A fascinating tour to get to know the world of desert agriculture, which was the major life source of the Bedouin tribes in the Negev. The desert agriculture integrates traditional agriculture with technological advance.
The meeting with the group in the morning at the Halav Bereshit Visitor Center is located on the outskirts of the village of Tarabin Atsane on Road 310.
How to collect water in the desert agriculture
The traditional agriculture was based on growing herds, producing dairy and meat products, growing vegetables and traditional herbs. During the visit, we shall hear an explanation about the orchard with its fruits and vegetables, and the food for the cattle.
Desert agriculture is dependent upon the grace of heaven. We shall learn how the Bedouin tribes cope with draught years, and with rainy years, how they developed methods to store the rainwater, and to irrigate the vegetables sown in the spring and the fruit trees in the orchard. The methods of water preservation served the Nabataea tribes, and the Bedouin learned from them. Today, even the Jewish National Fund (JNF – KKL) uses these methods, or similar ones, when planting orchards in the Negev.
Azbut - The Migrating Shepherds
We shall visit the migrating shepherds in their tents in Azbut, as they migrate in search for herding and water sources. A walking tour will be integrated with a hospitality in the migrating tents. We shall get to know the individuals who choose to keep migrating even today. We shall hold a meeting with the shepherds and their cattle – the sheep, lambs, goats. It is possible to pet and shepherd the cattle.