Community tractor

The rains have finally started in Jordan too and there is a great movement around us: everyone is preparing their land to be able to sow wheat, barley, peas, broad beans, chickpeas... Here it is used like this: after the first rain, you plow and the ground is prepared to receive the second rain, to then sow.

We too are preparing to plow and sow, but this year with something new: we will do it ourselves, with our tractor! Well yes, tractor habemus! It arrived thanks to the contribution of several friends and we felt like a gift to all of us. Its story began in Italy, thanks to friends of friends who we discovered who dealt with tractors in Asia and the Middle East. The request came spontaneously: "By chance, can you give us a tractor to support our agricultural project in Jordan?" And they gave us a chance... to check with the Jordanian distributors. Meanwhile, the friend who acted as intermediary, and who in turn was looking for a tractor for a project in Africa, sponsored us: «Help them, they really need it!». After a while, the confirmation arrives that it can be done, they will give us a tractor that the local distributor already has and is suitable for our needs. We begin to prepare ourselves to receive it.

Thanks to the contribution given to us by other friends we are able to build him a small garage and to buy the two pieces we need to plow. We inquire about what license is needed to drive it and we discover that one of the drivers of our buses has a tractor license and is happy to help us drive it. Meanwhile, the rumor that the tractor is on the way spreads and everyone's expectations grow. Finally one day they call us: «In a few hours we will be with you with the tractor!». We will not easily forget everyone's enthusiasm at the time of delivery. We went out with the kids, the drivers, the teachers... and when the truck with the tractor on it stopped in front of the Arsenale door there was a general "Ooohhh". Not everyone was clear what a tractor was, but everyone was very clear that it was a gift for them. His descent from the truck was accompanied by stadium cheering and, as soon as we parked him, he was literally submerged for the group photo. The local distributor, upon seeing our welcome, understood that he had not ended up in a "normal" farm and was available to teach us how to use it and to provide us with free advice. Even when we first used it, it was followed by everyone, with great trepidation.

It is his being "community" that makes him even more precious than his value and makes our thanks even greater: not only for the tractor, but also for making us all happy, all together. Who donated and who received.

Arsenale dell’Incontro

NP dicembre 2022