(bright music) - [Lillian] Well one of the things that I really appreciate about the Hmong farmers is there is a sense of persevering.

You know you've come to United States as refugees and you make it work.

Whether it's soil amendment or whether it's adjusting your life.

And it may not necessarily be what you've expected or the way you planned it to be but you just have to evolve along the way, adaptability.

- [Naima] In order for us to consume a healthy food, we have to make sure we know where it's coming from.

As a child back home in Somalia, we were growers.

I mean a lot of our food came from our garden.

We would get our bread from our neighbor, you know, transitioning from our native country that communal connection to food, it doesn't exist.

I really want to bring that back to my community.

- [Lillian] I'm Lillian Hay and I'm a farmer.

Farming has always been something quite important to us as Hmong immigrants or Hmong refugees.

Farming is what my parents have known and they did back in Laos.

So its' that one skill that they brought to the United States.

It's a continuation of mom and dad's culture, our culture but it's also something for us to sustain ourself.

- [Naima] My name is Naima Dhore, I am a farmer, a mother.

I am the owner of Naima's Farm and the Executive Director for Somali American Farmers Association.

I've been farming with my family since 2016.

It was all accidental, mainly it was just for me to grow food for my child, my first born.

And so growing a lot of micro greens and herbs and eventually it transitioned to a community garden and we got excited at the possibility and how much we can grow a lot of our produce.

- [Lillian] So we grow a wide variety of vegetables.

So we do your traditional Southeast Asian food.

So the chicken herb, the mustard green, you do the chili peppers.

So half of it is growing what we eat on a regular basis and the other half is growing for the farmer's market based on what the customer's demands are.

- [Naima] So I'm collaborating with the University of Minnesota to trial some leafy greens.

And the goal is really to see how much of the crops that are native to Somalia that I can grow here in the state and market it to the community.

- It's beautiful to see that a lot of the vegetables that I grew up eating that they have access to that literally to their front doors.

- Now, when we start the planting season, Dahia, she does a blessing to all the ancestors and the spirit and to the soul of the farm.

It's just a way for us just to kind of acknowledge that we're not just here, we're here along with all of these spirits and nature and having, really having that balance.

- [Naima] When it comes to a grower and someone who will take care of the land and honoring the land, we're not supposed to be taking.

And if you do take, you have to give back.

I always order extra seeds beyond me consuming my family and my community and my people, but also the animals.

So that's the responsibility that as a farmer that I have to continue to practice.

Particularly here in Minnesota, because of we're so far and removed from our country there's a lot of healing that needs to be done.

And so for the garden at Horn Towers, it's really to slow things down and allow the elders to come out of their units and really just to get their hands dirty.

The goal is for them to remember how they used to grow food and how they use to farm.

They're able to showcase their skills, their wisdom and their knowledge, and I've gained so much and we just started.

- [Lillian] Yeah, definitely see with the parents, they come to the farm because it is what they know and it's there where they can say, hey this is what I know.

This is what I can offer to my family.

This is what I can offer back to community.

And there really is a mental health piece of it where I have a role in this world.

I have a role in this life.

- We're very communal people.

So we tend to share an exchange, and share a lot of food and mainly just sharing stories too.

I think that is the most impactful thing, especially for the young ones to witness that and see that.

- Kids are born in the United States are your typical American kid.

And I really do hope that when they come to the farm, they see that mom and dad's hard work.

I think it's something special that the grandkids get to spend this much time with the grandparents and not just like formally chat with each other, but really helping them along the way.

- I and my two boys, they understand the process, you know.

Putting the seed in their hand and allowing them to put it in the ground and they see what it takes for that end product.

So I, I think it helps them understand hard work and what it takes, not just to be a farmer, but the business aspect that goes into the work.

- [Lillian] I hope that as Asha and Jufu grew up, they really will look back at this time and go you know, those were some kind of really, really great experiences that shaped who they become as adults.

And whether that's just connected to the Hmong culture, connected to the Hmong stories or just connected to their Hmong grandparents.

- [Naiam] The interesting thing about the community regarding is it crates relationship and, and truly it gives my work a meaning and it just allows me to grow and continue the work that I'm doing.

(bright upbeat music)