The US Farmers Saving Palestinian Seeds
February 03, 2026 | Source: Civil Eats | by Jennifer Cole
At City Green Farm Eco-Center, in Clifton, New Jersey, giant 9-foot-tall stalks of okra produce bushels of succulent, fuzzy green pods, ideal for soups and stews. This variety of okra, Bamyeh Falastinia, is native to what is now the West Bank, and for centuries, it has been a staple in Palestinian kitchens.
The plants’ true treasure, though, is its seeds—and in 2024, the City Green plants produced more than 9,000. At a time when conflict in the Middle East has destroyed Palestinian farmland and foodways, these seeds have become a beacon of hope for many.
City Green is part of a grassroots network of growers in the U.S. who are cultivating ancient Palestinian crops as part of the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library (PHSL) Seed Protectors Project. Currently, approximately 40 growers and organizations in the U.S. work as seed protectors, including the Experimental Farm Network (EFN) in Pennsylvania, the Hudson Valley Farm Hub in New York, the Organic Seed Alliance in Washington State, the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, and Truelove Seeds.