Pierre Rabhi

Pierre Rabhi (Kenadsa, Algeria 1938) is a Agriculteur, politician, writer and thinker French of origin Algérie, inventor of the concept " Oasis in all places ".

It defends a mode of more respectful company of the men and ground and supports the development of respectful husbandries of the Environnement and preserving the natural resources, in particular in the arid countries.

Free-Algerian youth

It was born in 1938 with Kenadsa close to Béchar, an oasis in the south of the Algérie in a Moslem family. His/her mother dies whereas it is 4 years old.

His/her father who was blacksmith, musician and poet, becomes acquainted with a French couple, an engineer and a teacher, come to work with the Compagnie of the Collieries of his colonized native village. As this couple cannot have of child and that the father of the Pierre young person is concerned with his future, it accepts that this couple raises his/her son provided that there remains a good Moslem. Later, this biological father will be constrained to close his workshop and to work with the mine, which marked the reflection and the thought of his/her son.

Thus, Pierre Rabhi shared his childhood between the France and the Algérie, the catholic world and the Muslim world, until the 14 years age. At the 16 years age, it chooses to convert with Christianity. It carries out two years of secondary studies then must stop because its family cannot any more assume it financially.

When the Guerre of Algeria bursts in 1958, it is in a situation of double exclusion, rejected by his father to be itself converted and by his father of adoption which had put it at the door following a conflict, just at the beginning of the war. It then decides to leave to settle in France with Paris.

In Paris

Not graduate, it finds a post of semi-skilled worker. In the company where he works, he meets Michele with whom later he will marry.

All two nourish the dream to be extracted from this urban life and think of the Agriculture. It meets the doctor Pierre Richard, a doctor, ecologist and visionary who occupied themselves at the time of creation of the National park of the Cevennes, and which encourages them in their step.

They then decide to unload in Ardèche to remain there definitively in 1960. Very original decision for the time since it largely precedes the movement " néorural" end of the year 60.

The return to the ground

While arriving, they marry with Thines. Pierre Rabhi becomes father and, not having any agricultural knowledge, fits in a rural Family home and obtains a diploma.

He becomes farm laborer then and carries out the most difficult works. It is at this period which it includes/understands that intensive industrial agriculture, according to the same models as those which it has flee in Paris, does not respect the ground nor its ideals.

After three years as farm laborer, in 1963, it becomes him even peasant in the the Cevennes ardéchoises and launches out in the caprine breeding with the intention not to reproduce the same models of productivism.

These beginnings are difficult, but the methods which it develops will make thereafter school under the name of Agroécologie. It thus creates an activity of formation in its farm where it accommodates and forms forty trainees.

Pierre Rabhi is vice-president of the Kokopelli association which works with the protection of the biodiversity and the production and distribution of seeds resulting from the organic farming and biodynamics.

Recognition

In 1978, it is in charge of formation to agro-ecology by the CEFRA (Center of rural studies and formation applied).

Starting from 1981, it goes to the Burkina Faso as “a peasant without border” at the request of the government of this country and with the support of CRIAD (Center of international relations between farmers for the development).

In 1985, it created a training center with the Agroécologie with Gorom-Gorom, with the support of association Point-Mulhouse.

In 1988, it founds CIEPAD (international Crossroads of exchanges of practices applied to the development) with the support of the General advice of the Herault. It sets up a “optimized module of agricultural installation”, sensitization programs and of formation, and the launching of many development actions abroad (Morocco, Palestine, Algérie, Tunisia, Senegal, Togo, Bénin, Mauritania, Poland, Ukraine…)

In 1992, it launches the programme of rehabilitation of the oasis of Chenini-Gabès in Tunisia.

Since 1994, it animates the movement “Oasis in all places”, aiming at promoting the return to a nourishing earth and the reconstitution of the social link.

In 1997 and 1998, it intervenes at the request of UNO within the framework of the development of the Convention of fight against turning into a desert (CCC) and has to formulate specific proposals for its application.

Of 1999 with 2001, it launches new development actions to the Niger (area of Agadez) and to the Mali (area of Gao).

At the time of the French presidential election of 2002, friends persuade it to return in the political countryside, its movement Ground and Humanisme prints a " then; 4 pages" who is distributed to the mayors of France to obtain the 500 votes necessary to be candidate… what it did not succeed in obtaining.

It belonged to the leading committee of the newspaper the Decrease.

It turns regularly to animate conferences or workshops on the topics of happy sobriety, the bearable Décroissance. Considered as craftsman of the altermondialism, it was invited at the time of the European Social forum, and entitled one of its talks " to give a heart to the mondialisation". In May 2006, he announces on his site the reasons for which he will not be candidate with presidential in 2007. In the same dash, it creates a vaster movement: the international movement for the ground and humanism.

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