Mission Statement
Alqueria Al-Kawthar is a work-in-progress farm and education facility founded on the principles of holistic education, sustainable development and an efficient and respectful approach to farming. It is a “transformative autonomous zone”, a place for personal development for people of all ages through experience-based activities, workshops and courses which encourage a renewed contact with nature and promote a more responsible understanding of productivity. A wide range of educational and training alternatives will be offered for the procurement of useful knowledge which will provide the tools necessary to become resilient in the face of an ever-changing world. The focus is a symbiosis between traditional skills and knowledge and the beneficial technology at our disposal today in order to lay the groundwork for a brighter and more mindful tomorrow.
The farm is made up of three main buildings. It was originally built over 100 years ago and apart from one building which was partially renovated the rest are in a ruinous state. The two older buildings have been demolished and they will be rebuilt following the legal guidelines which require them to be built exactly the same as they were originally standing. The interior will be modified according to our needs. The rebuilding project is divided into four phases. The first being the full renovation of the building that is still standing while phase 2 and 3 are the reconstruction of the other two buildings. Phase 4 corresponds to the renovation of three outhouses which will be the place for workshops.
The whole site is just over five hectares consisting of flatland for planting whereas the buildings sit at the top of a hill overlooking the whole area. It is situated in a secluded valley near a small river. The surrounding land is woodland made up of holm oak and other native plants and olive and almond groves. There is abundant wildlife such as rabbit, boar, hawks and many other animals. The buildings are east facing while the land stretches from north to south catching most of the sunlight throughout the year. The Mediterranean climate is quite hot during summer and rarely drops below freezing in winter. The average annual temperature is 20 degrees Celsius and rainfall is around 200 mm a year. We have dug a well which has plenty of water to cover our needs and there are plans to set up water harvesting systems to mitigate the hot summers.
The property belongs to the CIE (Islamic Community of Spain) which also manages the Great Mosque of Granada. It was purchased in the early 90s and was initially intended as an Islamic village. Many families moved in and it was inhabited for around ten years. Families eventually moved out and the land fell into disuse and was practically abandoned for almost 20 years. This has produced some benefits in that the land has not been cultivated in all that time and has not been sprayed with chemicals making it ideal for an organic farm.
