From the land that gave us agriculture comes a new farmers market led by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce.
On 26 October 2024, the farmers and consumers in Egypt's famed Alexandria discovered the interactive politics and economics of proximity. Adorned with the operating slogan of "From Land to Hand," the new farmers market resembles many that have emerged in the first two decades of the 21st century: tents, teams of volunteers and other risk-takers, family farmers, and public officials with a growing comfort level for flexibility and imagination.
There’s nothing quite like a farmers market’s opening day, and this one in Alexandria, Egypt was grand! Twenty vendors, thousands of shoppers, and almost as many members of the press and the public sector on hand to join in the celebration.
After ten months of planning as part of the Mediterranean and African Markets Initiative between CIHEAM-Bar and the World Farmers Markets Coalition, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce pulled off a strong economic, social and political statement, bringing farming families to sell the fruits of their labor into the city center at the cherished Saad Zaghloul Square — a beautiful place to lap up the cooling breezes of the Mediterranean Sea. Now it is also the weekly location to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, honeys, breads, meats, and dairy products directly from farmers. On opening day, local chefs rubbed shoulders with government ministers from both Egypt and Italy. Shoppers came to discover fresh and affordable products. This is the beginning of a new Egyptian story, for which there are many authors — including the remarkable Fondazione Campagna Amica team of experts, who devoted much of the summer and autumn to share market management know-how with the Alexandria team.
Having launched farmers markets before, I could not help but be struck by the giddy excitement exhibited by shoppers encountering fresh, affordable, and diverse products on offer from farmers who literally could not imagine that decision-makers would allow for operations to become a reality. This is the beginning of something new. There are many cooks in this kitchen, as it takes many stakeholders to launch a market devoted to transparency, consistency, and the dignity for both shoppers and farmers. However, it is the Chamber of Commerce team who put their names and integrity on the line. For this, I am confident that this new venture will spark a new pathway for the small family farmers in great need of access to new markets (free from the overwhelming power of middlemen).
The first of the new markets to emerge from the MAMI Farmers Markets Project (Mediterranean and African Markets Initiative) launched with financial and strategic support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I am excited for additional markets and market networks to gain a foothold in the rest of Egypt, Kenya, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Albania.
Additional information can be found in these media clippings:
Television coverage: First short clip, another short clip, and a long clip
Newspaper coverage: featuring the Italian Ambassador to Egypt
More info about the MAMi Farmers Markets Project: link
CIHEAM-Bari, the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute: link
Throughout the Mediterranean, farmers markets and their networks are emerging at a time when we need good news from the region — a region beset by major pressures. What if we build leadership capacity ito stabilize rural livelihoods on the land? This is MAMi.
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