Hadija Haji and her husband Hamadi run Hadija’s Farm. Hadija started farming in Somalia when she was just 13 years old, helping her mother and father. She lived in a refugee camp in Kenya for 13 years before coming to Idaho in 2004 with her family. Today, after almost 20 years in the United States, she has three sons and five daughters. Her husband and daughters Marimo, Hawa and Jamila help with the agricultural business. In addition to the Boise Farmers Market, Hadija runs a successful CSA and sells wholesale produce through Global Gardens. She farms at 5 Mile, Moon Valley and in Eagle. Hadija additionally works in childcare, and she is really fond of children.
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Noor, Mariamu and their children Hamsa, Ramadani and Amina run Mariamu and Noor’s Family Farm. Noor and Mariamu came to the United States in 2003 from Somalia after spending 20 years in a refugee camp in Kenya. They have been farming their whole lives. After arriving in Boise, they worked various jobs until they joined Global Gardens and were able to resume farming. They are now full-time farmers and run their successful business with the help of their six children who have grown up in Boise. They farm at Five Mile, Healthwise and Blue Cross. In his free time, Noor enjoys spending time with his children and watching any type of sport. His favorite sports to watch are basketball and soccer.
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Safari Farms is family-operated and woman-owned by Safiya Abdi. Originally from Somalia, Safiya spent most of her childhood in refugee camps in Kenya. She arrived in Boise with her family in 2005 at the age of 19. She began growing vegetables on her mother’s Global Gardens plot in Boise in 2010, decided to lease her own land the following year, then participated in a beginning farmer training program. Safiya now manages multiple acres across several lots in Boise. After a couple of farm seasons, her husband realized that her farm business was at least as profitable as his taxi business and began helping at the farm too. Safiya also works in the produce section at Fred Meyer. Her daughters Bezunesh and Alem help her both in the fields and at the market, which has allowed her business to become a popular and essential part of the local food system and refugee community.
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Ali Mbanda came to the United States in 2004 from Kenya. He has been farming for the last ten years and produces for the market with the support of his sons Aweso and Hussein. Ali grows familiar staples like onion, potatoes and squash as well as African corn.
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An experienced farmer, Emmanuel Nkurunziza, comes from a background with vast agricultural experience. He is originally from Burundi, a country in which roughly 90 percent of its agriculture is subsistence farming. He farmed on his parents’ garden before managing his own business in a Tanzanian refugee camp. He moved that business in Malawi before immigrating to the United States in 2013. After receiving a loan from the Sun Valley Resilience Institute, Emmanuel started Koborewa Corn Meal, a new production and milling operation to fill a gap in the Boise market for members of the African Diaspora and LatinX communities seeking traditional corn meal. Koborewa Corn Meal will prepare the corn meal to sell directly to consumers via regional farmers markets, community-supported agriculture (CSAs), and an online store, among other channels. Koborewa Corn Meal uses sustainable, organic practices to grow their corn. On top of the corn operation, Emmanel also grows peas, African eggplant, potatoes and Mchica.
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Meaning “Unity and Freedom,” Umoja Na Uhuru is a small local farm operated by Abdi Haji. A refugee from Somalia, Abdi came to the United States in December of 2004 after living in Kenya for 13 years. While in Kenya, he started a small school garden to teach other children how to grow food. He has been growing organic vegetables in the Treasure Valley since 2006. He first started with the Somali Bantu Community Farm in Eagle before joining the Global Gardens program. When Abdi decided to start his own agricultural venture, he contacted the Idaho Office for Refugees’ Economic Opportunity program for help. They worked with Abdi to help him develop a business plan and set some achievable goals. The Economic Opportunity program approved Abdi for a small-business loan to launch World Farm and another to expand his operation the following season. In 2012, Abdi was given the Outstanding Local Farmer Award by the Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and he was recently awarded the American Farmland Trust Brighter Future Grant. In addition to farming, Abdi works as a custodian. Outside of work, Abdi is very passionate about soccer and has coached a team locally in Boise.
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Together, Jeilani and Lul run Jeilani and Lul Family Farm. Originally from Somalia, they lived in a refugee camp in Kenya from 1992 to 2004 where they first met. They arrived in the United States together in 2004. Both started farming in Somalia while they were young children. Jeilani and Lul have four sons and three daughters. Their oldest child is 23 while their youngest is just two years old.
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Farhan Bere was born in Somalia and spent 15 years in Kenya before relocating to the United States. He came to Boise in 2003 with his wife and the kids they had at the time. Now, Farhan has a total of six children – the oldest is 27 and the youngest is just seven years old. Besides farming, Farhan also works nighttime in sanitation at B&D Foods. His wife works locally in a restaurant. Farhan, more or less, has been farming his whole life. He started farming while just a young child in Somalia, as his mother and father had a big family farm he helped with. While not working, Farhan enjoys reading the Quran and listening to African music. His favorite food is spaghetti, and he works hard to take care of his children and family.
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Abdikadir Chimwaga and Sarbah Bi operate Chimwaga Six Farm. Originally from Somalia, Abdikadir lived in a refugee camp in Kenya for 14 years before immigrating to Boise in 2004. He met Sarbah Bi at age 15 at Boise High School. Sarbah is originally from Myanmar and was living in a Thailand refugee camp from for five years before coming to Boise. The two married in 2010. Abdikadir brought impressive farming skills with him from Kenya, where he participated in an organization that trained future farmers how to grow food in environmentally-friendly ways. Now, both Sarbah and Abdikadir grow produce and sell at the Boise Farmers Market and through Global Garden’s Community Supported Agriculture program. They primarily farm on city-owned land on South Pond Street. At the Boise Farmers Market, you can find Chimwaga Six Farm under the banner that Sarbah made for the farm. About Abdikadir, it reads: “He’s a really nice guy!” Abdikadir is a big fan of basketball, and his favorite NBA team is the Miami Heat.
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Abdikadir Mberwa operates at two markets weekly and accounts for a significant part of the wholesale produce Global Gardens distributes. He is especially known for the beautiful kale and golden beets that he grows at his farm plot located off of Five Mile Rd. He and his wife, Khadija, run their farming business together and have big plans to expand and hopefully become full-time farmers.
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Though an experienced farmer, Albert Loufoua is newer to the Global Gardens program. The name of his farm comes from a combination of his name (the “A”) and the name of his wife, Grace, who is still living in Africa. He hopes she can come to the states soon to join him.
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Salima Gahigiro is originally from Burundi, a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley neighboring the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although a beginning farmer with Global Gardens, Salima has years of experience as a farmer and is known for her great kale, cabbage, and peppers. She currently farms at the Pond Street location and loves being out at the farm. Her son, Issa, has noted that for Salima to be out at the farm is her version of therapy. Around Global Gardens, Salima is affectionately referred to as “Mama Salima” and her farm name is unofficially called “Mama Salima’s Farm.”
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