Paul Hanley- ‘Adasíyyih: The Story of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Model Farming Community

In 1901, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá purchased land in what is now Jordan that would become the village of ‘Adasíyyih. Through His guidance and unending inspiration, Bahá’í pioneers from Iran would soon settle there and transform a degraded parcel of land-which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reportedly described as the most inhospitable place on Earth-into the site of a thriving farm and prosperous community whose residents embodied the Bahá’í teachings.
The story of ‘Adasíyyih is offered within the context of the extensive agricultural activities of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith and the early Bahá’í communities They nurtured. It was this farming village-along with several others in the region of the Galilee-that produced a surplus of crops, which enabled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to keep famine at bay for so many people during World War I, a feat that would earn Him a knighthood from the British Empire and a title that He would never use. In time, ‘Adasíyyih would become a model village for Jordanians, and Jordan’s royalty would become frequent guests.
Author Paul Hanley’s extensive research, along with his deep interest in agricultural systems, provides a fascinating glimpse of this remarkable history and the lessons that can be gleaned from it and applied to current community building and agroecological efforts.
Paul Hanley has been involved with environmental and agricultural issues and activities since 1970. He has authored seven books and 1600 articles on these and other themes, including the award-winning book ELEVEN (2014). His biography of Richard St. Barbe Baker, Man of the Trees (2018), featured a foreword by HRH Prince Charles (King Charles III) and an introduction by Jane Goodall. Paul is a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Food System Vision 2050 Prize, the Canadian Environment Award, and the Association for Bahá’í Studies Award for Distinguished Scholarship. He has lived in Saskatchewan for most of his life but now lives on the island of Molokai.