#plantitforward

Houston, Texas is often thought of as a city built by oil tycoons, expansion concrete, and in need of desperate amount of work to turn it into a welcoming and worthwhile place. Sadly, such assumptions are not too far off.

The city is home to war criminals (George Bush and Co.), oil tyrants, and a hell of a lot of heat. However, in all that is seemingly bankrupt riches are found when intention is present- not monies, but folks who are working to build a new way/world.

This sentiment proved true as we (gratefully) sheltered ourselves in Houston with family. Tired from the road and needing to take a few slow days, the privilege of housing and comfort enveloped us. There was, as you'll notice, becoming a theme, a desire to continue our documentation project. We spent a day searching for some type of project or peoples doing food justice work, and luckily, amongst the concrete, Plant it Forward emerged.

Plant It Forward is an organization which "provides Houston with fresh, local produce by helping refugees grow their own urban farm businesses." After we successfully got in touch with a worker at Plant it Forward, we ventured out to one of the three urban farm locations in Houston. 

The program requires that “each farmer must have had prior farming experience, usually in their home countries and must complete a rigorous 12 month training program to be certified as a Plant It Forward farmer. At the successful completion of the program, each farmer receives a mentor and an urban micro-farm to grow and sell their own produce under the Plant It Forward brand.“

The farm was situated in a high traffic urban area, adjacent to its affiliated church which sat across the corner of the busy road. The plots were vibrant hues of every green imaginable and were in full bloom. Houston had its benefits; winter never fully rears its head so far south.

 We were greeted warmly by a younger gentleman pushing around a wheelbarrow in a soft French dialect.  A few years of French classes in high school allowed a brief conversation to ensue which led us to being directed to Edith (pronounced E-deet) who enthusiastically and graciously granted us his valuable time to answer a few of our burning questions.

Edith is originally from the Congo, and sought refuge during a war in his homeland in Gabon where he then worked a farm for ten years.

Edith was a tall, soft spoken soul excited to share his passion and past as a farmer. He spoke of his time earning capital in the Congo selling fertilizers to farmers in his community.

“I was a student at a university when the war start. I left the capitol where I was born. Every morning people were coming to our apartment to ask for fertilizer. I asked my mom why people come to ask, your brother was selling it. Now people come to buy it. “

Realizing there was an opportunity from his brother’s business; Edith sold fertilizer for several years after he had been forced to leave school because of war.

“I can bring it to you and you can get more money. I buy four bags (fertilizer) for 100lbs and two hundred dollar and I sell that, and get more money. Here we learn how to make compost. When I go back home I think I will not use fertilizer again.”

Edith stood tall and proud of the crops he was cultivating as he momentarily took time to talk with us. He seemed to be used to the attention from folks wanting to hear his story.

“Tomorrow I’ll become a big farmer. I need documentation of it.”

His attitude was playful, sincere, and passionate. When asked why farming mattered so much to Edith, aside from that he has been doing for a good portion of his life, Edith responded:

“I enjoy it because, that you start to make the seed, get it wet, and starts to become a plant that starts to be passion. That appeals to me.”

 Edith has been with Plant it Forward for over 6 years, he had been a manager, but now operates his own large plot of land and helps other refugees in the program transition in.

Edith’s role as someone who can help other refugees is vital. Plant it Forward gives an opportunity for folks who farmed in their home countries to farm Houston as a livelihood. Edith’s role is vital because he was once a stranger to the states, and he seems to take great pride in helping other refugees root themselves in many ways in Houston.

His circumstance is not rare. Houston is the #1 refugee resettlement destination in the United States. Meaning an average of 2,500 refugees a year resettle in Houston. Since 1976 Houston has taken in over 75,000 refugees. Plant it Forward’s work cannot be overlooked, offering opportunity to folks who have migrated due to strife and circumstances in their home country and beyond and supporting folks with an outlet for their passion and past experience.

This leads to expanding our understanding of what food justice work could be/is. Aside from food justice being what it is commonly referenced as a theory related to access, human/ecological health, and land rights. Perhaps, it means food justice work can also look like a way of embracing refugees/folks migrating.

At an ever increasing rate, the idea of refugees is expanding as our climate continues to change. Let’s also get something right. Humans migrate. No. All living beings migrate. From windblown seeds to humans displaced because of world trade policies, state sanctioned genocides and displacement of groups of people, and not to even begin to compare prior evidence but to merely have a well understanding of migrations- to wanting to move out of your suburban subdivision to another state or country.

Can well paid sustainable ag jobs or land transfers at large scales to incoming refugees due to climate and war help soften the blow for both existing communities and incoming folks? Plant It Forward seems to be at the least evidence of it working a little bit. 

After talking to Edith we had wandered further down the rows which lead us to a sweet natured woman named Eloise. She was tilling and planting her first bed. At first she refused to have her photo taken but later acquiesced our request only insisting that we capture her planting her seeds. She too was a refugee. However, a language barrier made it difficult for us to converse much. Although not much was needed to be said as we were inspired by her planted beds and warming smiling. She too seemed full of courage and excitement as she was new to the program and the states. Planting seeds and rooting her work in numerous ways it seemed.

As we continued to slow everyone’s work pace down, we moved even further down the farm where we met a woman named Christine, who shared similar stories to our previous friends. Again, we were awestruck by their agricultural work and their motivation in such heat and a fairly unkind surrounding environment. Christine had been with Plant It Forward for several years and had multiple producing beds that cradled Kale, Broccoli and other lush veggies. We admired her hard work, “c’est jolie” we said and shared a comfortable laugh together. We exchanged pleasant goodbyes in French and wrapped up our time at Plant It Forward.

Unfortunately the stories of the farmers of Plant it Forward are indeed much to extension, barred by language and time we could merely chit chat and begin to scrape the top off of a rich, knowledgeable group of folks. The pictures we captured speak loudly of the farm and refugees working the land. Maybe it’s time to move the conversation forward in relation to that. If you want to know more please peruse these links below:

Plant It Forward

A rad statement by folks who do migrant refugee work in Montreal, Canada Status For All!

World Refugee Day