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Agriculture and Human Values 20: 231-240, 2003. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
The cultural background of the sustainability of the traditional farming system in the Ghouta, the oasis of Damascus, Syria
Sameer K. Alhamidi,1 Mats Gustafsson,1 Hans Larsson,1 and Per Hillbur21
Department of Crop Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden; 2Technology and Society, Malmo" University, Malmo", Sweden
Accepted in revised form July 13, 2002 Abstract. This paper discusses the practical impact of a non-materialistic culture on sustainable farm management. Two elements are discussed: first, how deeply rooted religion is in this culture; second, the feasibility of using both human knowledge and experience, so-called tradition and divine guidance in management. Finally, the implications of the fusion of these two elements are drawn. The outcome is the capability of man to integrate ethical values into decisions and actions. This integration, when applied by skilled farmers, leads to a management of natural resources in an altruistic fashion and not merely to economic ends. Moreover, it makes agriculture meaningful and sustainable.
Key words: Alternative agriculture, Culture, Ethics, Farm management, God's guidance, Sustainability, Tradition Sameer K. Alhamidi is a PhD student at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He has a M.Sc. in the Technology of Crop Protection from Reading University, England. He is currently preparing his thesis on sustainable agriculture: the case of a complex traditional farming system in the region of Damascus.
Mats Gustafsson is professor at the department of Crop Science, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He has a PhD in Experimental Botany from Lund University. Then he turned over to be a practical plant breeder at Svalo"f AB. Currently he is working with the utilization of disease resistance in plant breeding. He is the head of a team supervising PhD students working on sustainable agriculture and Sameer Alhamidi is one of these students.
Per Hillbur is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science at School of Technology and Society, Malmo" University. He has a PhD in Human Geography from Lund University, Sweden. His research experience ranges from tropical agricultural systems (particularly East Africa) to participatory approaches and development of methodological tools in sustainable development. The latter finds applications in agricultural as well as urban planning settings.
Hans Larsson is senior...