Growing heritage seeds from Palestine and the region for our land and our people
Thurayya is an idea, a dream to be grounded in the land and guided by knowledge built over generations. We aim to restore and heal our connections to the earth where violence, occupation, and ongoing genocide have erased our presence in and connection to our ancestral lands.
Thurayya is a grouping of stars in the constellation of Taurus, whose name in Arabic means abundance, earth and possibly also moisture. Its setting on the western horizon in Autumn was a sign to the peoples of the region that the winter rains were soon coming to replenish the land and revive the green foliage of the desert.
Thurayya is an active remembrance, an act of remembrance, a return to what we know in order to create a new way of being for ourselves and the next generations.
Save our precious seeds
Preserve and practice traditional farming methods and grow heirloom varieties of crops and medicinal plants from the SWANA region, particularly those that are not widely available in California.
Cultural remembrance
Create archives of knowledge connected to the land, including: seed saving practices, drought farming, wild edible plants, storytelling, spiritual traditions and other cultural practices.
Build resiliency
Build resiliency in our relational networks between each other and the land.
We are doing this by: providing skill-sharing and livelihood opportunities; developing educational programming; creating pathways for intergenerational healing, and; building partnerships and resources with small farmers from the SWANA region and in diaspora
