IN THIS ISSUE: Celebrating new farmers and gardeners

Abstract

First paragraphs:

In this issue, we celebrate the extraordinary contributions that new farmers and gardeners make to their host communities. Immigrant farmers and gardeners, military vet farmers, young BIPOC farmers … all are increasingly joining the ranks of our food producers. While not enough to replace the loss of traditional farmers, USDA funding to support NGOs and CBOs that are providing land access, technical assistance, and farm incubation services appears to be fostering a new generation of farm and garden practitioners who are putting their shoulders to the wheel of food justice and food sovereignty in the U.S.

On our cover is Dhan Maya Subba, a participant in the New Farms for New Americans’ agriculture and education program for refugees (photo by Alisha Laramee, Program Manager, NFNA). Subba is one of nearly 100 families originally from homes in Asia and Africa who participate in the program to grow food to feed their families. NFNA, a program of the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, helps families who have been resettled in northern New England to access land, continue their agricultural traditions, and grow cultur­ally significant crops. More details about NFNA can be gleaned from Nepali Bhutanese refugee gardeners and their seed systems: Placemaking and foodways in Vermont by Junru Guo, Daniel Tobin, and Teresa Mares (all at the Uni­versity of Vermont) in this issue. . . .