Having overcome violence and hatred on two continents, the four Somali Bantu farmers of the New Roots Cooperative Farm weren’t sure they’d make it through a third trial by fire. But then a fourth social upheaval lifted them up.
[...]
“As time progressed, we started to do some fundraising, and then the Black Lives Movement happened, and many people started looking at us as if they needed to support us,” Hassan said. “Many people donated, and many people signed up.”
New Roots’ primary source of revenue has been its community supported agriculture (CSA) program, by which customers purchase shares to receive fresh produce from the farm weekly. In past years, New Roots averaged about 100 CSA shares. This year, they’ve doubled that. Suddenly, rather than scrambling to figure out how their farm will survive in this pandemic-stricken economy, New Roots is grappling with explosive growth.
Add new comment