Safeguarding Indigenous Seeds in Southwest Morocco

After months and months of planning, we have finally launched the physical building of the seed-bank.  The choice of the bricks, of the plan, of all the details needed to fit in the overall mission of the project:  reviving older traditions of building, having all community members be active participants, and preparing this place to receive the grains, and be the sharing space to safeguarding, transforming, and adapting seeds to dry to semi-dry climate. We have GlobalGiving community of doners to thank for the funds, we would not have been able to go ahead with our plans without this essential support. 

This has also been a special experience for Dar Si Hmad younger staff members and volunteers, building this project step by step. In meeting with elders, in learning from artisans who have constructed their own adobe homes, and in discussing at length the significance of saving the local seeds, multiplying them and establishing a barter system, have been all milestones we are proud to have completed. The vision of this initiative has stemed from these peasants' concerns about  knowledge and wisdom transfer to to the newer generation. This is an important first step and they are proud of contributing to it as it is, on the longer run, the assured pathway to local sustainability.