A community initiative launched in March 2026 on the outskirts of Jaramana (a town in rural Damascus) has begun restoring local and indigenous seed varieties that nearly disappeared during Syria's prolonged conflict, which shrank the country's rural population by half between 2011 and 2016 and devastated irrigation systems and farmland. The "Solidarity Fields in Jaramana" project, rooted in a cooperative farming model originally established by Syrian refugees in Greece, has allocated roughly 75 acres to cultivate seedlings from locally sourced seeds, with harvests to be distributed in ways that ensure the ongoing availability of authentic varieties. Organisers say reviving indigenous seeds — which are naturally adapted to local climates and carry broad genetic diversity — is a critical step toward food security and reduced dependence on imported seeds and chemical inputs in a country still rebuilding from war.