself in the Cévennes ardéchoises
starting out as a goat farmer with the intention of not following the productivist models he’d seen in the previous years.
, Palestine
, Algeria
, Tunisiea, Senegal
, Togo
, Benin
, Mauritaniea, Poland
and the Ukraine
. In 1992, he started the program for the rehabilitation of the Chenini-Gabès oasis in Tunisia. Since 1994, he has led the « Oasis en tous lieux – An oasis in any place »movement, aiming to promote an earth that can produce food and the reconstitution of social involvement. In 1997 and 1998, at the request of the UN, he was asked to prepare concrete proposals for implementation of his plan during preparation for the Agreement on action against desertification / Convention de lutte contre la désertification (CCD). From 1999 to 2001, he started new development initiatives in the Agadez region in Niger and the Gao region in Mali. In 2002 he set out on a pre-presidential campaign in which he obtained the support of184 elected representatives and the birth of the Mouvement Appel Pour une Insurrection des Consciences (MAPIC)/ Movement Calling for an Insurrection of Consciences. He regularly leads conferences and workshops on themes relating to simplicité volontaire/simple living and to décroissance/de-growth. Considered to have prepared the ground for the altermondialisme / alter-globalisation movement, he was invited to the European Social Forum
, and named one of his speeches « Donner une âme à la mondialisation/Giving a soul to Globalisation ». In 2007 he set up the « mouvement international pour la terre et l'humanisme »/international movement for earth and humanism1. He is president of the Terre et Humanisme association, was a member of the board of editors of the French monthly La Décroissance / De-growth and is vice president of the Kokopelli association which works to protect biodiversity ( in the production and distribution of organically and biodynamically grown seeds..) and for the regeneration of the fertility of cultivated soils.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, he converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
when he started his studies in France as a youth. He invented the concept of « Oasis en tous lieux » - Oasis in any place.
He proposes a society that functions in a manner that respects populations and land and supports the development of agricultural techniques that take care of the environment preserving natural resources. His theories relate particularly though not exclusively to arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
countries.
Franco-Algerian youth
Pierre Rabhi was born into a Muslim family in KénadsaKenadsa
Kenadsa is a town in the Sahara Desert of western Algeria 10 kilometres south-west of Béchar in Béchar Province. It is the capital of Kénadsa District. Near Kenadsa, there is a large longwave broadcasting station....
, near Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
, an oasis in southern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, in 1938. His mother died when he was four years old. His father who was a blacksmith, a musician and a poet, got to know a French couple, an engineer and his wife who was a primary school teacher when they came to work at the Compagnie des Houillères (Coal mining Corporation) in his native village during colonisation. As this couple were unable to have a child and young Pierre’s father was worried about his son’s future, he accepted that the couple bring up his son on the condition that he continue to be a good Muslim. Later, his father would find himself obliged to close his workshop and to go to work in the mine. This would influence the thoughts and philosophy of his son. Thus, Pierre Rabhi’s childhood was shared between France and Algeria and the catholic and Muslim worlds until the age of 14. He chose to convert to Christianity when he was sixteen years old. He completed two years of secondary education but had to stop because his family were unable to cover the costs. When the Algerian War broke out in 1954, at the start of the war he was rejected both by his father for having converted to Christianity and by his adoptive father following a dispute. He decided to settle in Paris.
Paris
Without qualifications, he found work as a technician. He would later marry Michelle whom he met in the company where he worked. Both of them harboured the dream of getting away from this urban life and thought about the possibility of working in farming. He met a doctor called Pierre RichardPierre Richard
Pierre Richard is a popular French actor best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films...
, an ecologist and visionary involved at the time in the creation of the Cévennes National Park
Cévennes National Park
The Cévennes National Park is a national park located in southern France, in the mountainous area of Cévennes.Created in 1970, the park has its administrative seat in Florac at Florac Castle. It is located mainly in the départements of Lozère and Gard, and covers some parts of Ardèche and Aveyron...
, who encouraged them in the steps they took. They then decided to move to the Ardèche
Ardèche
Ardèche is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River.- History :The area has been inhabited by humans at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The plateau of the Ardeche River has extensive standing stones ,...
department to remain there permanently from 1960 on. In those years, this was quite an original move to make, because they went well before the French neorural movement of the late 1960s.
Return to the land
On arriving in ArdècheArdèche
Ardèche is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River.- History :The area has been inhabited by humans at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The plateau of the Ardeche River has extensive standing stones ,...
, they married in Thines. Pierre Rabhi became a father and with no knowledge of agriculture, he registered with a Maison familiale rurale – a centre run by volunteer groups funded by national and regional government in France – and gained a diploma.
In 1963, after three years working as an agricultural worker, he became a small farmer himself in the Cévennes ardéchoises
Cévennes
The Cévennes are a range of mountains in south-central France, covering parts of the départements of Gard, Lozère, Ardèche, and Haute-Loire.The word Cévennes comes from the Gaulish Cebenna, which was Latinized by Julius Caesar to Cevenna...
starting out as a goat farmer with the intention of not following the productivist models he’d seen in the previous years.
Recognition
In 1978, he was given responsibility for training in agricultural ecology at the CEFRA(Centre d'études et de formation rurales appliqués-Centre for applied rural studies and training). From 1981 onwards, at the request of the countries government, he was to visit Burkina Faso as a « farmer without frontiers » this work being funded by the CRIAD (Centre de relations internationales entre agriculteurs pour le développement – Centre for international relations between farmers and for development). In 1985, he set up the agroecology training centre at Gorom-Gorom, with the support of the association Le Point-Mulhouse. In 1988, he founded the CIEPAD(Carrefour international d'échanges de pratiques appliquées au développement – International forum for the sharing of knowledge about applied practices) with the support of the Hérault Regional Council. He developed an « optimised model for an agricultural site », educational and training programs and started numerous oversees development programs in MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Tunisiea, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, Mauritaniea, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. In 1992, he started the program for the rehabilitation of the Chenini-Gabès oasis in Tunisia. Since 1994, he has led the « Oasis en tous lieux – An oasis in any place »movement, aiming to promote an earth that can produce food and the reconstitution of social involvement. In 1997 and 1998, at the request of the UN, he was asked to prepare concrete proposals for implementation of his plan during preparation for the Agreement on action against desertification / Convention de lutte contre la désertification (CCD). From 1999 to 2001, he started new development initiatives in the Agadez region in Niger and the Gao region in Mali. In 2002 he set out on a pre-presidential campaign in which he obtained the support of184 elected representatives and the birth of the Mouvement Appel Pour une Insurrection des Consciences (MAPIC)/ Movement Calling for an Insurrection of Consciences. He regularly leads conferences and workshops on themes relating to simplicité volontaire/simple living and to décroissance/de-growth. Considered to have prepared the ground for the altermondialisme / alter-globalisation movement, he was invited to the European Social Forum
European Social Forum
The European Social Forum is a recurring conference held by members of the alter-globalization movement . In the first few years after it started in 2002 the conference was held every year, but later it became biannual due to difficulties with finding host countries...
, and named one of his speeches « Donner une âme à la mondialisation/Giving a soul to Globalisation ». In 2007 he set up the « mouvement international pour la terre et l'humanisme »/international movement for earth and humanism1. He is president of the Terre et Humanisme association, was a member of the board of editors of the French monthly La Décroissance / De-growth and is vice president of the Kokopelli association which works to protect biodiversity ( in the production and distribution of organically and biodynamically grown seeds..) and for the regeneration of the fertility of cultivated soils.
External links
- Le site de l'association "Terre et Humanisme"
- Le blog de Pierre Rabhi
- Rencontre avec Pierre Rabhi, émission Terre à Terre (France Culture) du 8 septembre 2007
- Site du Mouvement Appel Pour une Insurrection des Consciences (MAPIC)
- Extrait vidéo, interview de Pierre Rabhi par Michel Saloff, sur vimeo, avril 2010
- Extrait vidéo, interview de Pierre Rabhi par Nicolas Hulot et Michel Drucker, sur dailymotion, décembre 2009