Gaza seed bank helps farmers cultivate the little land they have left

In Gaza, a group of farmers is working to preserve the native crops of the region by rebuilding a seed bank that was destroyed during Israel's war. The seed bank, known as the Bank of Seeds, was located in Qarara town and held 70 tonnes of stocks for 42 different crops, including black-eyed peas, watermelon and sage. The bank had also been equipped with refrigerators, solar power, a dryer, a seed-cleaning and sorting machine, and was once a vital resource for local farmers.

After the war, Salama Muhanna, a local farmer and the founder of the bank, started rebuilding a modest stock of 32 local seeds in a makeshift tent in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. Local heirloom seeds are more resilient than hybrid varieties and can be saved and replanted year after year, according to Muhanna. He believes that local seed banks are a form of protection against border closures and supply restrictions, but acknowledge that they do little to offset the devastation of Gaza's agricultural sector, which was once a backbone of the economy.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the matter. Agricultural engineers state that the seed bank's impact is minimal compared to the needs of Gaza's agricultural sector, which once employed about 560,000 people before the war.