Buzuruna Juzuruna

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Background

The Buzuruna Juzuruna collective (or ‘our seeds are our roots’ in english) is behind the creation of a farm-school in a village of the Bekaa valley in Lebanon to promote agro-ecology locally. The aim of this initiative is to pass on knowledge about crops and seeds, as well as mastering the means of production. It has a rich seed library that enables them to preserve, multiply and distribute more than 80 varieties of ancient cereals and legumes from traditional Mediterranean agriculture.

The project was born against a backdrop of economic, social and food crises that have been affecting the country for several years. Lebanon is located in a region of the world where multi-faith politics regularly plunge neighbouring countries into regional geopolitical conflicts that affect their populations. More than 80% of the Lebanese population live below the poverty line (UNICEF, 2023), particularly those living in rural areas such as the Bekaa Valley, a traditionally agricultural plain now threatened by desertification. 460,000 people are affected by food insecurity in the country, leading 70% of households to borrow money to buy food (UNICEF, 2023).

This crisis situation is exacerbated by the instability of the Lebanese government, which implies a strong tendency towards corruption and a lack of public policy on food issues. Although a number of humanitarian initiatives are currently underway to facilitate access to vital food, particularly in the context of the management of several political refugee camps, this action is not enough to overcome the crisis situation.

Project

Founded in 2016 by a collective of Syrian, Lebanese and French agronomists and farmers, this farm-school is the result of a desire to bring agro-ecology to as many people as possible, in addition to being able to respond to food insecurity issues.

It is located on a two-hectare plot of land in the Bekaa plain, where its founders have successfully integrated into the local community fabric. It is used by both local residents and Syrian refugees living in nearby camps. Everyone can get involved on the land, which serves as a real agricultural testing ground.

This project is aimed at both professional farmers and a wider public, including children in particular, to whom it is important to raise awareness of these more sustainable practices. The farm organises weekly sessions for around thirty children aged between 6 and 14, offering them practical and theoretical workshops in a small educational garden in the middle of its grounds.
The people behind the project, including Walid el Youssef, a Syrian farmer who has been a refugee in Lebanon since 2011, enlisted the help of a small team of volunteers to organise the land and build the mud house that houses the seed library. To promote this model of food self-sufficiency, the association has also installed solar panels on its land to power some of its electrical equipment.

The school farm is linked to a wide network of partners who have helped it to develop, including the French agricultural cooperative Longo Maï, the 15th Garden network which works for food sovereignty in Syria, the Lebanese NGO Amel Association International and the CCFD-Terre Solidaire. This international synergy made it possible to provide the funds needed to set up and run the structure, as well as expertise in agro-ecological production.

Starting from scratch, Buzuruna Juzuruna now boasts several hundred fruit trees, aromatic plants and flowers, as well as an area dedicated to raising poultry, goats and sheep, in addition to the presence of beehives on the site, ensuring the renewal of crops. It is also a recognised training centre in the region, welcoming farmers, agronomy students and vulnerable families living nearby to learn together about the inner workings of sustainable agricultural production. These skills in agro-ecology training have been recorded in a curriculum created in 2018 by the collective, entitled ‘Towards peasant autonomy’, enabling hundreds of farmers to refer to it.

Finally, the project goes beyond the boundaries of the farm, taking part in solidarity initiatives with homes in difficulty and refugee camps. The latter are offered help to get their own vegetable gardens off the ground by following a free training course and benefiting from follow-up by trainers over a period of several months. The continuity of this transmission of agricultural knowledge is also ensured by the donation of traditional seeds, in particular native varieties from the Mediterranean basin, which are grown and then distributed by the farm school. Thanks to these initiatives, 475 collective or individual gardens have been created in the region.

This farm-school will give the region's inhabitants the tools they need to become self-sufficient in food, alleviating the supply problems caused by the crisis and guaranteeing high-quality nutrients.

The little extra

Buzuruna Juzuruna has increased the number of varieties grown, up to 150 on a 2-hectare plot, compared with the usual one or two varieties grown in conventional farming. This project represents a return to our roots, bringing to the fore farmers' seeds that have been neglected over the last few decades. The worldwide spread of a standardised production method has led to an impoverishment of used seed’s varieties, favouring only seeds that produce more, more quickly and which require massive use of inputs. Farm-saved seeds are therefore a good way of breaking away from dependence on industrial seed producers, particularly in the European Union, where a regulation adopted in January 2022 authorises organic farmers to grow and market their own seeds.

This initiative was written by Noémie Petrelle, intern with Let’s Food - April 2024.

Resources :

Last modification : 03 Jul 2024.

Buzuruna Juzuruna - Heirloom Seed Library / بذورنا جذورنا Saadnayel Liban

Contact

contact@buzurunajuzuruna.com (+961) 81 075 284