Metro-Detroit encompasses the city of Detroit and Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. This land, known as Waawiiyaatanong, is the ancestral land of the Anishinaabe, Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwa, Odawa, Potawatomi and the land of the Wyandot nation. During the seed-swapping event, I was inspired to think about this land we call home and the pre-existing relationships the Indigenous people had and continue to have with this land before we arrived here.   

Seed Sustainability Puts Amanah in Action

Afeefeh S., a co-founder of MetroSwaps, is a Lebanese American woman who has been dedicating her time to propagating the importance of sustainability within her community in Dearborn and connecting with the diverse communities within Detroit. Implementing Islamic principles of Amanah, or stewardship, of the land, the event attracted local gardening enthusiasts and hobbyists, offering activity tables where participants could paint rocks or planters.

The guidelines for the overall event were simple: attendees were asked to bring vegetable seeds, fruit seeds, or mushroom spores, avoid GMO varieties and ensure seeds were properly labelled. Among the participants at the event were the Iraqi Seed Collective, committed to preserving Iraqi culture and safeguarding the genetic heritage of crops through heirloom seeds, and Dearborn Public Library’s Seed Library. 

In Michigan, the Seed Library Network exists to map out the Seed Libraries in the state. Seed-saving, integral to Food Sovereignty, is the process of saving seeds from one harvest for future harvest. This allows the farmer seed sovereignty, or the right to save, use, exchange and sell his or her own seeds. This practice has been done historically by Black and Indigenous people in the U.S. persevering their heritages. 

Read More: Seeds of Resilience in Palestinian Agriculture

Al-Hadiqa is committed to continuing the stories behind the seeds gifted by local community members by archiving their stories in an oral history project. Established in 2023 and aimed to embody the Arab American experience, Al-Hadiqa collaborated closely with the East Dearborn community and Garden Juju Collective to craft the garden’s design and narrative tales. Fatima Al-Rasool, Public Programming Coordinator at AANM, notes that many of the residents have brought seeds from their home countries, including zaatar seeds from Lebanon, tomato seeds from Iraq, and pea seeds from Syria. 

Metro-Detroit: An Automotive Hub and Cultural Epicenter

The urgency of the climate crisis has prompted many to commit to community organizing and communication. To understand Metro-Detroit’s environmental connection and cultural identity, one must view its industrial heritage using the lens of the automotive industry. The availability of manufacturing jobs at companies like Ford, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler drew waves of immigrants and migrants to the region over decades in the early 20th century. The impact of racist practices such as redlining and white flight deeply shaped the economic and demographic landscapes of Metro-Detroit, while also leaving behind an environmental footprint that continues to harm the region.

The industrial legacy extends to nearby Dearborn, home to the Ford Motor Company’s headquarters, where the effects of industrialization are still felt through iron, steel and oil refining pollution sources. This results in emissions of toxic chemicals. These pollutants contribute to the elevated rates of respiratory issues in the area. Being one of the most diverse regions in the U.S., Southeastern Michigan faces impacts stemming from the ongoing climate crisis, ranging from issues like floods and food injustice to poor air quality.

Dearborn, neighbouring the Majority African American city of Detroit, has a significant Arab population tracing their heritage across the Arab world, with the majority being from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Despite the decline of the industry, the varied workforce it drew in has left a permanent impact on the cultural landscapes of Metro-Detroit. These detrimental conditions feed into the need for sustainability initiatives like MetroSwaps.

Ramadan & Cultivating Sustainability

The rooted connection that seeds embody is integral to a people who are connected to a land even when uprooted and displaced. Seeds are dispersed by either natural mechanisms or by human activities. However, they can flourish only if given the right conditions. By holding community events that teach sustainability during the month of Ramadan, we gather at a sacred time to reclaim our ancestral practices of seed-saving embedded in the Islamic teachings of land stewardship. 

By preserving the rich ancestral practice of seed-saving dominant across indigenous cultures, the diverse community of Metro-Detroit is passing on the information and stories enclosed in seeds to the next generation. As Fatima says “[…]We are in Michigan, and being here impacts our identities”. Our presence on this land impacts many of our cultures and identities. We are not stagnant, but instead malleable, and in this constant change we must be stewards of this land.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Muslim Climate Watch’s editorial stance.

The post Seed-Saving and Community Initiatives Connect Cultures in Metro-Detroit appeared first on Muslim Climate Watch.

In this episode of Muslim Climate Narratives, Mayssem Marzouki takes us to her homeland of Tunisia to offer sustainable solutions to farming amidst an ecological and climate crisis made worse by the harms of commercial farming. Her organization, Students for Earth, is on a mission to foster climate-rooted resilience within communities. Through their work with local seeds in Tunisia, they aim to contribute to sustainable agriculture and combat the impacts of climate change.

Founded in September 2021, Students for Earth is a dynamic youth-led initiative with a mission to cultivate environmental awareness, advocacy, and sustainable action. They firmly believe in the power of proactive youth involvement to address pressing environmental challenges. Their organization goes beyond traditional awareness campaigns, actively participating in environmental hackathons, pursuing grants, and implementing green initiatives for tangible, real-world impact. Students for Earth, led by Mayssem, is committed to a hands-on approach, encouraging youth-led solutions that emphasize practical, impactful advocacy.

Read More: EP 2: Tunisia Fights Multiple Impacts of Climate Change

In conversing with us, Students for Earth invites passionate individuals wanting to make a difference to join their mission: 

About Muslim Climate Narratives

Muslim Climate Narratives is a visual storytelling project of Muslim Climate Watch, where we share compelling stories of Muslims around the world as they navigate life amidst climate change.

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The post Seeds of Resilience In Tunisia appeared first on Muslim Climate Watch.