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Freedom of choiceIn Egypt, Slow Food collaborates with Nawaya, an initiative startedby a group of young Egyptians committed to defending small-scale, sustainable agriculture. The group has decided to create an innovative platform to inspire farmers to adopt sustainable practices. The idea is simple and based on the fact that farmers will not be motivated to adopt better practices unless they have a chance to try them out first. Nawaya gives them this chance, allowing them to choose what to grow and how, while preserving their land and the environment. www.nawayaegypt.organd scientists who can contribute their experience and help analyze the results obtained so far. The ulti- mate goal is to raise awareness about the richness of Egypt’s food culture, which deserves to be recognized in- ternationally. The hope is that thanks to this mapping, one day the people of Egypt will reappropriate an aware- ness of their own gastronomic heri- tage, a treasure trove that includes the rice of the Western Oasis, tradi- tionally used to prepare sekouti (rice marinated with the juice of burnt on- ions, giving it a brown color), honey and indigenous herbs from the Sinai, karkadé and mustard seed oil... The mapping of biodiversity and typical local products is a first important step in returning local food to the places it deserves: our tables and, at a deeper level, our consciousness.89Find out moreWatch the video on Wahi rice (bit.ly/o5u23f, with subtitles) www.facebook.com/ma7soolproductions