Founded in 2009 by Princess Haifa Al-Faisal, Harvard ethicist Mona Hamdy,[4] and Stanford permaculturist Neal Spackman, Al Baydha has begun to see practical and ecological results.[5]
Project goals
Most notably, Al Baydha's emphasis is on creating an economy for the inhabitants of Al Baydha that is socially, culturally, environmentally, and economically sustainable. The project's main objective is to create financial and social independence for the inhabitants by training, educating and employing them in the infrastructure and capacity building activities undertaken by the Al Baydha Project.[6]
Site development after the end of artificial irrigation
Detail of the dry wall terraces at the Al Baydha project, Saudi Arabia.
In 2016, the Al Baydha Project received a commendation from Prince Khaled Al Faisal for innovative work undertaken by the inhabitants of Al Baydha as a model of national excellence[9] in humanitarianism, sustainability, and innovation.[10] The same year funding stopped and Neal Spackman needed to shut off water to the irrigation pipes. The trees started to die. He told those involved in the project that the true test would be to see if the trees could live without being watered. Later that winter the trees survived and thrived, proving testament to the power of ancient terrace farming.
In a 2020 documentary about the Al Baydha Project, Spackman has called the project "a testament to the potential of regenerative agricultures and a template for the reforestation of millions of desert landscapes in the Arabian peninsula and beyond."[11]
