On Saturday 15/10 a seminar was conducted at the A.M.  Qattan Foundation HQ in which the “Educational Research and Development Program”, which is a new stage in the "Palestinian Heirloom Seeds Library" project, was inaugurated.

It was officially announced that the Educational course under the title “Seeds: Policies and Cultures” has been launched.

The course aims to study the relationship between agricultural practices and the current food production processes in the light of the international policy framework and to understand the principles of “Food Sovereignty “. The course will be held across 3 months starting from November 2016 until January 2017.

The manager of the A.M. Qattan Foundation, Ziad Khalaf, announced that small seed libraries will be built in six schools. Vivien Sansour, the project coordinator, mentioned that project does not only attempt to revive the soil, but also the social fabric, as these local seeds if not preserved, may be doomed to extinction.

“This means its stories will fade away, all the traditions and seasonal dishes that people cooked will all be forgotten, and this is what the Seeds Library is trying to prevent.”Razan Zuatyer, APN Founder, participated in the seminar via video conference and said, “When I received the invitation I did not know how I would be able to participate in the event, however I am here with you in Ramallah despite the occupation. I accepted the invite.”  She emphasized that preserving traditional seeds lies in the essence of “Food Sovereignty”. She also announced APN’s support to this project and the possibility of building a similar Seeds Library in Jordan.