Somali Bantu Community Farm
Donation protected
We did it! We reached our goal of obtaining more than 10 acres of land! The Somali Bantu Community Garden at Providence Farm is now officially the Somali Bantu Community Farm.
On July 16, we began harvesting our crops, filling bags, buckets, baskets – anything we could find – with zucchini, yellow squash, Swiss chard, lettuces, spinach, amaranth and peas. We have harvested our gardens every week since, filling the backs of minivans and the trunks of cars with vegetables and fruits – tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, beans, sweet peppers, hot peppers, herbs, watermelon, apples, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, okra – for the 250 Somali Bantu families of Western New York.
Next summer, in addition to providing fresh produce for the Somali Bantu community, we will take the produce back to the city to sell, at an affordable price, to other refugees and immigrants on the West Side of Buffalo. Although the farm is not yet earning income, we are earning important funds that, along with donations, have helped us cover our start-up costs.
We continue to need your help as we grow. Next year’s Somali Bantu Community Farm will be twice as large as this year’s garden. Presently, we are in the planning stages for next year’s fields, planning cover crops, learning about soil remediation, and looking at overall costs of equipment, fertilizer, and seeds. One of our fields will include amaranth, which we will grow for both its greens and its grain. This ancient grain is an excellent source of plant protein. Harvesting amaranth grain will require some additional equipment, however, such as a thresher. Moreover, 10 acres of land to farm requires a tractor with a tiller, spreader, and cultivator, at the very least. Until we own this equipment, we need to pay others to do this work for us.
Please help us continue to spread the word about the Somali Bantu Community Farm and its success. We are in need of monetary donations, as well as in-kind donations and volunteers. September 3 will mark the 3-month anniversary of this project. In just 3 months time, we planted a garden and fed hundreds of people – in large part due to the generosity of people like you. Thank you!
Gwen Beiter Warren and Kristin Heltman-Weiss
Friends of the Somali Bantu Community Farm
On July 16, we began harvesting our crops, filling bags, buckets, baskets – anything we could find – with zucchini, yellow squash, Swiss chard, lettuces, spinach, amaranth and peas. We have harvested our gardens every week since, filling the backs of minivans and the trunks of cars with vegetables and fruits – tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, beans, sweet peppers, hot peppers, herbs, watermelon, apples, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, okra – for the 250 Somali Bantu families of Western New York.
Next summer, in addition to providing fresh produce for the Somali Bantu community, we will take the produce back to the city to sell, at an affordable price, to other refugees and immigrants on the West Side of Buffalo. Although the farm is not yet earning income, we are earning important funds that, along with donations, have helped us cover our start-up costs.
We continue to need your help as we grow. Next year’s Somali Bantu Community Farm will be twice as large as this year’s garden. Presently, we are in the planning stages for next year’s fields, planning cover crops, learning about soil remediation, and looking at overall costs of equipment, fertilizer, and seeds. One of our fields will include amaranth, which we will grow for both its greens and its grain. This ancient grain is an excellent source of plant protein. Harvesting amaranth grain will require some additional equipment, however, such as a thresher. Moreover, 10 acres of land to farm requires a tractor with a tiller, spreader, and cultivator, at the very least. Until we own this equipment, we need to pay others to do this work for us.
Please help us continue to spread the word about the Somali Bantu Community Farm and its success. We are in need of monetary donations, as well as in-kind donations and volunteers. September 3 will mark the 3-month anniversary of this project. In just 3 months time, we planted a garden and fed hundreds of people – in large part due to the generosity of people like you. Thank you!
Gwen Beiter Warren and Kristin Heltman-Weiss
Friends of the Somali Bantu Community Farm
Organizer
Gwen Beiter Warren
Organizer
East Aurora, NY