Engaging the process of food production, Fowl
Exchange is a social paradigm in the Sahelian area
in Agadez, Niger, a gathering center for the Tuareg
nomads. The Tuaregs have had serious conflicts with
each other and their government due to limited access
to basic nutrition –especially protein sources. Inspired
by the noble soup kitchens organized by Raoul
Wallenberg, this project uses the simple chicken,
(along with a few other fowl), as agents of social and
nutritional revival. Fowl Exchange harvests both solar
power and natural rain to supply a series of constructed
grounds upon which the Tuareg care for their
fowl in a civic farming environment. Far less costly
than camels and able to provide quick value both in
terms of meat and eggs (also for trade), the chicken
facilitates the re-inscription of one’s home territory as
the Promised Land you knew it to be.