It has been a busy summer… more updates to come, but I wanted to post a few photos from our trip, share a few links and just let you know we are still here, working away. Stay tuned for the summer newsletter….

Dried okra is sold in the markets in long strands-- you can rehydrate it by adding it to soups!

Anna shows a rice farmer how he looks on film

The newest (and youngest) member of our crew!

One of the last rice farms in Iraqi Kurdistan

Also, an article about our trip was recently published in the summer edition of Soiled and Seeded. Check it out here: A Day Exploring the Origins of Agriculture in Iraqi Kurdistan

And in case you haven’t seen it, here is the interview we filmed for Kurdsat in June before leaving Sulaimaniyah:

Help our project by making a pledge to The Iraqi Seed Project on Kickstarter. It’s an all or nothing funding platform, so we need to raise $8,000 before June 6th in order to receive the contributions already pledged.

Support our Kickstarter campaign!

This Sunday March 27th from 1PM-7PM The Magic Carpet Cultural Center and Play Farm is hosting a Barn Sale (details below) to help raise funds for The Iraqi Seed Project.  20% of all proceeds will go to the project. We’re also preparing a meal based on ancient Babylonian dishes described in Nawal Nasrallah’s amazing cookbook Delights from the Garden of Eden, donations for the meal will be accepted on behalf of the project.

The sale is located at 39633 Wendling Rd. Marcola, OR 97454, please contact us if you need directions.

At the sale you will find: Rugs, Rugs and More Rugs• Curiosity Cabinets • Hand Carved Spoons • Paper Flower Garlands • Desert Bouquets • Fresh (2011) Olive Oil From Crete • Spices • Supplies • Baskets • Cards • Tulus • Violet Soda and other tasty floral delights • Things you can live without but you may want to live with • Things you can imagine and things you can’t…

We look forward to seeing you there!

Today the UN celebrates World Water Day, their theme this year is “Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge,” they are focusing on cities because of “the world’s increasingly urban future.” It is true that the second half of the 20th century saw a mass migration away from rural areas, and perhaps Iraq simply is a part of that larger trend. But it is also important to remember that this migration, in Iraq at least, is partially forced. Many rural areas do not have access to safe water, making them uninhabitable.

A UN report asserts that 6 million Iraqis don’t have access to safe drinking water, most of this 6 million lives in rural environments.  Water in the cities is important, but cities can only sustain with healthy rural populations growing food nearby.

In the North of Iraq farmers depend on rainfall to water their crops, while Southern farmers depend on irrigation from the country’s rivers. On World Water Day, lets also focus on access to safe water for the rural populations. The numbers might not be as great, but their health is essential for the health of a country.

For more information & statistics please visit: http://iq.one.un.org/Water-in-Iraq

Just a few items that you might want to include in this year’s holiday shopping. Harnessing consumerism for forces of good!

Dolores Hidalgo Chickpea

• Many crops grown in the Southwest of the United States are also popular crops in Iraq. Order some seed packets from Native Seeds/SEARCH, and grow your own Iraqi meals! Here are a few of our favorites: Dolores Hidalgo Chickpeas, Eagle Pass Okra, Tarahumara Pink Lentils

• Farming in the Fertile Crescent 2011 Wall Calendar – learn about agriculture in the region with images from our June 2010 filming trip — Order here

• Anna, who designed this website, is selling prints of her beautiful seed-casing portraits. Visit her website to see images and size choices.

And finally… some book recommendations:

I haven’t written a Christmas list for a very long time, but the other day I jotted down my end of year wish-list for the project… I’m posting here, just in case any santas, elves or angels might happen upon it:

5 spools of regular 8 reversal film: Ektachrome: $18.00/spool

Film Development: $20/spool (5 spools)

Film to Video Transfer: $70

Basic Website updates: $500

Web-hosting for a year: $125

Gold Badge to SXSW film festival: $800

Editor for 2 weeks: $3000

Interactive library and Farm – web design and development: $4000

General operating expenses – $200/week (8 weeks)

Photo exhibit: 24 x 30 prints and mounting $200 each/ 15 prints

What else is new?

• If you haven’t seen it already, we have added a press page with links to some recent articles about The Iraqi Seed Project. Check it out here.

• Have you ever wanted a handmade tribal rug?  If so, now is the time to get one!  During the months of December and January, The Magic Carpet Cultural Center is donating 20% of their sales to The Iraqi Seed Project.  Contact them for details: magiccarpetproject@yahoo.com

• We decided to delve into the world of self-publishing, and made a calendar of farming in the Fertile Crescent… Order your 2011 Calendars today!

• Want to host a fundraising event to support our efforts? Info is below.

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The Iraqi Seed Project needs you to help promote healthy agriculture in Iraq!
In June we traveled to Iraq for our first filming trip, now we are working to share the material we gathered with farmers, food activists, students, writers and environmentalists to create an open dialogue about growing sustainable agricultural infrastructure in Iraq.

This winter filmmaker Emma Piper-Burket is traveling with photographs, clips of her film (still in production), and a notebook to share her experiences in Iraq, exchange ideas about fostering an interest in organic and sustainable agriculture in Iraq, and raise completion funds for The Iraqi Seed Project.

Project Background:
Until the First Gulf War, agriculture employed 30% of Iraq’s population; today the country cannot feed itself and imports the majority of its food supply. The region’s agricultural history spans thousands of years, but after years of war and sanctions, what is left of this legacy for modern day farmers? As foreign aid and ideologies flood the country amidst the reconstruction, it is important to take a moment and listen to the voice of local farmers; what can we learn from them and their history?

With an aging population, dwindling numbers, and difficulties competing in a global economy, small-scale farmers across the world are experiencing similar hardships. The Iraqi Seed Project starts where agriculture began, but speaks to far reaching issues affecting farmers and farmland worldwide.
The Iraqi Seed Project tells the story of Iraqi and Kurdish farmers through a collection of documentary films and a multi-media website, which acts as an educational resource and meeting point to discuss and celebrate the rich agricultural heritage of Mesopotamia.  This project is still in production; we are seeking community partners and funds to edit the film and build an interactive library and virtual farm onto the Iraqi Seed Project website.

For a list of current funding goals, please visit: http://iraqiseedproject.com/donate/

Time slipped through my fingers this Fall, and seeing how it’s now December, an update is long overdue! So here it is… The next few posts will contain tales from the past months, and a glimpse into what’s in store…

Warm Welcome in Lancaster

At the end of September The Iraqi Seed Project made it’s first public appearance, I traveled to Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to be part of their Environmental Speaker Series.  I visited Sarah Dawson’s Environment & Society class- they had been talking about issues of food sovereignty so we talked a lot about Kurdistan’s efforts to become self-sufficient in food production, and I also gave a lecture at night showing some video clips and a 15 minute rough cut of the first film I’ve been working on.

My time in Lancaster was about much more than presenting my work in Iraq, the students and Faculty at F&M also generously introduced me to the rich agrarian traditions of Lancaster county.  As soon as I got off the train, Linda Aleci a professor at F & M who helped arrange my visit, and Doug Thomas, an alum of F & M and local market manager, took me to visit Doug’s other project: The Alley Garden. What had been an abandoned lot in a back alley, was transformed by Doug and a host of community volunteers into a lovely urban farm. It was part food-source and part educational project, and a very inspirational use of space. 

Next we went to the Lime Valley Mill, where we met Dale and Allyson Brian who run the farm and take care of the historic Mill.  Dale talked a lot about the importance of taking care of our land and soil, a sentiment that farmers in Iraq expressed frequently as well. That night F&M’s Center For Liberal Arts and Society hosted a delicious dinner at John Jeffries a restaurant that sources ingredients from local farms. The food, company and conversation was truly inspirational.

The next day, between the class and evening lecture I got to spend time with some incredible F&M students, visit the Dirt Army’s student farm, and go to Lancaster’s historic Eastern Market.  At the market, I found a lot of exciting things, like goat’s milk fudge, an herbal medicine CSA, and fresh lima beans. After the talk The Joseph International Center hosted a dinner for us. The whole visit was great and I am so thankful to everyone who made it possible.

Some websites to visit from friends (new and old) and newly discovered locales in Lancaster:

Objects Buildings Situations • The Dirt Army Blog • Natural Light Films • Alley Garden • Lime Valley Mill • Lancaster Buy Fresh Buy Local • Eastern Market