A campaign to introduce the importance of date palms to children was held in Al Khoudh in the Wilayat of Al Seeb on Thursday.
The date palm, knowledge, skills, traditions and practices have played a pivotal role in strengthening the connection between people and the land in the Arab region, helping them face the challenges of the harsh desert environment.
This historic relationship in the region and the element has produced a rich cultural heritage of related practices between people in the region, knowledge and skills maintained to this day. The cultural relevance and proliferation of the element over the centuries prove how committed the local communities are to sustaining it; this is achieved through collective participation in multiple date-palm related activities and numerous festive rituals, traditions and customs.
The aim of the campaign organised by the local mosque committee was to educate young people about the heritage of their ancestors by training school students on how to grow palms and harvest dates.
One of the organisers said the campaign is part of a series of summer vacation programmes for students of state schools to introduce to types of date palm varieties.
He said the initiative attracted large number of students who study in grades five to eleven.
One of the trainers said the season of dates palm harvesting is an opportunity to teach young people how to plant palms, methods of irrigation, use of organic fertilisers, weed management, and the tools used in harvesting.
The student Anas al Mayahi, who studies in the seventh grade, praised the training he got as it touched all stages of cultivation from planting saplings to climbing to harvesting dates. He said learning date cultivation is important, as it is valuable heritage passed down from generation to generation.
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