"You can improve quality of life by working with nature."

What is your relationship to the land where you grow organic almonds, pistachios and grains?

Skander Hamzaoui: The land belongs to my family; I farm it. We have been organic-certified since 2006. It is completely pristine and located at over 1200 m above sea level. It is the highest agriculturally used area in Tunisia. I want to realize my life project here, a socio-economic project based on the conviction that quality of life can be improved by working with nature.

Were you born and raised in Thala?

I grew up in Tunis, but my father always took me here — to our family land — so I could get to know and understand this patch of earth. Later I studied in Paris, then worked in Tunis and Amsterdam. In total I lived twelve years in Europe, including in Geneva, two years in the United Arab Emirates and four in Morocco.

What is your motivation to work as a farmer and carry out your project?

We are here at the entrance to the desert. On the flanks of Djebel Birheno* there are no direct water resources, the summers are blisteringly hot and the winters harsh. The land here has retained its authenticity, agriculture is rustic and close to nature. I wanted to come back here to become a farmer, to cultivate the lands of my ancestors and at the same time to push things forward here. The project is intended to one day be an entire area that produces organically, where farmers cooperate and share knowledge. In this way it will enable the people in this very rural and poor region not only to earn an income but also to create added value. Until then it is still a long way and a lot of work.

*Djebel Birheno is the name of a mountain about 14 km south of Thala. At 1419 m above sea level it is the second highest mountain in Tunisia.

Read here more about the creation of a new value chain in Tunisia.