RIGHT & OPPOSITE: THE TEXAS REFUGEE
COLLECTIVE HAS RESETTLED MORE THAN 44,000 REFUGEES COMING FROM MYANMAR, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, AND AFGHANISTAN. THEY’RE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE EARNING INCOME AND GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW WHAT IS FAMILIAR TO THEM.
After the ARPA funding runs out, they’ll connect Community Farmers to sales partners like Farmshare Austin, which reaches folks who live in food deserts and accepts SNAP. “This will help build familiarity with the business side of farming, which is currently taught in the [training] course but not explicitly practiced,” Simon says. In August, Esther and Abraham Cing graduated from the program alongside 16 others. Most chose to continue on with community garden- ing plots to feed their families. But the Cings have more ambitious plans to start their own agricultural enter- prise. They’re participating in RCF’s pilot Business Incubator program to learn additional skills, like planting in succession for a consistent supply and post-harvest handling techniques to keep produce as fresh as possible. They’ve already planted their first crop in a small field at the front of the farm: roselle.
OR THE PAST TWO YEARS, the Refugee Collective has purchased the crops produced by Community Farmers with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and given them to refugees in need. Along with CSA shares donated from the farm’s fields, the nonprofit has provided 32,700 pounds of fresh produce free of charge to some 4,500 refugees in the Austin area — most newly arrived, and 34% of whom live at or below the poverty level. Simon says this helps fill the gaps in dietary needs left by what food banks can offer, helping refugees enjoy healthy fruits and vegetables while they await benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is severely backlogged in Texas.
Farm team members also bring unique horticultural practices and knowledge rooted in their respective cultures. A few years ago, Simon asked a couple of farmworkers to weed a bed of greens, and when he returned, he noticed they had left behind a tall, straggly plant. When asked why, they told him it was lamb’s-quarters — not only edible but tasty and nutrient- dense, too. According to Simon, there’s more interplanting — like growing squash, beans, and corn with potatoes, or daikon radish alongside other fall brassica crops, such as broccoli and cabbage — than you might see at a typical operation.
The Refugee Collective Farm employs six refugees full-time and another three during the roselle harvest. Since many refugees lack transportation, the organization provides rides to and from work. It also offers biweekly English classes on the clock. “We’ve found that elderly refugees particularly appreciate it, because they just don’t have that many other opportunities,” Simon says. Out of a desire to help even more refugees earn supplemental incomes, RCF started its Community Farmer training program two years ago, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program. Participants — including Cing and her husband, Abraham — get 24 hours of production-scale agricultural training, plus 75 square feet of earth and all the seeds, compost, and tools to go with it.
The farmers cultivate the same varieties of produce they cooked with in their home countries. Simon says that Congolese workers favor bitter, green eggplants called gboma, while workers from Bhutan grow hot Dalle Khursani peppers, which they combine with mustard greens to make a hearty fermented dish called gundruk. This cultural consideration extends to the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. “We’ve actually been able to tailor an Afghan CSA, where we don’t give them the stuff that they would throw away,” Simon says, explaining that many Afghans prefer fresh greens for salads, while Congolese people generally favor greens they can cook, like amaranth and callaloo.
Visit THEREFUGEECOLLECTIVE.ORG to learn more.
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ISSUE 02
SEEDS OF SANCTUARY
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