Yousef's Garden
Free Seedling Project

INSPIRED BY FARMER YOUSEF ABU RABEE

This project was launched in loving memory of Yousef Abu Rabee, a young farmer in Gaza who truly embodied food sovereignty as he fed his community. Despite living through genocide, food apartheid and occupation, Yousef brought together 20 farmers in his region to distribute food and seedlings, and teach their neighbors how to grow food in containers, rooftops, anywhere they could. Seedling distribution was just one of many initiatives Yousef launched to get food and water to his community. After Yousef was martryed by the Israeli Occupation in a targeted attack in the fall of 2024, we were moved to take Yousef's invitation to share food and knowledge with our community and launched Yousef's Garden: A Free Seedling Project. With the blessings of Yousef's family and Arduna, the Palestinian Food Sovereignty Project that they created in his honor, we're excited to begin the second year of this initiative. 

Read more about Yousef and the legacy work that continues today. Please consider contributing to this critical work and note that the fundraiser linked is the only campaign endorsed by Yousef's family.

Project goals

 Over the course of the 2026 Spring Season, the Free Seedling project aims to:

• Grow and distribute 10,000+ seedlings throughout VT & NH in order to increase access to healthy, fresh food

• Partner with and support communities with limited access to fresh, organic food, garden starts, and growing space

• Provide pots for container gardening, along with multilingual infographics covering gardening basics

• Center our partnerships with BIPOC-led groups and organizations in support of increased equity and food sovereignty

This free seedling project is rooted in our belief that everyone deserves access to fresh, healthful food. We recognize that agriculture in this country was built on a foundation of stolen land and the labor of people who were enslaved, oppressed and exploited. We recognize that systemic inequities have shaped access to land, food, and resources, and this is one small, tangible way we can work toward change within our sphere.

As part of our farm’s commitment to supporting equity and sovereignty in our food and farming systems, we offer these seedlings freely to help nurture community resilience and autonomy, and aim to center our partnerships with BIPOC-led groups and organizations.

In 2025, our incredible community helped us share over 10,000 seedlings! Grow food everywhere!