Om Sleiman Farm
BACKGROUND: Om Sleiman Farm started in 2016 in Bil’in as a community supported agriculture (CSA) project. Om Sleiman means Ladybug, a natural pest fighter. They grow organic crops which regenerate the soil. They sell fresh produce directly to local Palestinian family subscribers. This creates a sense of community between members and the farm.
THE NEED: Om Sleiman is more than an organic farm. It has transformed into an educational and volunteering hub. It is a destination for many people of different backgrounds and nationalities. Since 2018 they have offered training and workshops on food production and food justice to the community.
They need a sheltered seating area to host visitors. This will benefit the local community, and host students, volunteers, political tours, and other visitors. There will be a cooking area and cooking workshops. The building will be a demonstration site for Natural building techniques. The roof will collect rain water for use on the farm. Om Sleiman gets requests to host up to 30-50 people at a time. This can generate a good income for the farm.
FIRST STAGE: The circular seating area
In 2019 Om Sleiman built the circular seating area as a natural building project, using stones, clay, straw, and sand. About 30 participants took the natural building workshop with a specialist from Jordan. This video shows the workshop they organized. The overview is by Yara Dowani, co-founder and farm manager.
SECOND STAGE: The Roof
A roof will protect from rain and sun and will also harvest the rain water to use on their crops. In November 2022 Om Sleiman built a Reciprocal roof (a round roof with no center support). They hosted three foreign specialists on the farm to teach the required skills to a small number of participants. They completed the roof structure and second floor in two intense weeks. The Land of Canaan Foundation was proud to fund this construction, thanks to your gifts.
THIRD STAGE: Finishing the walls, seating area floor
Now they are ready for the next stage in this ongoing project. They will create a comfortable Cob wall made of clay so people have something to lean on, and finish the floor with clay, straw and sand. This stage will be open to the public as a course in natural building techniques.
They are ready to finish in Spring 2023. Om Sleiman teaches young Palestinians about the self-sustainable community they dream Palestine could be.
FOURTH STAGE: Pizza (taboun) oven, Rocket stove
The last stage is to build the kitchen once the building is ready to host people in 2023. This stage will be weekend workshops open to the public. Stage 4 gives Om Sleiman the ability to host cooking workshops. They will model the traditional taboun oven and the super efficient and smoke free Rocket stove that burns small bits of wood.