NJ woman using farming skills to help Palestinians in war zone

NEW JERSEY (PIX11) -- Lana Mustafa calls herself a Palestinian seed saver.

“A seed saver is someone that is working to protect endangered seed, whether that’s heirloom seeds or other culturally relevant seeds,” said Mustafa.

Mustafa is currently harvesting Bamyeh Falestinia okra, a crop native to Palestine that is currently under threat because of the military conflict in Gaza.

“A lot of the infrastructure and farms and seeds have been destroyed,” said Mustafa.

The Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library, which saves and shares ancient seeds, asked Mustafa to grow the okra in the United States.

Mustafa is currently working with City Green, a non-profit farming and gardening organization based in Clifton, New Jersey.

“We grow almost every vegetable that you can grow on the East Coast,” said Henry Anderson, City Green’s director of agriculture.

The okra is flourishing in New Jersey. “It’s super resilient,” said Anderson. “It’s drought tolerant. It grows really well in this climate.”

Some of the okra crop is harvested and sold, while the rest is left longer to dry and save for seed.

Mustafa said the seed-saving project gives her hope and a sense of purpose.

“Are there going to be farmers there [in Palestine] next year?” Mustafa questioned. “We really can’t say. But what we can say is that we can plant the seeds and hope it’ll bring a better day tomorrow.”