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Shoshan Haran | |
|---|---|
שושן הרן | |
| Born | Shoshan Havron |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Faculty of Agriculture (BSc and PhD); Rutgers (Post-doc) |
| Occupation | President of Fair Planet |
| Organization | Fair Planet |
| Known for | Founding Fair Planet NPO; taken hostage by Hamas |
| Spouse | Avshalom Haran |
| Father | Abraham Havron |
Shoshan Haran is an Israeli agronomist and the founder and president of the Fair Planet NPO. [1] Born and raised in Kibbutz Be'eri, she studied for a BA in plant protection at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel. After working in the field in the kibbutz itself she returned to the faculty and worked on a direct path to a Ph.D. under the supervision of Ilan Chet. She then continued to postdoctoral degree at Rutgers University NJ with the help of a Fulbright scholarship and a BARD scholarship.
After returning to Israel, she worked for 11 years at Hazera Seeds ltd. , a subsidiary of the Limagrain Group, which specializes in the cultivation of vegetable varieties. Her work in the seeds industry, along with her travels around the world have motivated her to found Fair Planet NPO, [2] which aims to improve the harvest and livelihood of smallholder African farmers by providing them access to professional high quality seed varieties. [3] [4]
Haran is one of around 200 civilians that were kidnapped by Hamas militants into the Gaza Strip on October 7 2023. Along with her, Hamas abducted eight other family members, murdered her husband Avshalom and brother-in-law Eviatar Kipnis, and detonated their house. [5] She was later released as part of an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. [6] After her release she joined the advisory council of Hostage Aid Worldwide, a non-profit NGO dedicated to the release of hostages globally and prevention of acts of hostage taking. [7]