Passion to farm
A vegetable growing initiative set up by local property owners Vicki and Rowan Jones is giving members of the African-Australian community a chance to work the land.
Queyea Tuazama (left) and Thuch Ajak, have joined together in the project growing vegetables on a small donated parcel of land at Longwarry North.
Some members of the African-Australian community in greater Melbourne’s east are back working land, something that was commonplace for them in their homelands.
They’ve established a vegetable garden on a small one-acre parcel of land provided them for free under an innovative program by Sustain Australia Food Network and funded by the state government. The land is owned by Vicki and Rowan Jones.
The produce they’ve grown since they began the “farm” earlier this year has mainly been shared among the African-Australian community.
Volunteers travel to Longwarry North three times a week to work the garden.
Current plantings are domestic crops as the weather becomes cooler but warmer conditions will see many crops favoured by African communities.
Queyea Tuazama came to Australia from Liberia 14 years ago as a refugee and said her family had been farmers – parents and grandparents.
But it wasn’t until she went into a refugee camp that she really learnt to grow good.
We had to, there was no money to buy things, she said.
Thuch Ajak, a migrant four years ago from South Sudan, had obtained a Bachelor in Agriculture in his home country and specialised in biosecurity.
But the qualification was not accepted here and he was unable to find work in the field.
As well as helping tend the crops at Longwarry North he is also leasing one acre of land to try out growing some African crops and also volunteers at a community garden in Brunswick.
He said people originally from about nine African countries are involved in the “community” that has joined forces to grow vegetables and other crops.
The age group in the farming community is widespread, from children and elders.
We want to get the attention of youths that aren’t working, get them to join and get into something worthwhile, Thuch said.
As well as the health benefits of growing their own fresh vegetables Thuch and Queyea see the farm project as having much wider benefits in helping reduce social isolation, creating a sense of belonging, teaching them they can farm in Australia and reconnecting the older members to the land.
They hope the Longwarry North project will broaden to involve other communities across Australia.