I am the General Director of the Ma'an Development Center based in Ramallah, Palestine. I have always been passionate about permaculture and sustainable agriculture as critical for both local and national development, and as a means of community empowerment/health and resistance to occupation. In 2012, my organization established the Ma'an Permaculture Center as a training/demonstration site serving local Palestinian students, farmers, and the general public. As local food security is increasingly compromised by urban development trends, land regulations, and limits to market access, the use of heavy pesticides and monocropping is commonplace. MPC strives to adapt and educate about sustainable alternatives, recognizing the long term benefits of permaculture techniques in coping with emerging crises such as parched lands, declining crop yields, and chemical hazards public health.