Productive Village Project in Fayoum Governorate as a sustainable development Model: A Case study of Al Nazla and Tunis Villages

The study aimed to identify productive villages as a model for sustainable development in Fayoum Governorate. The study deals with the concept of sustainable development in relation to the adaptability of the project plan of a productive village and its environmental resources within Fayoum governorate especially those considered prominent productive villages. A detailed study of Al- Nazla and Tunis as two different cases of productive villages. The study revealed several factors that contributed to the deterioration of pottery craftmanship in Nazla, some of which are: the village site lost the good connection to modern motor ways, the loss of local source of the raw material i.e., the river silt and the weak income returns in the local Fayoum markets put an end to the elderly distinctive labor due to preference of modern life facilities rather than pottery. Other minor causes include the emission of many pollutants from burning clay coupled with incompatible government support plus the inability to modernize pottery production.
On the contrary, the study found factors that supported the success of the pottery experiment in Tunis village, which added to its transformation into a sustainable environmental village. Among those factors are:  the better location of Tunis and environs to motor way, the presence of pottery school in the village headed by lady Evelyn porret, who is considered the spiritual "father" to the pottery industry in it, plus the diversity of many shapes and uses of pottery production in the village which cannot be imitated. Tourism- another factor- promoted the villages as a sustainable village created wider market for its distinctive products
 The study concluded with a plan to transform other Egyptian villages to other productive sides: each village can become a trademark such as pottery in Tunisia, carpets from Disya, dates from Siwa, etc. The study recommended the necessity of rediscovering rural countryside by establishing a comprehensive geographical database for as many as possible of Egyptian villages, and expanding the role of local government and civil society institutions in efforts supporting rural economic and social development.