New Farms for New Americans
Founded to provide refugees and immigrants with the resources to grow food from their native countries.
Since 1989 6,300 refugees have settled in Vermont.
NFNA oversees a community garden with subsistence size plots of land. These plots help farmers feed their families and live a more food secure life. NFNA provides education and trainings for farmers who are new to this climate. NFNA's farmers have long agrarian traditions that include organic practices, food preservation and seed saving. Cross cultural agrarian learning and sharing is an essential component of the program. NFNA participants have so much to teach and share with the Vermont agricultural community--from new crops to different ways of havesting and preserving their produce.
Meet Indra Khadka, from Bhutan
Meet Abdi Abdi, one of our farmers
Learn more about NFNA through these videos:
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"Starting a New Tradition" WCAX
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"Across the Fence" Rice Harvest
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"Across the Fence" Global Food, Local Food”
Educational Videos for New Americans:
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"Introduction to USDA" (Kirundi and English)
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New American Gardening Videos: Tips on Farming and Gardening in Vermont (Dubbed into Mai Mai, Nepali, Kirundi, French and Burmese)
New Farms for New Americans Press & Educational Materials
- Abdi Abdi
I started farming in the same year I landed in the U.S and have been doing it since.
This is the seventh year that I have been farming in the U.S. It took a very long time for me to learn [how to adapt my growing techniques for Vermont’s climate] because it is totally a different temperature. We used to plant anything at any time in Bhutan because the temperature was not as cold. Here, we have to know what temperature, how hot or how cold, the seeds can tolerate.
If I could everything within my family, everyone in my house, I will have around 20 or 22. I feel very happy if I get the change to feed all of my family and all of my relatives I teach my whole family. I save a lot of seeds and give them to my family. Also, I explain how and when to plant and how to prepare the base. I teach my whole family how to grow the vegetables and I explain to them which are good in traditional ways and which are good for health. I really do enjoy working in the field. I love my field. I will keep farming.
- Indra Khadka
Educational Materials for New Americans
About the program
Press
"NFNA feeds the hunger for foods from back home"-- Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist
"Starting a New Tradition" WCAX
"Across the Fence" Rice Harvest
"Paying it Forward"--Edible Green Mountains
"Gardeners raise hard-to-find vegetables in Vermont"--Burlington Free Press
"Bhutanese Refugees, Prove You Can Harvest Rice, in Vermont"--Public Radio International
"New Farms for New Americans in Vermont"--USDA Blog
"New to America, Old Hands at Agriculture"-- Local Banquet
"Seeking Respite, Global Refugees Resettle in Vermont"--U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants
Our facebook page is very active, join us!
We worked with UVM to create a booklet we're very proud of, "Global Food, Local Food: Guide to Growing, Harvesting & Preserving African & Asian Crops in the Northeast".
Learn more about the book here or email Alisha to buy a physical copy. 100% of all proceeds are used to support farmers through the purchase of seeds and tools.
Support NFNA Farmers by Donating:
$30
$60
$110
Sponsor a gardener by providing:
Seeds for the season.
Sponsor a gardener by providing:
Seeds and a grub hoe.
Sponsor a gardener by providing:
Seeds, a grub hoe & compost.
Find NFNA Graduates Selling Produce and Prepared Food at:
Old North End Farmers Market
Winooski Farmers' Market
UVM Farmers' Market
City Market
Stone Soup
Namaste Market
Good Luck Market
Thank you to our:
Sponsors: Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Growald Foundation, Powell Family Foundation
Partners: UVM Extension, Burlington Area Community Gardens, Vermont Community Garden Network, Winooski Valley Park District, and the Intervale Center