Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Promoting awareness of food sovereignty concepts among the younger generation, Ambassadors for Food Sovereignty in the "Green Homeland" campaign led by Dalia Association held an awareness-raising activity with the students of Kafr Al-Labad Girls' School on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. The activity was attended by 35 students, along with the school principal, Mrs. Nadia Rajab, and the head of the school's scientific club, Ms. Shiraz Bakr.
Relating the topic to the Palestinian reality and our historical context, a series of images and documents depicting the history of Kafr Al-Labad village and its agricultural and cultural heritage were presented, including photos documenting the digging of artesian water wells in the town in 1956, reflecting the Palestinians' concern to secure water away from urban centers. The discussion also touched on Palestinian agricultural culture, which is characterized by its richness and harmony with the environment without causing any harm to it. The importance of reclaiming and developing this heritage to meet modern agricultural practices, constituting the concept of Ecological Agriculture as a mechanism to achieve it.
The history of colonial agricultural penetration was also reviewed, highlighting the emergence of what is known as Zionist agricultural communes (kibbutzim) and their role in Judaizing Palestinian land and seizing it. This was contrasted with the resilience demonstrated by Palestinians through their return to the land and the practice of ecological agriculture, which represents an evolution of local organic farming culture.
After being introduced to the concepts of Ecological Agriculture, one of the students participated in the discussion, saying, "Palestine's climate supports plant diversity and achieves the desired food sovereignty as a result of seasonal diversity." At the end of the meeting, the school principal, Mrs. Nadia Rajab, welcomed the attendees and thanked Dalia Association and the rest of the team for initiating this activity. She added, "The activity directly contributes to the goal of establishing the school’s scientific club, especially since the school seeks to cultivate its backyard garden through sustainable ecological agriculture practices and the application of the concepts discussed in the meeting to make them a tangible reality in the school garden." She stressed that the students need more of these important activities to integrate academic education with extracurricular education, especially in the field of agriculture.
The "Green Homeland" campaign is part of Dalia Association’s approach for the year 2024, aimed at supporting the Palestinian community in asserting its rights and achieving its social goals through advocacy campaigns and community mobilization in several partner communities.
