DEIR EL BALAH: From a small makeshift tent in the central Gaza Strip, a dedicated team works to carefully store and document some of the war-shattered territory’s most precious commodities: local seeds.
Shelves of unassuming plastic tubs line the walls of the Al Qarara Seed Bank, each holding indigenous seeds seen as a way of reviving Gaza’s devastated farming sector and preserving its agricultural heritage.
The seed bank in Deir el-Balah is rebuilding its stocks of Gaza’s heirloom seeds that were destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war which erupted in October 2023.
Unlike hybrid varieties often sold commercially, heirloom seeds can be saved and used year after year and are often better adapted to their local environment.
“During the war, they were what helped us survive,” said Salem Muhanna, who manages the project which was founded in 2017 with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
